Living And Knitting Silicon Beach

Silicon Valley might have a longer history, but Silicon Beach is hot, hot, hot.   For the last three and a half years, the area has be command central for Clan Stewart.

 This was the beginning of my long scarf which is now named Silicon Beach.  Every day, the tech employees can be seen walking, biking, boarding and even driving around sporting neck wear that is wrapped and wrapped into a personal statement. 

Silly me.  I cast on twenty-nine gazillion stitches in lace weight and set out to knit a sideways scarf with one beaded edge.  Well.  The thing did end up long enough to wrap and twist and gather into an expression of the wearer - all 125.5 inches of the thing.  

This is what it looks like all scrunched up.  The Happy Fuzzy lace is in the verdigris colorway which is a natural complement to the copper beads.

There is no real pattern other than my desire to practice a new cast on edge - with a twist and the beads.

All in all, the result makes me happy and fits the vibe of Silicon Beach.

PS - yes, those are Mardi Gras beads under the scarf.  Feb. 9 is fast approaching!

Watch Out Eunice

Ca c'est bon.

The Short Row Fantasy is complete.  Regular readers will understand why this Mardi Gras shawl is now named Eunice.  If you are new here, Eunice, Louisiana is my home town.  It's an amazing place to discover the Cajun Country and experience a local Fat Tuesday celebration.

For such a large and generous swath of fabric, this is a quick knit.  By carving out time, I was able to complete one "wedge" per day.  My shawl ended up being ten wedge repeats.  It would be fabulous with eleven or even twelve repeats but that would require more of the big color #3 - the green in my version.

Already a second colorway is being planned.  Well, actually, I might have already bought the yarn thanks to Annette who helped pick out the trio of shades.  

C'est tout.

Blogging Is Not My Whole Life

Some weeks are just too busy for adding to the Blog. This is surely one of them. I got off kilter early on with meetings.

First there was a strategic planning committee meeting and I missed it. More on that later. Then there was a budget and finance committee meeting. I really have to prep and focus for those. It is not my strong point, so I try to go into b&f with just the right level of caffeine, my files at hand, and a pen for notes.

Let's not forget the Riverside Knitting Guild meeting. After all, it was the third Tuesday. Our tip this time was on utilizing the Russian join. I truly enjoy simple ten minute tips and hints. Even when it is something I already have in the repertoire, it is useful to brush up on these things.

Second, there was surgery. My oldest daughter had a little problem. So there was driving an hour to meet her for the pre-op meeting and make sure we were on the same game plan as the surgeon. (That little excursion is why I missed the strategic planning committee meeting.) Then there was getting to the hospital early, prepping for the surgery and then the waiting. And waiting. I'll spare the details, but do know that her man friend was forced to sit in public view and hold the knitting while I frogged. It's hard to count to "2" when every footstep could signal the surgeon coming to give the news. But now it is over, she is past the hardest part, released from the hospital and firmly bedded down in my guest room trying to stay awake long enough to watch stupid movies. Chicken broth and jello - yum, yum.

Third, there is the boutique. Brockton Arcade here in Riverside, where Knit 'n Stitch holds a prime corner spot, is the location. We set up at 8:30 this morning.

There was a lovely young woman setting up her birdhouse decor items.

Riverside Knitting Guild was selling tickets for the afghan raffle. See how beautiful it is! Those are President Sue's pillows for sale.

I can't believe Sue would sell the flag coverlet. But she put a price on it and there it was - ready for a proud American to purchase.

My friend Lisa was a bit late in arriving and I did not get photos of her soap and lotion line. The big joke with Lisa is that after 3 or 4 years of loudly claiming she would never knit a washcloth - ever - what's the point - what a waste - - - - she is know producing washcloths like a knitting maniac. Turns out that people who like goat's milk soap also like organic cotton washcloths. What a concept!!

Of course I unpacked and then tried to set up - so it looked messy for a while. Eventually, I got all organized and pretty. You can't see it in this photo, but a nice coat rack was used to hold purses and make the whole area really look like a boutique.

Also helped Mitch out by watching over his sales while he went to his real paying job. Cool necklaces! Each and every one a 'gem'

The boutique runs all day Saturday as well. What kind of mother am I? I'm leaving the precious girl all stitched up and in the care of a father and a man friend who will likely spend the day munching and grunting at football. Oh, yeah. Now I remember. . . . . . .

Men who are not capable of pampering and caring are not real men.