The BEST Mother's Day Present

Hi Megs,

Wow, Megan. You gave me THE most wonderful Mother's Day present! Now, because of your crocheting - I can keep a baby warm in Afghanistan! As you know, when you told me about it - I got tears in my eyes. Just like I did when you "gave" me the giraffe at the Lincoln Park Zoo - which I still have - helping to feed him.

I love your scarf. Mine is still a "work in progress" but it IS the project I am taking to Brazil with me - and the sock pattern from Lace-Cuff Anklets from my other mother's day gift - the Interweave knit "Favorite Socks" - I have decided these are the only projects I am taking but may find some Brazilian yarn. We are also close to Uraguay and I know they have beautiful yarn there. Well I am also taking some Noro so I can make more little purses if I need to.

So, can't brag much about finishing anything - but the 15 little purses! I also have the shawls finished and stacked up ready for delivery to team members. So - have been productive but only with a very limited collection of items.


Nice to talk to you on Mother's Day. Here are the great big PEI mussels we had for supper - prepared like they did at Hog Island - with "greens". They were terrific but we made to many - we needed about 3 more people to help us finish them.

We had a Yarmouth Craft Guild meeting last night and we got the brochures we had printed "Yarmouth Area Working Studios". It features 12 Crafters (This is the Year of the Crafter - at least in Canada) who would welcome visitors to their studios. I am NUMBER 6! (you can see my lace shawl left, socks and rug, second one down on the back of the brochure.) EVeryone says the picture makes me look 10 years old - but I guess for a 64 year old, that's not bad!




These will be distributed to tourists spots and other places where people might want to see crafts in the Yarmouth area. It is really nice. Lots of great people in it. Proud to be part of it.

So - that is my news. Have to finish my final pack! Next time I post - if I am able - it will be from Brazil!

Love ya, Mom

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

To celebrate, I have a picture of the completed no-longer-secret ripple project: a baby blanket made in your honor for the afghans for Afghans mother's day campaign!


(This gift in addition to Interweave's Favorite Sock Patterns book from Imagiknits whose last copy I nabbed for you during our shopping excursion there last Friday... I am such a good daughter!)

I made the blanket out of 5 skeins of Cascade 220, with 8 rows total for each of the colors used. I alternated 2 single rows of color with one double row, generally moving up and down the color range from blue to yellow to green to purple to orange and back again, with a few tweaks here and there. The stitch is my version of the crochet ripple stitch, cobbled together from a few on-line patterns and blog postings from those using this pattern from the 200 Ripple Stitch pattern book (which I was sadly too lazy to actually purchase for a single stitch pattern), using half-double crochet throughout. I think it turned out pretty well in the end.

With all the leftover bits of yarn I even managed to eke out a little baby hat to match (and I really mean eked out - at one point I contemplated going back to the wastepaper basket to pick out the pieces cut out as I wove in the ends on the blanket if I didn't have enough left to finish up the top - thank goodness it didn't come to that!) The finished size is 15" around and 6" deep, so it should be good (I hope) for a 6 to 12 month old. The brim pattern was inspired by Ada June, a very cute flower petal hat in this month's issue of magknits, while the overall size and head shaping came from the Dale baby hat pattern that I'm going to make for Sarah. I just think it's too cute, and hopefully will make an Afghan child and it's mother happy.

The blanket and hat are now both washed and blocked, waiting to come along with me on Tuesday when I go to help pack this latest shipment to help get it on it's way.


Speaking of afghans for Afghans, we were on TV!!!!!!!! Remember I told you a few weeks ago that we were interviewed by the local ABC7 station? Well it aired on Friday, and now you can watch it too!

I was clearly on a bit of a finishing frenzy here this week with you and Dad back home and Nathan in Chicago, because not only did I get the baby blanket and hat done, but I also completed the final tier on Lady Eleanor while watching Dreamgirls (love the costumes!) with Connie next door:

With 600m of the dark color and 900 of the lighter, I had more than enough yarn to get through 43 tiers so this should be a very snuggly wrap indeed. As you can see the futon is barely long enough to contain it as it blocks! It is definitely taller than me and I have yet to do the fringe (that will be next week's project). I did put the finishing single crochet round along all four sides, not just the short two edges as specified in the pattern, to give it a more overall appearance using the darker colored yarn. The trick for right now is keeping the lady Rushka off of the couch while my Lady Eleanor dries. Let's hope it works.

I have also been making steady progress on my Eveleen - I am really excited to see how she will turn out. I have now completed 5 of the 9 lace repeats on the front and back body panels and it just looks so pretty I had to share:


Finally, here are some of Nathan's shots from our visit to Napa (he did also take pictures of people, but not as many as you did!)

The view from Artesa:

Artesa's courtyard roof:

The grapes and the poppies at Robert Mondavi:

What can I say, it was all too beautiful (and a beautiful day!)

I hope that you are easily getting packed and ready for your trip to Brazil. I can't believe that I am leaving as well for Tokyo & Hong Kong in less than 6 days! I am getting set with gifts to bring, clothes to pack and, most importantly, projects to knit on the plane....

Have a great trip to Brazil - I can't wait to see all your photos and hear about all that you've done.

Megan

We're Home - Great time in San Francisco!

Hi Megs,

We are home but still recovering from the jet lag. After a long flight and our drive to Yarmouth we didn't get home until 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning - and have been busy, busy since then getting ready to go to Brazil.

But here is a short tour of our visit: Meeting at Union Square;


walking up 1000's of stairs to Coit Tower;
parrots on the Embarcadero;









Then meeting Rushka again,









;us at the Palace of Fine Arts, hearing Jazz & Jazz &Over the Golden Gate Bridge to Wine Country

Visiting the wonderful Napa Valley









Then more Dinner at your flat, more Jazz, the view from

Twin Peaks, Gardens at Golden Gate Park and












base ball.
What a great time we had. We did a lot more like Half Moon Bay, shopping for a black dress & skirt, books and CD's, Jazz, going to the knitting shop and buying yarn, tea tasting and tea for lunch, riding the metro, eating in wonderful places - fresh oysters, sushi, Russian, Thai, your great pizza, Tra Vigne, wine, wine and wine, Jazz, cream puffs, SFMOMA, walking, climbing, walking up and down, parks, wine, ice cream, great small hotel and seeing your both and Rushka. I know I have left out so much. We really packed a lot in to those few days.

Now home. It has been run, run trying to get everything organized for the Brazil trip. We take off early morning on the 15th, Wednesday. Think everything is falling into place. Have the shawls done, am working on the last of the 15 little purses (thanks for your contribution - can you pick it out?). I made two on the way home on the plane.



And when we got home your Star magnolia tree greeted us. We could see it glowing in the dark as we pulled into the driveway. It is in almost full bloom.

I will try to stay in touch while in Brazil. I got a my own Blackberry and should have some access to a computer - I hope. We also have our own Rotary Brazil GSE Blog so you can follow along with that as well.

Clay is in a good mood - met a new girl....

Love ya, Thanks for the grand time. Hope Nathan enjoyed Chicago - we missed him those last few days - enjoyed our time with you two. See you in Missouri at the wedding.

Mom