Thanksgiving Weekend

*sunset in San Simeon*

I took some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday so Boyfriend and I could take a road trip up to San Fran. We had a great trip visiting some of Boyfriend's family, and spending some time on our own in the city. Here are some quick highlights (at least the ones I got some pictures of).



Snoozin' elephant seals near San Simeon



Boyfriend at the beach in Carmel, CA on Thanksgiving day



Views from our hotel room at the Westin Market Street in San Fran


(this picture was spruced up by the Camera Plus app for iPhone)



Anthropologie had the BEST holiday display!



Boyfriend's aunt cooked up "a little bit" of food for us to bring with us on the road. Yum. I think this is going to feed us for the whole month of December.

I hope you all had the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Simple Things

Yet another shawl! These can be so addicting to make, especially when you don't have to think too much about the pattern. This was the perfect project for a busy month, when I just wanted a non-thinking project.



This was made from just over two skeins of Knit One Crochet Too Handpainted Ambrosia, which is a silk, cashmere and alpaca blend. I bought this yarn on sale at the cutest little yarn store near my grandparents house in Urbana, Illinois. Klose Knit is a cozy little store, and has some fun yarn-bombing right outside.



This is the Simple Things shawl, found on Ravelry.



It's always a bit silly taking pictures of yourself :)

Time to Share

Hi friends - I took a little bit of an unintentional hiatus there, but things have been a bit busy. Let's get to it!

I have a few FOs (Finished Objects) to share with you, so we'll have to play a bit of catch up. First up are a pair of socks I made for myself.



This is the Clandestine Sock pattern, available for free on Knitty. You'll remember I had a bit of a rough start with this pattern, but I noticed about a third of the way through the first sock, and got myself back on track. I love this sunny yellow with this pattern - I think it really shines. I got the yarn in the sale bin at Knit Culture Studio - it's Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock. This was a little bit of a putzy pattern to follow, but luckily I have small feet so I had a little bit less knitting to do.



Fall has finally hit LA, and I'm enjoying the rainy, cloudy days we've had this week. I got a fun fall-themed package in the mail today, complete with red leaves specially plucked off a tree in Door County just for me.



Included in my package were three Halloween wash clothes she knit up just for me. Thanks Mom!

Third Times a Charm

We finally did it! Yesterday Sherry and I baked macarons yesterday, and they turned out beautifully.



We filled them with lemon curd and nutella, and kept half in the natural almond flour color, and made the other half a rosey pink color.



I've learned from past baking mistakes and I think I actually have this mastered.

Ughck!

A weekend's worth of work


Tragically ended like this:



Time to read the pattern correctly and start again.

I won!

On Saturday, my friend Lauren and I wandered over to Knit Culture Studio for their customer appreciation event. I'm so glad I did! We got a copy of Debbie Bliss' Fall issue, and put our names into a raffle. While shopping around, they called my name for a sweet little prize of the Easy Baby Knits book, accompanied by three skeins of Sublime baby cotton in a poppy color. I'm not sure what I'm going to whip up with this yet, but I'm sure I'll figure it out!



A few finished knits are right around the corner. Stay tuned.

Whoooopie!

Whoopie Pies that is. I recently got this book:



This book is Gobs of fun. They split the book into two sections - half for the cake part and half for the fillings, so you can mix and match however you please. For my first dive into the book, I settled on the Red Velvet with Classic Buttercream frosting.



I didn't have red food coloring, so I thought to a blue velvet cake Boyfriend and I love from a nearby cafe. This recipe called for a lot of cocoa, and I didn't really think of how that would mix with the blue...let's just say it wasn't too appealing. I kept adding blue and more blue and eventually got a really weird forest green color. I decided to call it quits at that color so as not to overpower the flavor with coloring gel. They taste great and were a great sweet treat to bring along to the Hollywood Bowl last night.

Me vs. The Macaron

You may remember a few months back, I took a French Macaron baking class. Shortly after, I made a mess trying them out on my own. My friend Sarah wanted to try to tackle these with me, so on Saturday, we gave it a shot.



We.failed.miserably.



It was a super mess. Perhaps too much egg white, and not stiff enough peaks? Who knows. Sarah (friend Sarah, I haven't started talking in third person) had a moment of brilliance and suggested perhaps we could use them as a berry crisp topping. So Sunday I set out to the Hollywood Farmer's Market, picked up lots of blackberries, and set about making a blackberry crisp. At about ten minutes left of baking, I put the macaron mess on top and let them keep baking.



I gotta say, it was delicious, and completely festive for a 4th of July bbq.

Stay with me - I'm not giving up on macarons yet.

My Crocheted Necklace

I crocheted this necklace a few weeks ago, but just got around to taking some pics. Halfway through knitting my sweater vest, I needed a little break, and this necklace totally fit the bill.



The magazine version includes beads, and was done in white for a bridal feel, but I like it even more in bright color without the beads. I think the pattern holds strong on it's own.



This was my first time working with crochet thread and a teeny tiny hook, but I didn't find it too difficult. I moved a little slower than usual, and had to really concentrate on the pattern/chart. Totally worth the heavy concentration - I absolutely love it.


(my parents made me this fantastic holder - thrift store frame + radiator grate from the hardware store, spray painted silver + s-hooks - works perfectly!)

The "Sexy Vesty"

I finally finished this darn sweater vest I've been working on for what seems like the longest time. Although it felt like the knitting dragged on a bit for such a small amount of stitches, I think it turned out great.



It fits perfectly, I love the yarn I used (Lions Brand Cotton-Ease), the color is fun and summery, and its a very workable piece in my wardrobe.



The pattern is free and available on Ravelry - the Sexy Vesty (because nothing says sexy like a sweater vest).



I'm happy to move onto the next project!

What To Do With Tomatillos

If you happen to come across a big bag of tomatillos at your local farmer's market, I would highly recommend making this most delicious Tomato and Tomatillo Gazpacho.



We were almost immediately in need of a second batch after tasting the first one. Super tasty and refreshing.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad is the best dad. No really, he is.



Love you, Dad! Happy birthday!

Thrift Store Treasure

A few weeks ago I received a lucky treasure in the mail from my mom. She found two of these at the thrift store:



Unopened argyle sock kit, copyright 1950 from Patons and Baldwin.



Check out the chart!



Don't worry, there were two, so she was able to keep one for herself. :)

Rain Drops and Polka Dots

Over the weekend I took advantage of being at my parents to use my mom's sewing machine for a tote bag I had been wanting to make to test out my sewing skills after my Sewing 101 class at the end of March.



It's definitely not perfect, but I love the prints and it will make a great project bag.



...and it's reversible!

Birthday Surprise

I hope you all had a nice Memorial day weekend! I sure did. On Saturday I flew home to Appleton, WI to surprise my mom for her birthday. My dad was in on the surprise, and told my mom he was off to the grocery store when really he was off to the airport to pick me up. When we got back to the house, he went in first and told my mom to come see what he got on special at the store. Surprise! We've never pulled something like that on her before, and it was a lot of fun.

I had a great weekend relaxing with my parents. Lots-of-pictures-alert:


* Who knew Paris was right in the backyard?*



* the little old lady who rules the roost *


* Little Lake Butte des Morts *



* old railroad bridge *


*Mom and Dad crossing the Friendship Trail, Menasha, WI *


* warehouse on the trail *


* plenty of irises ready for their close-up *


* "Treasure" found in the backyard (it's a deer skull) *


* chairs always getting a new paint makeover *


*homemade strawberry-rhubarb ice cream with the last of the garden rhubarb crop *


*snapdragons *


* half shade/half sun combo is the best for a snooze *


* Testing out Dad's Christmas present on the creek *



* Dad was in on the plan*



* the birthday girl *