Maplewood Mitts

Maplewood Mitts

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

A fog has rolled in and it's the weirdest thing. Can't see a thing more than 15 feet away! It was clear in the morning yesterday and then about 10am the fog started and it never burned off. Our plans to rent a car to drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway has been shelved. No sights to be seen in this kind of fog.

Lots of time to knit while Gavin surfs, so I've made good progress on these Maplewood mitts. The pattern has a garter stitch cuff but after knitting it as written I decided I didn't like the looseness of it, so I've reknit with a ribbed cuff. Nothing worse than those cold winter drafts up your sleeves! This really is a travel knitting project. The airline only allows plastic needles in carry-on luggage which left me scrambling for a pattern using 4mm needles and some leftover yarn in my stash. Here we go: mitts in Cascade Superwash Wool. A nice little trellis pattern on the back of the hand, and it knits up very quickly and easily.

Posing with my mitts is this new little Chanchito - three legged clay pigs like this are thought to bring good luck. How cute, and there is no trouble fitting this little guy somewhere in my carry-on bag! He can nestle in the Wollmeise on the way back to Canada.

Dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co was a big hit. Gavin devoured a bucket of shrimp and between each he looked up and said "This is the best shrimp I've ever had" ... "Really, the best."

yarn crawl

Madeline Tosh and Pagewood Farms

Yesterday Gavin rented a board and a wetsuit from ZJ's Board house with a plan to catch as many waves as he could, leaving me free to do whatever I pleased. Perfect opportunity for a yarn crawl!

I googled and decided on two shops that I wanted to see - Compatto Yarn Salon and Wild Fiber - both well reviewed. And then I studied the system map for the Big Blue Bus to figure out my route. Turns out that the No2 bus stops almost at the doorstep of my motel and drives pretty much directly to Compatto on Wilshire Blvd.

Wollmeise

The reviews did mention that the store associates were friendly, but that seems to be something of an understatement. Add more descriptors like welcoming, enthusiastic, happy, helpful, attentive and you start to get the picture. For instance, a young woman walked in with a page torn from a magazine showing a cowl she liked. The store associate confirmed that she wanted to knit it, showed her the appropriate bulky yarns to choose from, helped her select the correct needles, and then reverse engineered the pattern for her. They had a lovely selection of yarn, but I focussed on sock yarns that you don't see in Canada - Madeline Tosh and Pagewood Farms are both local to the southern California area.

Next stop - one crosstown bus and then the No7 EB - at Wild Fiber. Good thing they have lots of chairs - I nearly fell over when I spotted two whole shelves of Wollmeise.  I've never seen that in person!

You may wonder why I stopped at two skeins in each shop. Nothing to do with self-control I'm afraid. It's just that we're travelling with carry-on luggage only and I didn't think I could fit anymore than that!

sight-seeing

the famous sign

We spent the day yesterday seeing the sights. We were driven through Beverly Hills where the homes of various celebrities were pointed out - Dionne Warwick lives here, Sammy Davis Jr lived there, John Candy lived there for a while, Alex Trebek lives way up there, Die Hard was filmed there, Sisterhood at that Church, Janis Joplin OD'ed in that hotel, River Phoenix passed away in front of the Viper Club there, the Doors where the house band and were discovered there, and so on and so on.

Graumann's Chinese Theatre

First stop? Rodeo Drive. At the bottom of the street is the Wilshire Hotel where much of the movie Pretty Woman was set. Very posh. And we walked up and down Rodeo Drive, but didn't dare venture into the shops. Some were by appointment only. One gallery had a Picasso hanging just steps from the front door. The real thing! YIKES! Even the advertising was fancier - the street pole banners were decorated with Swarovski crystals. And then the cars that were parked here and there! Ferraris, Bentleys, a Bugatti, lots of fancy things!

Next we went down Sunset Blvd to the Kodak Theatre, Graumann's Chinese Theatre and the walk of Fame. This part all disappointed as far as I was concerned. These places all look so much larger and grander on TV! From the walkway behind the Kodak Theatre we got another glimpse of the Hollywood sign.

shopping anyone?

After walking around for a while and reading star after star on the sidewalk, we reboarded the tourbus to continue to Mulholland Drive. Had it not been so hazy and smoggy, the view of downtown LA from the Santa Monica Mountains would have been spectacular. A pretty enviable view nonetheless. From the lookout on Mulholland Drive we could also see the Griffith's Observatory and the Hollywood Bowl. It's weird being in LA - seems like every building is famous for something. All the street names sound familiar, because we've seen them in movies,  in song lyrics and on television. I can't even look at a sign for Santa Monica Boulevard without thinking of Sheryl Crow.

The traffic is really something to be seen. There is construction everywhere - apparently many highways are being widened to add HOV lanes. I didn't envy the driver at all. One more thing? If you own a Toyota dealership in LA you must be making out like a bandit. Seems like every third or fourth car is a Pruis!

Dinner last night at the Galley  - Santa Monica's oldest restaurant. The dining room and bar are lmost entirely lit by string after string of mini Christmas lights, which is odd and quite disconcerting at first. But we soon settled in and became altogether too comfortable. I worked through several Steam Ales from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco and enjoyed the whole dinner thoroughly.

in the saddle

slather the SPF60

LAB tested !

Day two of our holidays was spent on bikes. We were up early to rent bikes at one of the many Perry's Beach Cafes along the South Bay Bicycle Trail. The 22 mile trail along the beaches was one of our  "must-do"s. Fortunately I slathered up with sunscreen before starting out - I'd have been crispy by the end of day otherwise. And fortunately I also brought along some after sun, since even SPF60 wasn't enough for a full day in the sun on my face and neck. I know, I know! The instructions DO say to reapply often, but sunscreen on your face and neck is just so ick.

To the north we followed the trail through the Annenberg community and Pacific Palisades all the way to Will Rogers State Park. The bluffs along the coast are awesome - but with all the Tsunami warning signs and rock slide warning signs I'm not sure I'd be prepared to invest in those properties. To the south we followed the trail through Santa Monica and Venice Beach to the Fishing Pier. We couldn't figure out the rest, but we've done our research and plan to go again for another half day to see the rest to Marina Del Rey and points further south.

I did happen across a yarn shop - Yarns Unlimited - but came away empty handed. The yarns were mostly cotton and/or acrylic blends. And almost no sock yarn. I suppose here in the sunny south, wool is not so popular and perhaps not sock knitting either. Oh well, there are still a couple more yarn stores to check, time permitting!

Dinner last night was at the Library Alehouse which is just steps from our motel. We both tried Fat Tire Amber Ale, which is a new fave. I also had Elly's Brown  Ale(yum) and tried a Jamaican Red. Gavin spent his time sampling stouts and milk stouts.

the time difference

Santa Monica Boardwalk

In Toronto it's almost 8am, but here in Santa Monica we're three hours earlier - too early to make much more noise than tapping the keys on a laptop. So, because I couldn't sleep, I decided a blog post was in order.

Amusements on the Pier

Checking in at the airport, clearing security and the flight were all uneventful, and these days that's for the best. We checked in online prior to leaving for the airport and used the self-serve kiosk to finish our check-in - with only cabin luggage we breezed straight in to customs. The food on the flight was remarkable because it wasn't awful and we started to get excited while on the descent to LAX when we could clearly see the Hollywood sign in the hills above the buildings.

Once out of the airport, we were directed to a shuttle bus which dropped us at the City Bus Depot in order to catch the Big Blue Bus to Santa Monica. Anyone else see the episode of Chuck with the takedown on the Big Blue Bus? Our bus trip was not nearly so exciting, thank goodness.

No surprises at the motel either, except that the room is larger than I expected: very clean and bright with WIFI throughout, although ...the toilet seat and lid are a sort of fifties-era blue that is slightly surprising. Situated on Main Street in the historic downtown shopping area, there is traffic noise but that doesn't bother me a bit. I'm a sound sleeper, and I'm happy to trade for the convenience of the location.

dinner at Mariasol

Even as we checked into our hotel it was getting dark. The sunset over the ocean was streaked with red; a perfect evening for a stroll down the Santa Monica boardwalk to the Pier for supper. At a leisurely pace the walk took only 20 minutes. Right at the end of the Pier is Mariasol, a Mexican restaurant, our choice for supper. Handmade corn chips and homemade salsa were the perfect accompaniment to a cold Samuel Adams draught beer. The chefs are not shy with their use of Cilantro and I'm completely okay with that. It really gives the salsa tang! We sat inside in the bar area  - maybe I found the evening chilly because I was a bit overtired? - but we'd like to go back for a lunch on the oceanside patio later in the week.

Once back on Main Street we strolled and window shopped for an hour before returning to the motel. It's got a very trendy Queen Street West kinda vibe, if that makes any sense to the non-Torontonians. One thing is clear, this is going to be a great vacation. Too bad we're only here for a week!

eat, drink ...

Wij houden van Oranje

 ... and be married. It's official, we're husband and wife. Gavin has even changed his Facebook status, so it must be true. The wedding was lovely and the reception was a lot of fun. Just exactly as we had hoped.

After last night's party, we've spent a quiet day today recovering from overtiredness and hangover. Cards and presents have been opened, rented linens have been returned and the laundry is done. Now, with the hockey game on TV in the background, we're trying to get organized and packed for the honeymoon. Santa Monica, here we come!

Have a great week everyone! I'll post when I can but no promises!

finished object Friday

today's the day

11•11•11 ... Remembrance Day ... and also the day that Gavin and I are making it official. Later today we're exchanging vows in front of family and friends after living together for fourteen years. Earlier this week I finished my Scoop pullover so it's ready to debut this evening. Our main wedding colour is red, exactly this poppy red of the Mission Falls 1824 yarn from my stash. Enough for the entire sweater with three-quarter length sleeves with a couple of balls of yarn left over. One thing though, I think I may duplicate stitch on the inside of the sweater at each side of the yoke to reinforce it - I still think the welts sag more than I'd like when worn.

And it's Remembrance Day. Earlier this week I bought a poppy at a neighbourhood store. When I stuffed my $10 bill in the box the teenager at the cash remarked "That's very generous" in a tone which implied that she thought I was overpaying. Really? Considering that Canadian soldiers liberated the Netherlands from Nazi occupation at the end of World War II, it seems like a pittance. My Mom would tell us stories about when the Canadian soldiers arrived, bringing with them gifts of chocolates, sugar and cigarettes. And every year that she was able, she walked in the annual four day Nijmegen March through the RBG in Hamilton. Certainly my family can never repay the sacrifices of the Canadian soldiers and their families.

Have a great day everyone! I know we will. And have a look at Tami's Amis to see all the fabulous finishes.