Tuesday, September 23, 2014

in a nutshell

helloo and oh dear. i hope all is well with you!  i've been very neglectful of this space. i'm dreaming of a week at home, no work, or travel...just quietly staying home and catching up on the big and little things. that is unlikely to happen before october (today is already the first day of fall!) a bit of life here lately then, in a nutshell (all photos taken with iphone)...


knitting for babies! i found this pattern for a soaker in a vintage book. i love making them!


'go to work with your husband day' every chance i get! the weather is perfect this time of year! we are at channel islands national park.


my best friend and i went to the california central coast yarn crawl. it was a two day event so we stayed in a hotel saturday night. her sweet husband packed us a picnic dinner. 


 in the hotel we ate delicious tapas, drank delicious wine and knit socks! (and took photos of them on the way home) ;)


the next day i flew to nyc with a friend


we met my girl at grand central station


jumped on a train to connecticut...


rented a car in new haven and drove north to...


portland maine! met friends carrie bostick hoge, maryjane mucklestone, gudrun johnston. carrie, gudrun and i also had our girls, immie and maya and hannah (taking the photo, darn!)


there was a photo shoot on the maine coast


 foxy was left in good hands, and we headed back south to nyc...


 where in a small square in tribeca a few things happened... saw my darling son and son in law at their work, and across the street, my girl and i had an appointment in a shop...


for her wedding dress. (this is not it if you are reading matt.)  :)   there was just enough time to see 'the dress' (tears. oh my.) before i had to catch a cab back to jfk.


back at home, souvenirs from maine. carrie's book is gold. taproot is too. found seaglass on a maine beach. the daisy a gift from my future son in law. :)


 then the phone call came. i won the grand prize from the central coast yarn crawl. EEP!!


oh. my. gosh. this basket, filled to the brim. THANK YOU central coast yarn crawl and all sponsors: lantern moon, addi, rowan, plymouth, berroco, classic elite, never not knitting, knitbot, misti alpaca, zealana, frog tree, jojoland, swans island, anzula, manos del uruguay, mountain colors, lothlorian made in new zealand gloves and leisure arts ~ encyclopedia of needlework. 




not taken with a cell phone...



engagement photos in the city. hannah rose + matt, love, mom

xxx lori

Thursday, September 4, 2014

edinburgh

hello from scotland! last month, on the way to shetland, i spent a few days in edinburgh before (and after the island), there is so much fascinating history, and an interesting story for everything in scotland, i won't even try to do it justice. instead, here are a few photos and highlights of this most magical of cities...




my bed & breakfast is on pilrig street







 i climbed calton hill


 the national monument




 dugald stewart monument


 pilrig church on leith and pilrig, made finding my b & b much easier!





 now i've joined a walking tour of old town edinburgh. our first stop:

St Giles' Cathedral is the historic City Church of Edinburgh. With its famed crown spire it stands on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Also known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, it is the Mother Church of Presbyterianism and contains the Chapel of the Order of the Thistle (Scotland's chivalric company of knights headed by the Queen).



 our fantastic funny knowledgeable guide, jonny, only guide in his company born in edinburgh he said! had the brilliant idea to stop in for a wee dram of whisky on our three hour walking tour...



 greyfriers bobby! do you know the story? find out more here. (i did rub bobby's shiny nose!)

for my girl, who is soon to be married xxx


 kilt!


going somewhere really exciting!


 welcome to edinburgh castle!!





first selfie, with a cannon!






 i walked on medival grounds!!



coffee break + journal time


back down the royal mile to...


the scottish parliament


 this was the second most important thing i'd hoped to see on my visit to edinburgh, to view the great tapestry of scotland. when i arrived at the parliament i checked in with the visitors desk, thinking they might suggest the best way to see the tapestry. the gentleman there asked me if i would like to stitch on a panel right now! YES!! he guided me down a hallway, through a door, into a large room where i met two ladies. stitching!


i made several stitches too, eeps! but could not sit still for long, the tapestry was waiting...




completely incredible. seeing the great tapestry of scotland was an experience i'll never forget.
i bought the book on the making of it and look...



 this is one of the stitchers, cindy is sharing the panel she worked on! brilliant moment! for more information on the great tapestry of scotland (and to view every panel) go here.

seen on a plaque outside the parliament


 back on the royal mile






 one evening (it's about 10pm in this photo) i was trying to find my way to a restaurant that had been suggested. consulting my iphone, trying to determine which way was south east...when out of the fog came a girl, chatting on her mobile. i apologetically interrupted, excuse me? do you know where this place is? (pointing at my phone). she did not. but asked if i had a name of the restaurant. yes! she did in fact know of the place and i should follow her...


 off we went, at a brisk pace, her telling me how she was to board a bus tomorrow for glasgow, she was going to be singing in the commonwealth games! oh wowee! meanwhile, we are taking 'shortcuts', through a park and back streets, i had no idea where we were. eventually we stopped, on a busy street, right where i asked to be. and just like when she had appeared, out of nowhere, she was gone, with a wave and a smile.

~ woodland creatures on leith walk, edinburgh



more a bar than restaurant, but oh my goodness the macaroni and cheese was worth the walk!
when i returned from shetland i came here again for dinner and a fringe festival event in an adjoining room!


here is reason number one for coming to edinburgh. to see this house. robert louis stevenson, beloved author, traveller, poet, was born here. on 13th november 1850. (a plaque beside the door declares this). waking early one morning, with map in hand, i walked the two miles (or so) to the thing i wanted to see most. on 8 howard place on a quiet tree lined street, i found it. 



 i don't know what i expected, but i don't think i could have imagined being alone here. i stood for perhaps thirty minutes, and didn't see another soul. a wonder. i took many photos (with too many cameras) picked a few leaves for my journal. thought of favorite poems...'swallows travel to and fro and the great winds come and go and steady breezes blow bearing perfume, bearing love'. rls

it was an extraordinary moment. i've been a collector of robert louis stevenson for many years, vintage books and ephemera have found their way into my hands and heart...my eldest daughter read a poem of rls at our wedding and on our honeymoon we visited western samoa, on the island of upolu, we saw his home vailima and his final resting place.




 fittingly, a book store lives across the street :)



 back to my little nest on pilrig street


past the church...





 here we are! ardmor house, built in 1890!


 highly recommended bed & breakfast! my room on the right, facing the garden :)







and the very best part of my trip was meeting new dear friends. kathy, paula and i met for drinks on the royal mile the night before we flew to shetland. this was the beginning of the grandest adventure.

thank you for coming along! xxx lori