Friday, February 18, 2011

On the Run

Instead of sitting quietly in Willow's Cottage on Thursday evening, I was rocking my way to San Diego on the Amtrak Surfliner.  Visiting my daughter this weekend, I knew I'd be late posting on Friday Fave Five.  But as the saying goes, "Better Late Than Never".  It is never ever too late to express gratitude for the week's blessings.

1. A week ago, our weekend included a fun evening with friends that began with a yummy dinner of black beans and rice, fresh asparagus from the farmers market and gluten free chocolate brownies, all prepared by my green thumb friend who grows the most incredible square foot garden.  My contribution to the dinner was these strawberries which I had purchased that morning at the same farmers market. They had been picked from the local fields earlier in the morning.


2.  There was knitting.  While the others played bridge, I knitted.  Then, during the week's evenings, I knitted.  Finally, I photographed two of the finished projects.  The fingerless mitts are made from a pattern that MinimalistKnitter asked me to test knit.  The result was a very comfortable pair of mittens.  You can get the free pattern from Robyn's blog here.



The photo on the right is a hoodie/scarf I knitted for my soap-making friend Laurie.  She investigated all the yarn options at Joann's and chose this Angel Hair yarn.  Then she said, "I want a hat that has the scarf attached to it."  I remembered seeing the perfect thing in Homemade Handknit years ago and went searching.  Basically, all you do is knit a very long scarf about 9 inches wide, fold it in half and stitch down one side from the center fold for 8 or 9 inches. That's it.  Because the yarn was so very fluffy and beautifully variegated, I chose a moss stitch pattern to show it off to best advantage.

3.  Obviously, a phone call from my far away military son will always make my fave five list.

4.  After a week of hot high winds blowing in from the desert to the east of us, the gentle rains coming from the ocean to the west of us have been a welcome weather respite.  We don't have to water the plants, and I had a great excuse to not wash the car.

5.  Saving the best until the last, I am spending my long weekend in San Diego with my daughter, son-in-law, the two puppies and two kitties.  If the weather cooperates, we'll be taking a couple of hikes with those doggies, walking along one of San Diego's marvelous beaches, and maybe finding a great restaurant meal.  The only downside to this little weekend visit is that The Professor can't join me since for some obscure reason his university does not take Presidents Day off.

 Remember to stop for a few minutes every day to reflect on the good things (and ignore the difficult moments).  As usual, Susanne will have her link for Friday Fave Five posted on her blog for anyone who wants to join FFF.

22 comments:

Bethany said...

This is one of my favorite Fab Five lists that you've written! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Jerralea said...

Those strawberries look so yummy!

The fingerless mittens look great. Isn't it funny that they are so popular!

Phone calls from far away children are always special!

TXDidi said...

Love the mittens and what a pretty color, too. How nice to be able to spend a weekend with your daughter. Have a great weekend.

Dorothy said...

I love that hoodie/scarf! Moss stitch was the perfect choice to show off that yarn!

Robin said...

I got to be in San Diego last weekend! Such incredible beauty everywhere you look!

ellen b. said...

The fingerless mitts are really cool. Love the photo. OH girl...that's something I really miss about Camarillo, the fresh berries from the fields. Sigh...
Have fun in San Diego...

Brenda said...

Sounds like a good week! I hope you are having better weather in SoCal than we are up here in NorCal, its pretty miserable right now.

Hazel said...

Soft and fluffy - I love that. That's a great weekend you're spending with your family even though the Professor can't join you. Your strawberries there look yummier than the strawberries we have here. Thanks for the nice words you left on my post. I appreciate that a lot.

Jane said...

Sounds like the perfect weekend - in the company of family. love the strawberries and knitting. Jane x

Susanne said...

Wonderful that you got a phone call from your son! I know how great it is when my daughter gives us a call.

Love the mittens!

Enjoy your weekend with your daughter!

Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said...

Nice knitting!
I read SD is in for a rainy weekend. I'll be waiting to see what alternative plans can be hatched.
I will say hiking in Torrey Pines State park after a good rain is a favorite of mine; it just smells amazing after a good soak.

Catherine said...

Oh,I hope you are enjoying San Diego. I miss living in Southern California! (especially with these NY winters!) It sounds like you had a fabulous dinner and those strawberries look divine. I wish I could knit. that hooded scarf looks so soft and cozy.

Tracy said...

Oh, those strawberries make me smile! I can't wait for summer strawberries! Those fingerless mitts are wonderful, Willow! What yarn did you use? So pretty... Family mix in with the weekend--always special. Glad you've had such a good week. :o) Happy Weekend, my friend ((HUGS))

Candace said...

Hi Willow! It was nice to have you stop by my blog this week! And I loved catching up on yours. Your recent knitting projects are beautiful.

To answer your question, you can create tabs by doing the following:
1. On your dashboard, go to your Edit Posts page.
2. At the top, you will see three things: New Post, Edit Posts, and Edit Pages.
3. Click on Edit Pages. You will have to tell it to allow a Page Gadget at some point, but it will prompt you to do that once you're ready to publish (if I remember correctly).
4. And there you go! You can create stand-alone pages and place tabs across the top or side of your blog. I like the top because it's easy to see and navigate. Once your page is what you want, click on "Publish" and choose how you want it to lay out.
5. You can change the order of your tabs by going to your Design page, clicking on the Pages gadget which should now be there, and moving the order.

I think this should work, but please stop by again if I missed a step or if it didn't quite work. Happy designing!!

annmarie said...

the mitts are lovely! and the photo of the strawberries makes even winter-loving me long for summer. :)

Unknown said...

As my university (being the same as the Professor's university) also does not take the day off, I'm in the same boat that he is. But I'm glad that you're down here enjoying the long weekend! Today was lovely, wasn't it? :)

Knitting Linguist said...

P.S. That was not Tess who left that comment, it was me. Tess is my daughter...

Barbara H. said...

You do a beauitful job knitting!

Those strawberries look luscious.

How good to hear from your son! And to spend time with your daughter and son-in-law! I can't imagine the Professor's university not honoring the presidents! :-D

Unknown said...

Wonderful list Kak Willow and the best part is spending valuable time with the family. our strawberries here are super sour :( so not many are looking forward to eat them plus they are very mahal. Hugs/M

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Nice to check in with you, Willow, and see what is happening on your coast. Have a wonderful time in SD with your daughter! New boy must be getting so big!

snoopydogknits said...

Fabulous Fab Five! Family visitations always come top of my lists! Love the fingerless mitts! Ros

Ally Jay said...

I love your mittens. Thank you for your message. I am fine.