In order to knit the Mochimochi Land bats, I had to learn to knit in the round on double pointed needles. It's been a few years since I have attempted to do that because the last time was a major disaster. But I found that the sock classes I took earlier this year helped me master it (and I use the word 'master' very, very loosely) even though we used two circular needles for the socks. I haven't gotten very far with the bats because it took several attempts just to knit a few inches, but it feels great to have learned a skill that I didn't think I could do.

There is something about the colors of this cotton yarn that I love-- it reminds me of a 1950's kitchen. I was going to make dish towels, but decided to knit a scarf for a friend instead because I think she will look great in these colors, which are much prettier in real life than they are in the pic. For the first time in a very, very long time I'm knitting a plain old garter stitch scarf. It's nice not having to worry about making a mistake or wonder how it is going to turn out.

It was unusually warm in San Francisco last Sunday. We had a delicious lunch at Yank Sing. It was my first time trying dim sum and now I am a big fan. If you ever go to San Francisco, I must insist that you have lunch there. Dim sum is small individual portions of food that are extremely tasty, like pot stickers, dumplings, steamed buns, and spring rolls. Instead of ordering off a menu, you make selections off little carts that they wheel around. It's easy to go overboard.

Inside the building is a fountain that makes it seem like it is raining inside with the water staying inside this big round "puddle" so no one gets wet. That little face peeking out on the right is my sister Hil.

These signs for the San Francisco Zoo were everywhere, and I was intrigued by the owl because that's not something you traditionally go to a zoo to see. I checked out their website and discovered they are having a twilight tour next week that is all about owls. Yay! I'm hoping to go if the tour hasn't filled up.

More of the cotton/silk softnesss that I love was in my mailbox this evening. I ordered it from Webs last week, but was getting antsy because it took a whole six days to arrive. I don't understand why they can't get it in the mail the minute I place my order :o)

This color is called "Fairytale."

This one is "Guilded Lilys." I had buyer's remorse earlier today when I went to the website and looked at this color again, but now that I've seen it in real life I'm very happy with it.

Yesterday I started working on my March artist trading cards for my swap group. Instead of selecting a theme, Cory sent each person in the group a packet of embellishments to use on our cards as we want. Fun, fun. I can't show you mine yet because they aren't finished, but I'll post them in a few weeks after everyone has received them.

My poor baby Charlie. He was very sick the other night and I didn't know what to do. He let out the saddest little meow every time I tried to touch him. Charlie seems better now, but I'm still keeping a close eye on him.

This is my Ishbel shawl I recently started working on. I'm knitting it with 100% wool, something I rarely use. Bamboo, cotton, and silk blends are so much more comfortable next to my skin. But I like the colors and the way it is striping, so I'm going to try to stick with the wool.

When I left my office this evening, the wind was blowing so hard I thought I was going to be swept away. I wanted to take a picture of the swaying trees, but it was so cold I had to run to my car. It hailed on the drive home, which was pretty exciting because we rarely get interesting weather around here. When I got home I opened the bedroom window so I could listen to the sound of the rain as I worked on my Ishbel. I love to knit by the window to whatever sounds are going on outside ... birdsong, rain, the rustle of leaves, children playing.

Yesterday I returned some sock yarn I didn't like and exchanged it for this Cascade Heritage Paints yarn. I made a swatch last night because I wasn't sure about the colors (they are a bit washed out in the picture), and it knit up beautifully. In fact, I like it so much I carried the ball of yarn with me in my purse today, taking it out periodically to admire it throughout the day. I'm thinking of using it for an

shawl.

You might remember I took a toe-up sock class last month, and this month I've been learning cuff-down. Things were going fine until last Sunday's class when I used the wrong needle to pick up the heel stitches. While trying to transfer the stitches to the correct one I dropped a few, and while trying to rescue them a dozen more fell off the needle. Part of me (the part that is still three years old) wanted to burst in to tears, throw the whole mess on the table, stomp out the door and never ever knit another sock.

Fortunately the teacher noticed I was drowning in dropped stitches and took it out of my hands. She was able to get all the stitches back on the correct needle, a small miracle. I'm thinking I like toe-up socks waaaaay better at this point. Actually I'm thinking I'm not as in love with sock knitting as I thought I was.

And that's because my new love is lace! I set up my grandmother's old dining room table in my bedroom to work on my shawl and just love to go straight to the table when I get home from work and start knitting.

(This picture uploaded sideways ... oh well.)

I wish I could capture how vibrant the colors are in this Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk Yarn . I can't say enough wonderful things about this yarn ... it's incredibly soft, the colors are rich, and it is such a pleasure to knit with. I'm planning on buying more in a couple different colorways very soon.

My shawl is up to 195 stitches, and my collection of markers is growing as well. How did I ever knit without them? I'm totally hooked.

It's cold and pouring rain outside this evening. I'm going to curl up on the couch and watch American Idol. Have a good night!

Yesterday I unexpectedly received a couple of American Express gift cards from the company that I work for. I could barely sleep last night because I was so excited about the shopping spree that I planned the moment I saw those gift cards.

I woke up this morning with a cold, but managed to drag myself to a local yarn store that I've been wanting to check out for months. Their selection of yarn was small, but I didn't mind because I usually go in to sensory overload when I walk in to a yarn store. It was nice to be able to take it all in without needing to bolt outside for air. I ended up buying this hand painted blend of silk and cotton from Misti Alpaca. It's incredibly soft.

I also picked up 200 Ripple Stitch Patterns , a book I've been wanting for a long time. I love, love, love ripples, and will hopefully knit a pattern from the book with my new Misti Alpaca.

On the way home I stopped at another yarn store and got a couple skeins of bamboo sock yarn. Now that I'm learning to knit socks, a whole new world of yarn has opened up-- I never used to pay attention to sock yarn because I had no use for it.

Well, time to curl up in my pajamas, drink lots of orange juice and watch a movie. I hope you are having a nice weekend and staying toasty warm. We got a break in the rain today for the first time all week, but it's supposed to start up again tomorrow.