owen goes to sea

bright and early, this fine day, owen and i went down to the sea...

to watch chuck work (fixing buoys for summertime)

 run run pant pant silly willy nilly pup

 wait. who do i see coming out of the ocean?

 oh! look!!

 yipee! it is my most favorite person in the world!!

 happy puppy dance

 hello hello lick lick kiss kiss kiss!

 <3

 my turn my turn

 okay! your turn!

 hee hee, owen changes his mind about the sea (he might have a bit of chicken in him he thinks)

 land.

 whew.

 time to put things away, time to stay put little pup

now for a little breakfast and then get ready for the work day. wee owen will no doubt spend his time napping, hopefully reliving his ocean going adventures in salty sand filled dreams.
have a wonderful weekend dear friends! xxx lori

a delicate balance

hello hello! feeling a little like i've lost my (blogging) voice. this must be normal ( i hope!)  i searched my phone for inspiration, and okay! there are a few things that have been happening around here...

my portable vase has been coming to work with me. it's the neatest thing! i found it in an interior design shop

in amsterdam. it packs flat for transporting, and when filled with water the bottom unfolds and it stands independently. fresh flowers everywhere!

the oranges on our trees are ripening faster than we can eat them. must juice more! 

 owen, our personal one pup welcome home committee!

 one day my girl hannah (in brooklyn) and i (in california) discovered we were both wearing the same shoes (birkenstock), which resulted in photos sent to each other. and a silly giddy feeling that made me feel closer to her somehow.

i made a sample knit with pretty yarn.

 taking care of my friends garden while she is away. on this day the temperatures neared 90 degrees! i watered the garden and myself too. thanking the stars above we've resumed normal 70's now.

my hap shawl is finished and blocking! whee! i ended up with two extra skeins, oh oops. it was a challenge to knit with black and i fear another challenge is going to be photographing it. crossing fingers...

do you remember this book cover? and the shawl on the cover that must be knit?! i am on a strict pre trip budget, but this knit picks palette was so affordable and the colors match so well! i have to try. :)

on my way to work one morning, i stopped for coffee and found these guys parked outside! hello mules! i wish i had a mule to ride to work!

and last, a good friend stopped in at my work to show me her newest knit, an adorable baby cardigan. she brought me this wooden bird knitting needle gauge, as a thank you for helping her (she did not need my help, she is a beautiful knitter). so i bought one too, to give away to one of you. to say thank you for coming by and always always showing such kindness. please leave a comment if you'd like a chance to win. this little bird will fly anywhere in the world. i'm looking forward to the weekend and catching up with all of you. xxx lori

p.s. i'll draw a name for the bird gauge on sunday!

heartstoppers

heartstoppers are gracing the ends of my knitting cables in the above photo, made to keep a work in progress from falling off when interchangeable needles are removed, very cute and handy! made by addi, find them here. they are holding the body of a cardigan, a cardigan waiting patiently for sleeves (pictured in the foreground), which are slow going. this is the first time i've knit colorwork inside out and backwards, well, reversed, i have to stop and think about what to do! it's such a pretty effect, almost like watercolor, i'll share more soon!

i made a dress, so inspired by lovely nicole's. it's blue chambray, soft, so comfortable, i've worn it already three times since making it last week! pattern by jenny gordy, it's good to be sewing again, after many years. i have material for another, this one was for much needed practice. jenny made it easier to come back to dress making though with her beautifully written directions and pattern (she is very beautiful and inspiring too). owen really wanted to be in the photo, he promised to behave and he even posed!
wiksten tova pattern found here

a parcel arrived, all the way from western isles, scotland . inside were, five classic books by lillian beckwith. stories of hebridean crofters (farmers) a treasure beyond words. oh such a treat. jacqui, the barefoot crofter that sent this package, also included a rosette pin, crafted from harris tweed, hand woven in the outer hebrides, and a length of harris tweed material, hand woven also by John Maclean in Garynahine, from the next township over from her. and a bar of organic hebridean seaweed soap. Tapadh leat, ( i looked up) gaelic for thank you very much, dear jacqui.

project bags! more embroidered 'yarn along' project bags have been stitched, i love making them, maybe one for you!  they'll be in my etsy shop soon. my embroidery threads are almost thirty years old, still as vibrant as when i wound them, having them out again is happy making.

it's time to put out woolly bits for nesting birds, i'm almost certain i saw one little house finch fly by with a scrap!

thirty three years ago last week i became a mother. happy birthday my girl. thank you and LOVE always. she went snow skiing in utah to celebrate, i can't stop looking at the photo of my grandchildren on the ski lift, by themselves! their second time to ski!
thank you thank you for coming by, for all the kindness you always show. xxx lori

joining with ginny and yarnalong