I'm still working on my niece Lily's red sweater, so I don't have any new knitting to show you. I thought you might like to see the professional photos my sister Hil (Lily's mom) had taken recently. We call her Little Lily on the Prairie in these photos because of the cute bonnet she is wearing.


I love this first photo because it reminds me of my grandmother, who is her namesake.

It turned out I was the only one in the class, which was okay because I'm pretty shy in large groups. The instructor, Alexis, was super nice with lots of patience. The two of us sat at a big table and she taught me how to do die cuts, fold the paper in to boxes, make rosettes, and other fun little techniques I enjoyed learning.

The boxes are the perfect size for four miniature Hershey bars.

On a different subject, these photos were taken with my new iPhone. When I tried to use my trusty pink digital camera this morning, I discovered it was no longer working. I'm quite surprised at how well the photos turned out using the iPhone, although I did touch them up in Picnik.

I don't know what is going on. In the last month I have broken so many items by spilling hot coffee or dropping or stepping on them. So far the list includes my netbook, Kindle, eye glasses, cell phone, and now my camera.

I will have to be extra careful with the iPhone until the clumsy spell is broken.

I'm hoping to have it done in December so I can give it to her for the holidays.



The second project is a sweater for my niece Lily. The pattern is from the book 60 Quick Baby Knits, which was recommended by the nice lady at my LYS. It has lots of adorable patterns.

Not long ago, feeling disconnected from nature and depleted from being endlessly wired in to technology, I decided to spend a few nights at a Buddhist retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains.

The retreat center offers two types of lodging-- small, private rooms and yurts (similar to a tent cabin) away from the main buildings in a towering redwood grove. While trying to decide which type of lodging I wanted to stay in, I felt a tiny shiver of fear at staying alone in a yurt in a secluded forest, so I went with that. Something inside of me was craving both respite and adventure.

During the day, I hiked through the forest. On the trails I came across little altars and statues placed on rocks and tucked under trees. My favorite hike was the Eight Verses Pilgrimage Trail. Each of the verses are printed on a sign and spaced evenly throughout the trail with a nearby bench for sitting and reflecting.

There were offerings on top of some of the signs, like sea shells, medallions, stones, and bouquets of flowers.


The retreat was exactly what I needed. Time alone in a spiritually-nourishing, natural setting, where I could gaze up at the trees and listen to birds and reconnect with what is important to me.


This statue of St. Francis stood at a crossroads on a forest trail, placed there by the retreat center and used as a landmark on the hike to the yurt campsite.

Every time I came across him, he was a reassuring presence, letting me know I was on the right path.

Ta da! I knit my first baby crossover jacket last week. The pattern is from the wonderful book, Vintage Knits for Modern Babies , a gift from a thoughtful friend. I added the pink crochet edging on the sleeves and went with matching pink buttons.


The jacket fits my four-month-old niece Lily perfectly.