Since it's cold and dreary here today, I decided to take a virtual trip back to the sunshine, thanks to the photos Dick took while we were there earlier this month.
The first night we we stayed in Anaheim where we enjoyed the Disneyland fireworks from our motel room. The next day we headed to Capistrano Beach to meet up with my sister. But first, we stopped to see the Crystal Cathedral which we'd only ever seen from the freeway. It has an interesting story.
Then we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Pacific in Capistrano Beach with Jane and Ted.
The next day we all went to the San Juan Capistrano Mission which was very interesting. We learned that at one point in their history they served food to a thousand people every day! It was too early for the swallows though.
It's a beautiful spot with lots of gardens and citrus trees filled with fruit.......
and great views.
Much of the original Church was destroyed in an earthquake in the 1800's. Can you see the Nativity scene that was still there?
The altar of the little chapel was quite amazing.
We also had fun wandering the beach. What do you think these birds are thinking? We sure saw a lot of them.
After leaving Capistrano Beach, we spent a few days in San Diego, visiting old haunts as well as relatives and friends.
We love to go to La Jolla Cove and went there after church. The seals have taken over the beach,
and these little guys are well on their way to taking over the cliffs that over look the beach. I think I counted 12 of them running around in these plants alone.
Doesn't this look like a great place to have a peaceful lunch?
We didn't eat at the beach, but we did have a wonderful lunch at the Julian Cafe which is in the Cuyamaca Mountains near San Diego. The drive there has some interesting views of the desert, quite different from our Washington rain forests, but with a beauty all their own.
So, there you have it, a brief respite from the rain and snow. Hope you feel warmer now; I sure do!
It's taken me a while to get organized after the holidays, and it's been fun picking up where I left off before the grand kids arrived. It's been fun picking up some long abandoned projects like this dish cloth. I really like the waffle stitch although next time I'll include a border as it looks kind of wonky without one. (Thus the close-up...)
Catherine requested a plain cream colored hat, and here it is. The yarn is Posh by Classic Elite and a combination of silk and cashmere. It's pretty soft.
You've probably already seen Stella wearing the hat, but here are the matching mittens. I'm hoping to get booties out of the remaining yarn. One down, and one started. Stay tuned.
This is the second cowl I've made using Berocco Brio. It's so soft, has a fun sparkle, and a great selection of colors. This pattern I found online at Darn. Knit. (Anyway); it ranked as a store favorite. It sure knit up quickly!
Here's another shot of Max's play mate. If you're trying to find a specific fabric, I found the website missing fabric.com a great help.
And this is now in the mail on its way to the chilly Midwest. David turns NINE on Monday!
For those of you who may be curious about the tiny baby I wrote about earlier. She now weighs well over 4 pounds and is wearing the hat I made. She still has ups and downs, so keep her in your thoughts, OK?
Happy Stitching!
Yesterday was a busy day! We sang at two services, sorted music, visited with the grand kids, and came home and watched Downton Abbey.
Stella seems happy with her new hat, but she wouldn't hold her hands still to try on the matching mittens.
Max entertained himself for quite some time, driving cars on the play mat I made for his birthday. Long ago I made a similar one for his cousin David and found this fabric with help from a neat website called "missing fabric.com." I posted a query there and got 2 helpful responses within 24 hours. The fabric isn't the same as what I used for David's mat, but it's perfect for Max who loves construction projects.
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Oh, and Max learned to say "Hurray" every time the Seahawks made a good play. His dad and uncle were at the game, so we kept Catherine company and listened to/watched the game.
GO SEAHAWKS!!!
In addition to being very busy with
and lots of Christmas projects
and then heading off for 10 days in the sunshine,
our computer DIED! Those are the reasons why I've been missing and now have lots of catching up to do, but first, Happy New Year, Everyone, may 2014 be the best year yet!
As you may have gathered from my lack of posts, it's been busy here at Santa Central. Our grand kids and family from Chicago are arriving tomorrow for the holidays, so don't look for any more posts for a while either! (In addition, our good computer croaked, leaving us with this one and no ability to add new photos. That complication should be solved soon, we hope.)
By request of our younger daughter, I took a little time out to make a preemie hat and booties for her friends' tiny baby girl who arrived on Nov. 2, weighing only 1 pound 6 ounces. Since then she's more than doubled her weight and appears to be doing quite well although she has a long way to go before she can come home. This itty bitty angel, whose name is Audrey, needs lots of prayers!
That's it for the photos for now. Lots of finishes to share, but I need to get to the grocery store. Have a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2014!
Brrr! It's unusually chilly here in this part of the Pacific Northwest, and it's dark early. Today the sun set at 4:18 PM! However, the dark and cold makes for good stitching and knitting time.
Have you ever tried the linen stitch? It's different and not too difficult. The free pattern is Quick Slip Cowl and is made with Berroco
Brio which is bulky and has a bit of sparkle.
Four of the five alpaca hats are done. Yea! I will even have enough leftover yarn to make a scarf, I think. Speaking of leftovers, I've made another cup holder. That really is a quick project!
My biggest project this week, however, was this recycle task dreamed up by DD#1. She sent the jeans and pattern~~~ It's for a certain someone who loves Tinker Bell. A quilting friend suggested making a vest from the legs. We'll see as there are some other projects in the works first. Boy, these days are flying by! (If you want to see what others are knitting, check out Patchwork Times.)
Oh, and last night we learned that our two group quilts each won third place ribbons, "the dogs" in traditional piecing and "the farm" in the juvenile division! How fun is that?
My friend Becca of Patina Moon took the photos. Thanks, Becca! Well, it's time to get back to the needles. (This will be a very busy choir weekend with a rehearsal tomorrow morning and two services on Sunday. If you care to tune in, it will be streamed live at 9 and 11 AM PST.)
Yikes, it's December third already! But that is what comes after December second, isn't it? You'd think one of these years I'd get smart and start the holiday projects earlier. Oh well, there's always the late December, early January birthdays..... We had a nice, but quiet, Thanksgiving and enjoyed 4 days of "leisure". Sunday night we topped off the holiday by seeing the 5th Avenue's presentation of Oliver. It was great! A quilting friend's grandson was among the 48 kids in the cast. Now I have to find out whether he performed that evening. (He did!)
Last night I actually picked up my embroidery and finished the fence on this block-to-be! There are quite a few stitching projects waiting in the wings, including one which I have to redo because I messed up on cutting it for a block. Sigh. I need to be more careful!
If you're looking for a fun and quick project, a cup holder might just fit the bill. It's a great way to use up odds and ends of yarn also. (My pattern is over 40 stitches and from the Loopy Ewe, but you could use any stitch pattern, I think.) Now, it's time to head off to the UW hospital for an afternoon of knitting with the Antepartum ladies. Have a great week!
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