lori higgins fest!

finished another curly scarf! i really want to knit something for myself but, i must wait... patience, patience. i found voice of choice for december has my favorite artist from maui- lori higgins! she pours herself into the aloha of painting island life. i just love her!

trip to mt. baker

took a spin up to mt. baker today. the sun was out and most of the snow down here had melted. so, going up the road for 45 min. we found ourselves in a winter wonderland. it was invigorating to inhale the crisp, cold air from the warm, cozy car. i had to take some shots of the drive. we stopped at milano's a great little place that has the best italian food. everything is handmade right on the premises. as we enjoyed our pasta we could see the whispy mists of clouds dematerialize and reappear as they crossed the base of the mountain. it was a wonderful drive; just loved it.

love this time of year

it's so great to have a craft that can be utilized in all kinds of way. my family has been good about not giving me grief about my "granny hobby." they usually smile when they see me bring my knitting bag to events to fill in the time in-between this and that. it's been slow going on projects for the family; mainly, deciding what to make and for whom. as i get inspired i immediately get started and commit so i won't change my mind. finished one of the many initial washcloths to go along with the kanji soap. it was fun to mix and match the batches of soap. i used honey and goat's milk. decided to add a few more flowers to my granddaughter's poncho- her american girl doll will also have a poncho as she will be getting one from santa. so they will match. am on my second curly scarf and i hope i have time to make a kimono style sweater for my isabelle. soon will be putting up more greenery to counter all the lights my bf has put up. the blinking of red and blue soften the living room at night. it has snowed on & off so the light falling snow has created a softness all around.

shout out to Karen, SP

a hug and a great big thank you to Karen of frog knits for spoiling me during sp6. i loved all the hello kitty stuff, the skeins of soft, soft wool and the luscious foot cream; it works way better than anything else i've tried. i am hooked on it- thanks for sharing that and everything else.
i fell in love with hello kitty while we lived in Japan shortly after hello kitty first came out. since then all the girls in my family have gotten hooked so it's something we all love to give & receive. Karen you have been a great inspiration to me with the great fiber intros; mohair is so awesome and i love the green of the skeins you've recently sent. it has been so much fun being part of SP6.

family ties

i greeted my daughter today on her return home from maui. my son and sister/family live there. they spent time enjoying conversations all inclusive of persuasive opinions now that they are all adults. the adult/child relationship takes a severe turn depending on the age of the individual where you no longer have to listen to others. it has been my pleasure to have adult children (what a term to set upon someone related who is now in their mid-20 something's) who have been able to freely express their opinions to me since they learned how to be cognizant of their feelings. they have always been real and honest with me; no tender withholding of information in order to spare my feelings! consequently, i have been able to let go of most negative situations. mostly, i feel blessed and compelled to believe that we must somehow choose the people in our lives in order to grow to be better beings. maui has also held a special spiritual quality for my family as we all love the peace we experience within whenever we go to the island. friends of friends, family - all indictative of ohana. a special word full of love and a place to be within a community. i hope to return one day; meanwhile i can dream of a little grass shack in hawaii.

fini

it's been so hectic at home with taking care of fish, cat and now a puppy. it's been fun but crazy. buddha kitty has fast become friends with puppy even as to share his food. who would have thought. finished the little poncho and added button's to the doll sweater. i am now knitting wash cloths to go with the little bars of soap that have kanji symbols; will take photos later. must go and get ready for work.

a day of relaxing

just an easy day of coffee drinking and watching the snow... have my heart set on finishing a few holiday presents but am in dire need of a small change in the daily rountine so i've checked these 2 great books for companionship today. i love historical fiction and marie's hidden diary is pretty intriguing. she never was apologetic about who she was or where she came from... what else could she do?

birthday celebrations!

had alot of fun today! dozen sunset roses from a good friend, a necklace from my sis, a beautiful nao girl from my daughter, chocolate liquer from my bf matching coffee mug to drink from, and this new little edition came by with his furry, cute self. had a great birhtday/thanksgiving day spent with family. didn't get to work on my lei as i ended up playing with my grandkids; they are active and creative :)

birthday eve & thanksgiving

what a wonderful life we have. we seem to have a holiday for almost every month in the year. i love holidays- the celebration of life, reaffirmation with family & friends of our joys & sorrows. i absolutely love people watching during those moments when we relive our childhoods by telling our individual stories that become the gossmar thread in the web of life. another more creative note i intend on making a lei out of silk & fun fiber. i picked up the book on maui and have made a few but never one for myself. so tomorrow for my birthday i will spend the day carrying my lei making items with me & see what comes out. a birthday lei for two celebrations. i hope to learn some creative tips too from by bf's daughter who's 14. she has quite an amazingly creative blog. i was intimidated. so i plan on asking for her help!

almost done with the cotton candy poncho for taylor. i have a few other small projects i have that i would like to make for family members. made some great goat's milk soap in molds that have kanji symbols for eternity, love, happiness and tranquilty in white. next batch will be rose colored with orange scent. i usually like to buy a few educational toys for the kids and make something for them to wear or use. it's exciting this time or year!

knitting for the holidays

reading yarn harlot has really inspired me, made me laugh and finally i realized it okay to be fiber obessed. i have loved all kinds of crafts from needlework to washi kit making but, nothing is as satisfying as hand made items to wear. my daughter has always been a big supporter of any of my hand made items and had actually encouraged me to go out & share my creations. she loves hats so that's how i got hooked on knitting instead of crocheting. i do prefer the diversity of knitting; not only is the weight, texture & designs of knitting more versatile but, the quality is more appealing. not to put down crochet as i have made many different beautiful items greatly appreciated by the recipient. for me the challenge of creating yet another genuine
long lasting body wear is better suited by knitting. finished a twirly scarf in a light furry blend, am working on a cotton candy poncho for my granddaughter. so happy to have found a sewing tin to put all my needles & spools of thread. mary englebreit is one of my favorite artist. she loves childhood and has a great sense of humor & good values to impart in her art. my tins says, "laugh yourself into stitches." by shakespeare believe it or not.

wedded bliss!!

my sister finally got married to a really great guy! joyous union and the happy couple have an envious life on maui enjoying island life & now each other to share their everyday things! i wish them long love, long life and much happiness...

lucky me !

i have received some great stuff via snail mail which i feel is the best way. emailing and instant messaging is a high demand convenience but, rather than opt for instant gratification i feel it's good to wait... my SP is absolutely an attentive and generous gal. i screeched today, much to my daughter's dismay, when i saw the hello kitty in a kimono from my SP. kudos! she really made my day. these comfy shoes from www.chinadirectstore.com are one of 2 i indulged in getting for myself as festive wear.

lots of love to SP!

oh happy day!

lucky me! i went to check my mail and there was a wonderful package from my sp ;0) inside i found some great hello kitty charms to add to my charm bracelet, some hello kitty candy (they have free stickers inside) & the yarn harlot book!!! i've been wanting to read yarn harlot; sp you must have read my mind. my SP is awesome! thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

bella as the little devil!

altered halter & a doll sweater

ahh, a room with a view...

mehndi

henna tatoos are so intriguing. i love the repetitive design; scrolls, leaves, flowers. i have this urge to do a henna design since i'm not working i can sit and enjoy doing the design myself. can't wait to try to make this design around my foot/ankle.

in the beginning..

i sometimes wonder if eve had the same kind of problems getting adam to understand her as most women have with men today. that said, if we (women) were taken from adam's rib how can we be so far removed from men when it comes to communication? it is the plague of our century... epidemics, pandemics are mere tools of our "world" in keeping a balance in this living system we call mother earth. in essence it is such a dilemma, this difference between the sexes.
still i am hopeful that the sweetness between the sexes can cover a multitude of misunderstandinsgs between men & women, men & men, women & women...please hold all
complications. my poor fishtail scarf! i was 2/3's finished when i noticed that the scarf had started to grow somewhere in the middle therefore fatter than the rest. i had to rip out 30 rows... boo hoo... however, no amount of blocking would have been able to cover-up that mistake.

now that's a pair of socks!

i would love to make these socks from this incredible book!!
:0)

fever!

tell me quando, quando, quando! hottie micahel buble has made me re-exam the brat pack music. he sings smoothly.
i am convinced he is more than a crooner; he feels that
time of innocence and romance. even more so on his come fly with me cd/dvd he says to the camera, "i believe if i work very hard that i can take this world to a different time." he certainly does. he is popular worldwide. he's from burnaby, vancouver, bc. just over the border from where i live. wow, i am impressed...(sigh) must add him to my cd collection.

Happy Halloween!

it is just chilly enough to go running through the fall leaves on your way door to door for treats! my grandkids are on their way over to show me their costumes: taylor is stephanie from lazy town; stripped pink & purple dress i made w/white piping, a pink wig. jaiden is spiderman- his most favorite character besides spongebob. bella is this little devil just like the hello kitty on this post! it is good to see them excited! they plan on attending a costume party forgoing the door to door excitement. they are so cute! can't wait to take their photos :)