Chevron scarf

Joelle Hoverson's book (owner of Purl Soho) Last Minute Knitted Gifts really lit a fire under me to put some effort into learning how to knit.

So...I took some lessons, and classes, and as a quilter that is terrified of knitting, very timidly started this Chevron Scarf from her book.

I'm using red and green Koigu yarn, and these are as pretty as any yarn I've ever seen.

Unclear if I will ever finish this, even though finishing by next winter would be a stretch goal for me. It seems that many others coming before me have actually finished one of these - wow, some cool inspiration here - Chevron Scarf flickr group

I got my poor friend Sharon to make one too, because I'm too scared to make one alone. Thanks for the knitted moral support, my dear.

And if you don't have the energy to start one yourself, and are looking to somehow occupy your time, I would recommend this URL: Paper Throw - beware, addictive!

Papa visit

This weekend my husband is off at a photo workshop, getting inspiration in Big Sur, California and getting inspiration from his instructor, Eddie Soloway (amazing photos here).

My dad, affectionately known around here as Papa, flew in to give me a hand and serve as 2-yr-old entertainment. He's amazing, and the two of them are like peas and carrots.

I'm sure it will be a fun weekend, but will include a little visit to the photo school to see Daddy for dinner, so likely not to get much quilting in.

Some of you out there are still getting a lot of sewing done. Alex, of Moonstitches just made this to-die-for Mexican Pinwheel quilt block. The beauty does sometimes lie in the details, in small tiny pieces fitting together, just so.

You know you're crazy when...

...you try to make ketchup from scratch.

I have this cookbook that has a recipe for turkey meatloaf that I wanted to try, but in order to make that, you first must make your own ketchup.

This was no small endeavor, and I ended up with no small amount of it either. (live in the California bay area, and want some?)

Is this because I'm pregnant and am predisposed to do, make, eat odd things? Perhaps, I'm trying to keep an open mind here.

In any case, the ketchup is awesome, though not sweet, and is being well-received by all. Even non-ketchup eaters have turned over a new leaf.

Lastly, the above picture is of the hair decoration that I got from Atelier Kanawa's Etsy shop. Wow, pretty pretty, and even has bells.

Doll quilts

The Doll Quilt Swap is on again, after taking some time out for maybe about half a year.

Looks like there is a new host, and lots of folks signed up to eagerly create those tiny quilts to warm the laps of teddy bears and curly-haired dolls around the globe.

I'm not in the swap this time because I was afraid I wouldn't have the energy to finish it on time. I am not sure how you ladies bust through your pregnancy and continue to turn out amazing crafty works....if you have any tips on where to find some extra energy, please send them my way!

The quilt squares above were a gift from my mom, when she visited last week. Not sure where I will use them yet, but they are all from Japan, and each is so very pretty.

It's twins!

Oh my goodness, we're expecting twin babies! Isn't it amazing!

I had an appointment w/ my OB this afternoon, and she was looking at the ultrasound and found that we will be having twins!

She really wants us to come back in another 2 weeks to verify that it isn't actually triplets.

Oh, and my friend forward me this link to a USB-based pregnancy test that plugs directly into your computer. Is this too geeky or what? Ah, and I used to think she was so "cool" - just kidding Sharon.

Ok seriously, I'M NOT HAVING TWINS, it's just April Fools' day (this lovely thing we celebrate here in the US).

Have you been fooled today? (probably not by little old me!) Tee hee....

Of course, we're expecting!

Well, you all of course guessed it right, our family is expecting our 2nd baby.

Thanks for all your kind well wishes! You really warm my heart.

Interesting enough, the due date is only 2 days off from our son's birthday, so could be birthday cake all around depending on how things line up.

Babies of course show up when they darn well please, and I've found them to have complete disregard for their due date as a blanket generalization.

I think we'll find out the sex of the baby in another month or something, so no starting the baby quilt until I know if it's flowers or race cars.

On a totally different topic, I picked up the latest Patchwork Quilt Tsushin #142 and it's lovely. Some taupe patterns by Yoko Saito (my favorite) as well as some log cabin block ideas from Chuck Nohara (my other favorite). Overall this issue is very nice, and I'd put it up there with my favorites in the last year or so.

In a desperate maneuver of shopping therapy, I broke down and purchased an amazing hair decoration from Atelier Kanawa's Etsy shop. We have a wedding to go to in another month and a half, so maybe I'll wear it then, or maybe just out to a nice dinner. Either way, Atelier's classical Japanese training and her amazingly beautiful creations are not to be missed.

Happy Easter, Happy baking disaster, and happy best-news-ever teaser

We had a lovely egg hunt and even managed to score some actual seats in church this morning (not an easy feat!)

For our big dinner, we will enjoy a prime rib, and I decided to make an Octopus-shaped cream cheese pound cake.

Easter Octopus instead of Bunny? A bit strange? Well, I had the pan already and didn't want to get another bundt pan.

IF YOU GET THIS PAN, BE SURE TO SET IT ON A COOKIE SHEET OR IT WILL BECOME UNEVEN AND DUMP HALF OF IT'S BATTER INTO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR OVEN!

Don't ask me how I discovered that little tip. Errrggg...

As for the view in the picture I posted this time, well, it's a rare and fleeting view of my feet.

Any guesses as to why the view of my feet is going away? Hint, it's super exciting good news.

Oh and one last thing - check out this sneak peak of a baby quilt over at Happy Apple quilts. Look familiar? Hm, looks like my banner. I LOVE this quilt pattern, and think it looks really pretty in 1930's repro's too.

Do you Moo?

The above quilt was something we appraised in my class. What a pretty papercut applique. I love blue and white quilts.

Moo just gave me a head's up email on their new adorable (low cost!, $5!) business card holder.

I think it's the cutest ever. I have the leather version, but this looks like it would be a great way to stash a few extras in my diaper bag, or glove box or something.

I also stumbled across this super cool Polaroid Blog, that I would recommend you visit if you have the time. Polaroid film, as I'm sure you already know, is basically not going to be made by the company any longer. It's a dying artform, that I personally adore. Get it while you can, folks. Enjoy.

A friendly visitor from a strange land

Finally my cough is on the way out, so thanks for well wishes. Between those, the humidifier, and the extra naps (thanks honey for being on duty w/ our 2yr old) how could I not feel tons and tons better!

Yesterday my old college roommate and her husband stopped by with their new puppy. This dog was the cutest little thing on earth. My friend imported this little sweetie from Korea.

The pincushion is for a lovely new friend who gave me the pleasure of appraising her quilt collection, for practice. Her quilts were amazing, and I'm just now finishing up all the paperwork. It's taken me a lot longer that I was hoping to take, but with the germs rolling through my house, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Well, here's to a good healthy upcoming week.

Crawling back to the keyboard....

So when I went to the doctor today for my cough (the one that has been my friend at 1am, 2am, 3am, etc for 2 weeks now) I thought for sure they would recommend a lung transplant.

At the very least, I envisioned them spiriting me away to the ICU for extensive upper respiratory infection treatment.

My doctor, a total sweetheart, recommended a humidifier and lots of water. I'll let you know if it's the cure.

If my cold is reading this blog.....be gone! You are no longer wanted here!!!

I will now confess to you that I bought 3 pairs of shoes online this afternoon. Yes, 3. I was in dire need of something springy, and since I bought online my husband will never know as long as I get the box when it arrives.

Well, he probably still reads my blog now and then, so maybe it's not going to be all that secret.

I also need to get online and order this brownie baking tray. It makes the brownies so that they ALL have edges! No more soggy middle pieces that nobody likes to eat anyhow. Does that rock or what?

Oh, and I created the little above pincushion for a very good reason. I know, the suspense is killing you...next time!

Cough cough, go away...oh, I'm such a basket case!

The famliy cold has landed squarely in my lap now. I've been coughing like mad for the last 10 days w/ not much sign of getting better.

Off to the doctor for me tomorrow....wish me luck! More when I'm back on my feet.

Primary election addiction

I know I admitted to being addicted to blogging in my last post, but this time I think it's time to also admit it's hard to turn off the election news coverage on TV.

The confetti, the charisma and excitement, the cheers....it's also a bit habit forming! I'm sure there are others out there that just have a tough time flipping to another channel. This is turning into a nail biter.

Slowly, I continue to do more hand stitching on the Yukata quilt. I decided to use this wine glass pattern in the indigo borders.

I also noticed this cool blog called Sew Sisters that looks like it's associated with the quilt shot. They have a nice shot of some new Japanese taupe fabric, as well as an interesting book by Yoko Saito. Hm...may have to look into getting a copy of that!!

Are you addicted to blogging?

Now there is an online test you can take to see if you are officially addicted to blogging or not.

Not that I was wondering what the answer would be for me personally (duh - yes!) but I took the quiz anyhow, and it proclaimed me to be 77% addicted. Think you can beat that?

Finally our son is more healthy this weekend, so that is really all I could want for a peaceful weekend.

Above is a picture of the Lecien fabric I picked up from Mariko at Azabu-Ya when I visited her booth at Road to California quilt show. I have yet to wash and iron it, but we'll see if I get a second wind this afternoon.

I was at the doctor's office last week, and the nurse immediately recognized my necklace as being by Margaret Sullivan. She is this jewelery artist that makes the most adorable charms, and I have one with my son's name on it that I got from a little shop in Los Altos, CA.

It's the first time anybody has ever recognized it, I thought it was cool.

Bring on the sunshine

Please raise your hand if you're had enough rain in the month of February already. Maybe some of you could say the same for the snow, especially if you're in the US on the east coast.

For my friends out there in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand...well, my heart is with you celebrating summer.

Finally the weather did clear a bit here and we have seen a bit of sunshine, but the cold bugs are still having all sorts of fun with my family. Our sweet and darling 2 yr old has been knocked out with a fever for 3 days now, poor little dear. Send your best healthy thoughts in our general direction if you can!

What could possibly cheer me up this week? Pediatricians who give you same day appointments, children's tylenol, 3191 blog - oh what a beautiful photographic study of light and color, reading Calico Cat blog and knowing that I'm not the only one out there that loves Japanese taupe fabric.

The tale of the red blanket - part III - "Happy Reunion - Diamonds for Blankets"

After many years of the red-themed gift exchange, and my poor sister typing "red blanket" as her computer password on a daily basis...my husband asked me to marry him.

It was a sweet and romantic proposal, and both families could not have been happier.

My sister, as a special engagement gift, and a testimony of her love to her new brother-in-law, returned the red blanket to him.

It was not quite the same relief experienced by hostages released after many years of imprisonment, but I will have to say that it was a very sweet reunion.

Ok, so in other news, I just got my embroidery pattern "Quilting Bee" from Hilary at Wee Wonderfuls. No idea when I'll whip this up, but it's adorable, and so quilty!!

The tale of the red blanket - part II - "The Cold War"

As you might have guessed, my then-boyfriend-now-husband was more than slightly upset that his red blanket had been swiped.

My sister was tickled pink with herself, and more than happy to keep it safe on a permanent basis.

This triggered what I call "The Cold War". Nobody was giving an inch, but many shots were fired over the bow.

For Christmas and birthdays, he picked out a red-colored gift every year. Red sweaters, red flowers, red cards, and any other sort of red goodies you could think of were targeted at my poor sister. (Good thing she likes that color!)

When she was in college, he helped her build her first computer. They picked out the motherboard, graphics card, chassis, everything. Guess what he created as the password to her new computer?

You got it - "Red Blanket".

This went on for years. Until...finally something happened.

(cliff hanger, right? To be continued...in the next and final installment.)

The tale of the red blanket - part I - "Grab it and Run"

This story is so famous in our family, that I cannot believe I have not told it yet.

Several years ago, I went on a trip to the Amazon region of Peru with some girlfriends to take photos and do some rafting.

While I was on my trip, I visited Machu Picchu and many other amazing places.

Along the way, I bought a red blank as a gift for my then-boyfriend-now-husband as a momento from the trip.

When I got home, he picked me up from the airport of course, and that weekend my sister came in to visit me.

I made her look through all 700 slides that I took on the trip, and she almost killed me for it.

At the end of the weekend she spotted the red blanket that I had bought back for my then-boyfriend-now-husband. He had forgotten to take it home to his apartment with him.

I think she saw this as lack of interest in the blanket, and she thought it was very pretty. She packed it up in her things and took it home with her.

That didn't go over too well with then-boyfriend-now-husband, as I will cover in my next post.

Patchwork Quilt Tsushin #142

Issue number 142 of Patchwork Quilt Tsushin is really out of this world, I must say. One of their best yet.

Tons and tons of quilts with traditional looking Japanese red fabrics, and brightly colored florals.

Several cute bag patterns (page 47 & 94 if you're following along here - taupe! Yum).

Pages 34 and 35 have some examples of this a block by Chuck Nohara that form this pattern that look kinda like the letter "Q" to me. This pattern is adorable. It looks like a good bit of work, but I think it would make a very cute kid's quilt.

Ok, so you know it is always my dream to visit Tokyo in January to visit the Tokyo Dome quilt show. Well, of course I didn't make it this year, but other bloggers did, so that's good for us.

Moving Hands blog has been a long time favorite of mine. Her flickr set of pictures from the show is not to be missed.

Super Tuesday

Clinton, Obama, McCain, Romney...it's a policical three ring circus on TV tonight with so many state primary elections.

Some folks just live to watch the elections, but I'm sorta looking forward to other topics even though there is a lot more still to come.

I knit this little hat for the friend of my son, after I found another yarn ball after I lost the first one I was going to finish the hat with....I'm so glad it's finally done. I need to hurry and drop it into the mail before it gets too warm to even wear.

Is knitting a winter sport? Are there those of you out there knitting year round? Hm...while I ponder that, I think I'll head back to a bit of quilting.

I guess my "Super Tuesday" is going to end with a good read of one of my favorite blogs, "Super Eggplant". No political messages over there for those of you who are glued to CNN, but some very cool cooking going on lately.

The Blues

Rain beautiful rain. It's still raining here. I'm seriously afraid to leave the house without my trench and umbrella.

Being from Southern California, I'm still adjusting to this Northern California weather (read "rain").

For those of you in Australia/New Zealand, I am jealous of your sunshine!

2 blogs you must visit now now now:

My friend Elizabeth's blog is really blossoming nicely. If you're the kind of quilter that has more than 1 or 2 posts a week that are titled "Another finished Top" or "My quilt is finished," you'll love to find another person that is EXTREMELY productive with a really beautiful quality of work.

Corinne, my friend, a great artist, and as it happens, a co-worker as well....started her blog some time ago and the contents are really impressive.

It's called Chocolate Banquet, and it started with a bet that she couldn't eat a new and different piece of chocolate every day, for a year. Well, it's been over a year now, and she's still at it! She records all the calorie information as well as giving you a little write up on how much she enjoyed her daily treat.