Onward and Upward...

Upward, as in stairs? Okay, so I'm stretching for post titles. Any better ideas?

The stairs now have their carpet installed, and I think it looks pretty nice. Once the dust from all the woodworking is off the stair treads, they ought to look really great. When we did the addition, wayyyy back in 1983, we couldn't quite afford an oak staircase, so we went with oak for the endcaps, the banisters and newel posts, and the stair molding. The treads were left to be carpeted, and the spindles (which don't show in this picture) are pine, stained to match the oak.

The backsplash tile is in. The colors on this look pretty close to what you'd see if you were standing there. The colors are a mix of grey, brown, taupe, and "indescribable." The orange splotches are tape where Sam-the-painter had "touchups" or "fixups" noted. Still some work to be done: there's going to be a lazy Susan in the cabinet, and the handles need to go on.

Um, yeah, I did get handles. Pewter, with just a little bit of detailing. After trying out many many many MANY knobs (I think Great Indoors and Expo are reconsidering how many they'll let customers try out and return now) the inescapable conclusion is that knobs just aren't going to do the trick. Let's hope handles will. 64 is a lot to find! And, with numbers like that to buy, it kind of leaves out the ones that are super gorgeous and $11 or $15 each...

Just so you can see how those babies are growing:
here's Nate, looking fascinated by the camera and by his great-auntie, who was making faces for him.
Cousin Audrey has learned to roll over onto her tummy from her back. First she did tummy-to-back, and then the reverse. Now she can't seem to remember how to do the tummy-to-back. But she's very pleased with her tricks!
(This picture is from Auntie D4's Flicker sets. She has lots more if you're into gorgeous baby photos.) (Also if you follow the link to her blog, there is some great A video. Think baby giggles.)

And yes, there has been some knitting. The lavender Shedir is coming right along and I'm planning on having it done soon.

Because once the contractor's crews are done with the house, there is going to be one heck of a lot of work moving stuff back in, and sorting through what gets to stay and what needs to go. Nothing like living without all this stuff for 3 months to give a person perspective on what really matters!

Moving Right Along...

The sink is in, and so are the granite countertops.

Yes, the sink is black. One of D4's friends told her it doesn't look like a "real" sink--she thought it looked more like a liner. It's black granite, and one of the nice features is that it's the same material all the way through. So if it gets scratched, it's just scratching down to another layer of the same color, and shouldn't show.
Stove corner. No stove yet, but it's coming.
Well, first we have to buy it. Then it has to be delivered.
THEN it can be installed!

Front door has been painted red. No special reason, just kind of like the idea.

However, the doorknob is now broken, so it won't open from outside with the key. New lockset, anyone?
and:
...now there is carpeting in the bedroom and closets upstairs, and on the stairs, too.


This picture was taken while the carpet-laying was in progress, so I didn't get a shot of the stairs. They were covered with guys nailing down tack strips, not the most inspiring sight.





Unless, of course, like me, you're counting down the days till you can go home again. I think we will give the carpet solvent fumes plenty of time to dissipate, though. I need my last few remaining brain cells!




Corner of the house, showing the new colors. The trim is a dark blue, which in the color chips seemed to have a lot of green. In daylight, and on the house, it seems to veer off to the purple part of the spectrum. Just like the Purple People Mover, aka Yarnmobile. Guess I'm doomed to purple-iciousness no matter what.




Seeing double: CoffeeCat Patty brought her twin sister to our Monday knitfest! Such fun, meeting the charming Dr. Jenny! And, she's a speedy knitter just like our Patty!



And, finally, a look at one of my "older" quilts. That's the nice thing about passing them along in the family: they occasionally resurface and can be enjoyed all over again.
This one is a pattern called Massachusetts Cross and Crown, and it's from a book by Marsha McCloskey which is currently buried in the bins in the driveway, or I'd tell you the title. This quilt is on the cover, though.
When I was working on it, I took it along to work on during a "quilters' weekend" at a friend's cabin in the mountains. She was trying to start a business, providing weekend getaways with a quilting theme.
Anyway, that particular weekend she'd invited several people including the then-president of one of our guilds, who'd decided that she didn't like this quilt. Every time I took it out to work on it (and it's a fun, addictive technique) she would make a comment, finally declaring that it was the ugliest quilt she'd ever seen!

I don't happen to agree with that assessment; in fact, it's always been one of my favorite things! It now lives with D5, who's been sheltering her mother and sister during these last few weeks of rootlessness. She brought it out for us to sleep under, and it's quite cozy!

I love the scrappiness of it. And blues are always right! By the way, the white fabric with the blue streaks in the lower left star happens to be one of the earliest batiks that was offered for sale commercially, at least in "our" neck of the woods. Now, batiks are really popular, but back in the late 80's they were pretty rare!

Small World

...and I don't mean the Disneyland version, although I must say I am looking forward to taking these two on it! (All together now... can you get the song out of your head? Can you say earworm??)
Actually I had a surprise of the "very small world" variety today. As I may or may not have said, we're having the house remodeled. I found the contractor via a newspaper ad, which I followed up online and checked out all the licensing information with the state before I ever called them.

Well, they've been working really diligently so far. Yes, there have been glitches and problems, but on the whole it's been moving along. I mean, the house was built in 1921 and it has seen a lot of experiences in that time.

Anyway, I've had several conversations with the office staff at the contractor's, as well as many visits with the man himself. Today, one of his assistants called me. Seems that something came up yesterday when she was talking to him, and she mentioned that her father had worked for "Giant Wine Co." for many years. Contractor mentioned that he knew my husband had worked for the same company. She immediately recognized the name--her father was my husband's boss and friend for many many years. I mean, we went to her wedding. Her dad was responsible for Bob and I getting our first house many years ago--he arranged a short-term "advance on earnings" so we had a down payment. I could go on and on, but I'll spare you.

But what are the odds, in a megalopolis like Los Angeles, that this would happen?


Today was a day for cousins to get together. We had half of the Connecticut Cousins visiting, and of course the babies were among the major SoCal sights they came to see!
At one point, both of the little ones were asleep and sharing the same portable crib.

Nice when they are so teeny, huh?

For the record they are now 3 months (Nate) and 5 months (Audrey).
Miss A likes to play on her quilt on the floor.

She is learning to roll over which means she is no longer safe on sofas, or on any bed smaller than a queen.

It was quite warm today and the Japanese iris decided it was a good day to open. They went from tightly furled buds in the early morning to a full-blown display by afternoon.


Theme baby. Here's Sweet Pea, in all her Pea Pod finery.

Can't see her green socks, but they are there!
Here's a group shot of the "clan" after dinner last night. The adults are shorter than both of the kids!

Yes, I've been knitting. No pictures, though, because the latest inch on Shedir and the latest two inches on the Very Warm Hat look a lot like the last ones. One of these days!!

Hot Times

When the temperature outside is frightful--as in, 103 degree readings, and it's only April--there has to be a way of making the best of it.

So a knitters' gathering and mini yarn crawl is one of the better ways! A group of us got together on Saturday to have lunch and visit some notable sites and sights on the West Side. Ellen calls us the Eastside Goils, which is as good a name as any for us! She took lots of pictures and they are on her blog. I didn't get as many as I would have liked, and they are not great, so I'm only going to show you one--the cupcakes!
Because after all, Ravelry is celebrating Bobmas, and cupcakes have been designated the Official Holiday Food of Bobmas.
If you aren't a Raveler yet, what are you waiting for?

After the yarn crawl, there was a gathering of a different sort.
This one involved babies. Big ones... like the Grandcarrot... and little ones. Big brother was wearing his Dodgers shirt, cause there are some major Dodgers fans in the family. Little brother was wearing his BoSox onesie, because there are also some major Sox fans in the family.
Some of them are the same people! It's quite handy that the Dodgers and the Sox play in different leagues. We think a Dodgers/Red Sox World Series would be great fun.

I'm having some problems realigning these pictures in today's post, so I'm going to skip around and let you see them in whatever order they came up in, ok? My time is sorta at the disposal of one Little Miss A, who has been having a bit of a fuss today. The picture just above is the wall of windows in my dining room--now visible due to a lack of stuff piled in front of them, and reflected nicely in the newly refinished hardwood floor.
Living room, slightly blurred, with grandkids.

Looking from the front door through to the back of the house, you can see the dining room and the doorway to the guest room (the door that belongs in that doorway is the one that's leaning against the fireplace in the blurry photo) and the kitchen.
The dusty footprints belong to the workers, and are the clue that it was going to be okay to walk on the floor!


Miss A in her sunhat and sundress. She'll be 5 months old on Tuesday--already!




Some of the food. We had what D3 was calling a real Filipino barbecue, meaning that there was a lot of food (she said she estimated everyone's portion at around 4 lbs. per) and lots of it had an ethnic flavor.

For instance, the marinated pork sticks (mmm mmm good) are a secret family recipe from my daughter-in-law's family. The marinated shrimp is a variation.

Fruit. Yum.
Too bad I couldn't get a shot of this before the vultures descended.

Salmon: also good on the BBQ!




Little Nate, ready for the game!

One of the new projects in D3's area is something called Big League Dreams. The gang (which included all the aforementioned baseball fanatics) checked it out and then went back last night for a game. The park features replicas of famous baseball stadiums and apparently last night, Jose Canseco was there and autographing baseballs!
Today the Easterners are off to San Diego for a few days with their "other" grandparents. Good way to spend their spring break!

All Together Now, Awwww!

That's the reaction this little scene got last night.

My "Awwww!" was an "awww, how cute and adorable is my baby kitty?" D3's "Awwww!" was more along the lines of, "awww, now I have to wash that thing before I can put my baby back in it!"

Guess it's all in your perspective!

Simon has not quite restored his whiteness.
Guess ashes are semi-permanent coloring.

Who knew grey could be so cute?


Kitchen cabinets are going in.

This first picture is the corner where the stove will go. The corner cabinet will have a lazy susan so we can put pots and pans and things back there and still get them out when we need them.
I have a nice collection of stock pots and other semi-frequently-used items that ought to work nicely back there.

And yes, that one on the right will have slots to hold cookie sheets and cutting boards. Remember that I live with the Mad Baker!

Well, I will, once we get to move back in. We're still refugee'd to D3's and there is a distinct whiff of hotel or D5's guest room in the near future.

Not because D3 is ungracious; she is quite willing to put us up, but she had already promised the guest quarters for this weekend. Since it's to people we dearly love and are very eager to see (it's Family #1 from CT) we are quite happy to put the screws on Mr. Contractor to fix up enough of our house so that we can sleep there again!

Besides, it's a long way from either sister's house to D4's job.

More cabinetry.
The base cabinets for the butler's pantry, formerly the mud room.
Has a little more cachet, non? A little more je-ne-sais-quoi than "mud room."
See the pretty tile floor??
The door on the righ side goes to the back bathroom, which is being almost totally remodeled. We're reusing its sink and toilet and faucets and lights; otherwise, it's all new.
Including the window.
Pics on the Flickr page, if you care to see!

Lastly, one more "awwww!" please for Nate the Great! He is such a sweet baby and one of the great pleasures of staying at D3's.

I'm still trying to get The Blur, aka the Grandcarrot, to stand still long enough to get an updated photo. He and his Cousin Audrey, however, are rather elusive when Memere is behind the camera! (Do go over and catch her video of the Sweet Pea Jig!)

Truck update: It's still in Monterey. I have been told its parts have arrived and are being installed, so my next trip up there to retrieve it will probably happen soon.

But not till after Wednesday knitting. I have a serious dearth of Knit Pals time and I need to make up the deficit!!

Back "Home" Again

Here's my project--unfinished, of course, but at least making progress:

I like this layout but I think I will probably be tweaking the design a bit more.

At least, all 20 of the blocks are sewn, so instead of having 40 or more pieces I'm now down to 20. It's all wrapped up in the sheet of batting, ready to work on should I ever again find myself with a spot to work at!

Came "home" to D3's house, where D4 has been camping out for the past week. We're going to go over to the house later on and see what's been done while I was away. If we can, we will figure out how we can move back in and get along there, since D3 is getting ready to play hostess to one of our CT families.

Simon has managed to get into something (probably the fireplace) and turned his white ruff grey.

Also his white tummy. He's been trying to wash it off and it just sort of looks icky.

We've told him if he doesn't "come clean" he's going to need to go to the groomer's for a bath.

He isn't impressed.

The drive home from Asilomar was uneventful--considering that I was driving a rental!

That's right, the parts for my truck didn't come in, so it's still sitting in Seaside waiting for them. That means that as soon as the truck is done, I can return north to turn in the rental and pick up the miscreant and drive it home.

I am referring to the rental as the White Whale, since it's a huge minivan. I am so not a minivan person; give me my truck any day. I'm not complaining, mind you, since at least I have wheels, and we were able to get our full array of suitcases, tubs o' fabric, four sewing machines, and a couple of (giant) boxes of tools home in one trip.

We made two stops on the trip homeward: one at the Apple Farm for afternoon "tea" and once at Buellton for a fill-up of fuel and of treats at Pea Soup Andersen's. Since we'd had lunch at Asilomar before leaving, we didn't need to stop for a meal, and traffic was quite light, so we made good time. The weather was glorious, spring has really "sprung" along Highway 101 with wildflowers blooming everywhere. The hills are golden with poppies and wild mustard and purple with lupine, and the grapevines in the many vineyards we passed have sprouted. Once we hit Ventura, the fog rolled in but it's all city driving after that, so it wasn't a problem.

There are pictures on my Flickr page of some of the other class projects--very inspiring! I can see myself making lots of quilts with the techniques we discussed in class, assuming of course that I will eventually have a place where I can sew!

Rainy Day

No pictures of the rain. Instead, here's what I spent the day working on.

Sitting by a pair of French doors, watching the deer try to stay dry and sewing away, is a good way to spend a day.

My strata is done! I'll be able to start cutting tomorrow.

The sad thing? Most of the people in the class were at this stage when they arrived, so I'm 3 days behind.

Oh well.

And the part for my truck is on its way from Salt Lake City, so there's still a chance that it will be ready for me to drive home on Friday. We'll see!


The knitters have been having as much fun knitting as quilting. Here's Lisa in her hat... the group had to trek into town today to buy more yarn.

There are m0re hat pics on my Flickr page. I have to get back to work now...

Asilomar, Dispatch #2

Finished the Taiyo scarf!

With just a wee bit of yarn left over--not enough for another row.

I will probably need to wear it this week, as there is a rainstorm moving in and we've been promised thunder, lightning, and storms. We'll just have to wait and see.


Sample of the work my fellow students are doing:


... and one of the teacher's quilts.

I love this one and I am thinking of using this one as an inspiration for mine.

Of course, that will mean that I have to sew a lot more strips together--right now, I have 10 pairs of strips sewn. Big whoop! I have over 110 strips cut--two of each--to sew before I can start cutting circles.

Hmmm, why am I over here posting instead of sewing??

Some of the quilting buddies here.
Lisa, Carol, and Sandy at lunch.


Didn't quite crack the camera lens.

Almost!

Dropped the poor camera again, and it's now having even more trouble than the last time it got dropped. The good thing is that this time I didn't fall with it!
Asilomar eye candy--windswept trees and blue blue sky.


And quilty eye candy: my strips, which are calling to me.

More later!

Dispatch from Asilomar, #1

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for the drive up north; cool but not cold, a bit windy, blue skies, wildflowers in bloom all along the way--and we got to our hotel in time for Happy Hour (popcorn and snacks, with complimentary drinks). We (quilter friend Sandy and I) met up with two more quilter friends, and we strolled across the parking lot for dinner--just a nice relaxing evening.
Sunday morning we were able to have a good hot breakfast (gotta love Embassy Suites!) then hit the quilt and yarn shops in Pacific Grove before checking in for the conference. I broke down and bought a couple of balls of lavender Calmer to make a Shedir for D2. It's cast on and the first row knit... pictures soon.

Couple of random photos, just because this place is so darn photogenic. Today the sky was as clear and as deep a blue as I've ever seen--so blue it almost looks phony.

The stairs are at Merrill Hall, the view of the trees is from the opposite direction--I just turned around and took another photo.

This is Merrill Hall. My class this year is meeting there--it's not my favorite classroom, I must admit, but it's been very convenient.


Here's a view of the top of my workspace as I get started cutting strips for my "strata." I haven't gotten very far in this picture... as of tonight, I've got 95 fabrics cut into strips, with another 16 left to go. Hopefully I'll be able to get out the ol' 1230 and start sewing in the morning.
The teacher for the class is Louisa Smith, who has energy to burn and who loves loves teaching in Merrill Hall!

This is one of my classmates showing off her completed strata. She has over 100 fabrics in this set.



Friend Sandy had already sewn her strata at home (can y ou say, eager?) so she was ready to start cutting and laying out her pieces.

Here's what it looks like so far.

Not to worry, this arrangement will probably be changed again and again before being sewn down.


Another view of my work space. I am not a tidy quilter, unfortunately, nor am I especially well organized. My excuse this year is that my whole life is rather unorganized, to put it mildly. When I was packing for this trip I realized that I had better pack clothing I like, since I may not be able to access anything else when I get back!

Yes, I left D4 to deal with the contractor and the painters and the rest of the project.

But Karma has reared her head and bitten me where I sit. Specifically, in the driver's seat--my truck is at the local Ford dealer's getting some major work done. Nothing like having vehicle trouble when you're 400 miles from home!

Okay, time for me to trek down the hill to bed. I've about exhausted my energies for tonight, and I'll need to recharge for tomorrow!