F is for…

…Fundraising and Fun Prizes.

My mother is a big shot muckety-muck in the world of cancer research. She’s an RN and an Administrator, so she works at a major university, and she’s the one in charge making sure trials around the world are getting done, and getting done correctly. Because of that, and because of the fact that both my great aunt and grandmother had breast cancer, our family is a big supporter of the Revlon Run/Walk for Women. There’s one in Los Angeles and one in New York every year, and it’s a worthy cause.

Since it was created in 1993, the Revlon Run/Walk for Women has distributed nearly $55 Million Dollars to cancer research, counseling, as well as outreach programs.

Once again, I’ll be volunteering, as my knees won’t let me walk, but most of my family will be there, and it’s an amazing, incredible event.  Last year I was at the finish lines and there were some amazing moments.

There was a little girl who was pushed the whole way to the stadium in a wheelchair…and then was helped by her mother to walk to the finish line without it.

There were women, men, kids with signs saying they walked for family, friends, etc. who had fought and survived…and wonderful people who walked for those who had fought and lost the battle.

There was a group of three women…one was a sister, one was a daughter, and one was a niece walking for their sister/mother/aunt who had lost her battle against cancer the day before.

There was a women who came through my lane who looked like every single step was a struggle. She was exhausted and still she looked at me, sighed with relief, gave me the biggest smile I’d ever seen and said “I made it.” She was a survivor of two months.

The Revlon Run/Walk is always such an emotional day for me. It’s the most amazing, powerful, heartbreaking, and inspiring event. You cannot comprehend the immense feeling of pride to be a human being that day. And as a volunteer, it feels so wonderful to help support all these amazing women and their families. I spent most of the day laughing through my tears, and I’m doing it all again on Saturday, May 9 here in Los Angeles.

So here’s the carrot…I’m hoping to raise money for this cause. These people do good work, important work, life-saving, life-changing work, and they deserve every penny. I know times are hard for everyone, but every little bit helps. If you go to MY FUNDRAISING PAGE and donate, I’ll put your name in the hat for a drawing for two prizes. Be sure to use my fundraising page. I’m Bib #60514, Team 105. Remember, you can donate securely online, or you can mail in a check (be sure to put my bib number on your check) and ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE!!!

The first…a signed copy of Lisa Scottoline’s newest book “Look Again.”

The second prize…a tote bag with the cover of Look Again on it, and if you’re a knitter, there will be some treats inside.

So please…DONATE!!!! The amount does not matter. You can donate $1 or $100 and I will be THRILLED.  And if you’re in Los Angeles and want to come walk, stop by the registration area and say HI!!!

Lynda the Fundraising Guppy
Aka the Fish With Sticks

E is for…

English Relatives.

Several years ago my mom “found” a few cousins in England through her genealogy research. She and Jeanne e-mailed for over a year before Jeanne and her husband Robert decided Mom was taking too long to come to England for a visit and in 2006 booked a flight out here to meet the family. 

We all took a few days off and had a great time doing all the touristy stuff we so rarely do unless someone is here from out of town. Robert and Jeanne were horrified by the traffic. LOLOL. The plus side was that there was a lot of bonding going on. LOL Jeanne is a fellow knitter, so we took her to a yarn store for a quick hit. As someone used to buying yarn directly from the mills, to say she was stunned at the prices would be an understatement. 

We. Went. Everywhere. 

First up, a family dinner…

(l-r) Mom, Me, Cousin A, Cousin C, and Aunt J

The next day we drove up the coast to Santa Barbara. Robert had his first margarita, but as it was during lunch at a fish restaurant at the pier, maybe not the best place. LOL. We introduced him to the real thing at dinner that night.

Santa Barbara Mission

Courtyard at the Mission

The next day we headed south to Long Beach and…

Do I really need to tell you where this is??? LOL

Can you imagine keeping all this shining while at sea for days???

Wheelhouse

Enjoying the lovely weather on deck…

Jeanne and Robert

On the way back we decided we had time to stroll the balconies and gardens at The Getty…

Looking Towards Downtown

Jeanne & Robert heading up the hill to the Getty

The last day most of the family went to the Huntington Gardens…

Statue Garden

Can you imagine how lightly this balloon had to land on these cacti to keep from popping? LOL 

A “life” in peril

Pagoda and Oriental Gardens

The family…

(rear) Uncle J, Jeanne, Robert; (front) Aunt J, and Mom

And the women of the family. We’re the ones actually related. The boys were married into the insanity family. As you can see, Jeanne got all the tall genes in the family.

(l-r) Janet, Jeanne, Nancy & Lynda

Finally, my favorite picture of the entire trip. We were driving along down the freeway to the Queen Mary, when I look up from my knitting and see this massive platform truck with the strangest of loads…

 

Truckloads

Traffic in L.A. …Who knows WHAT you’ll see?

We had a great time with lots of laughing and eating (and sitting in traffic!) and I wish we could do it all again. Hopefully I’ll get over there soon and I’m sure I’ll have just as much fun then, too. 

The American cousins send lots of love.

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks 

It’s a shame, really

My pal Rainy had a brilliant idea. A “Basket O’ Shame-along.” We list all our languishing unfinished objects and work on finishing them before the end of the year. I decided to take mine a bit further and include ALL my unfinished objects as of today.

After the Great Flood, and trying to get reconstruction started, etc., I’m really trying to buy less yarn. I’ve been fairly successful. I splurged on my birthday trip, but other than that, the only yarn I’ve bought has been for specific projects.

All project links will go to my Ravelry page, but here goes. And remember, it’s for posterity’s sake, so [I'll] be honest.

Harry Potter Bookscarves.  I knit a number of these to give to my family and friends for when the last Harry Potter book came out. Yeah, that was July of 2007. I got only one or two finished. They’re all knit, I just need to seam them up and add the fringe. Now, part of the delay was that I, um, *cough* lost them. But the good news is they’re found, and I have them sitting here waiting patiently to be seamed. 

Next up: My most embarssing WIP. My “Christmas Shawl.” This was the second item I ever started knitting. I’ve been knitting since September of 2005, and that’s about when I started it. I still love it, and love the feel of it (Berocco Softwist and Crystal F/X held together), but I’ve never gotten the shape to work right. It’s a Berocco booklet pattern originally written for Suede, and I was too new a knitter to realize the difference in gauge would effect the shape so dramatically. I’m still not real happy with it, so I may rip it out and use it for something else. Or start a different shape. I have a ton of both yarns, as my friend Marilyn bought it for me as a present, knowing I was pretty broke at the time and that buying all that yarn would be slow going. LOL. 

And we continue our Shameful Journey with my Lady Eleanor. I started it back in 2006, and that October I decided to knit my mom’s Eleanor for Christmas, and I did it, (although not without a bit of drama. LOL) but I burned myself out on the pattern. I still love the pattern, and still want to knit it, but I’m starting to not like the colors. After working on mom’s which practically glows, mine seems cold and lifeless. And because I’m not sure what I want to do, I’ve done nothing. And for me that’s a sure sign that there’s something wrong with the project.

Now for the Booga Bag. This is one of those projects I have absolutely no excuse for not finishing. It’s been completely knit, including the 10 feet of i-cord. The only thing stopping it from being completely finished? I need to felt it. That’s it! *sigh* Shameful.

Here’s a baby sweater I started for someone. It’s absolutely adorable. It has these great stripes, this neat little color twist on the trim, wonderful colors, soft yarn. And I hate it.  Absolutely hate it. The yarn is a nylon/acrylic blend that feels wonderful, but there are a million ends to weave in, and because there’s no wool, those pesky little buggers won’t stay put, and I hate the way it looks. Not to mention, I don’t think it’ll hold up to an active baby. So I’ll finish it, and eventually do something with it, but I’ve cast on for different sweater using 220 Superwash, and I’m much happier. Too bad, really, because this is a charming sweater. 

And then there are the shawls…

Diamond Fantasy Shawl. Loving this, but it’s slow going, as I need to really pay attention so I don’t screw it up.

Mystery Stole 4. I think I’m going to rip this out. I love the bottom of this shawl, but don’t like the rest of the pattern. 

Icarus. I love this shawl and have been working on it pretty regularly. It’s on a brief hiatus until I can get the second ball of yarn wound.

And now for the Parade of Scarves…

The Ruffled Edges scarf…

The Lacy Rib Scarf…

The Short-Row Rib Scarf…

The Swirl Scarf…

And I think that’s it. At least, I HOPE that’s it, because it’s an awful lot of unfinished objects. 

Wish me luck.

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks 

D is for…

…Daffodils. I love Daffodils. They’re such a happy, cheerful flower. I love the ruffled edges. They’re ridiculously cheap at Trader Joe’s, they last forever, and they brighten my mood whenever I see them. Not to mention they’re a harbinger of spring. The only downside to Daffodils is that they’re poisonous to cats, and since Rani sees plants or flowers (and Christmas Ornaments) as between-meal snacks I don’t dare bring them in the house.

Daffodils look great in large bunches…

Or one at a time…

I like to play with my camera and try taking pictures at angles I couldn’t possibly bend and twist and stretch to get, so I hold my camera out, down, over and click the shutter without being able to look through the viewfinder. Most of the time Sometimes you get pictures like this…

But occasionally you can get a picture like this. Of all the ones I took, this is one of my favorites…

I love Daffodils.

And in case you were wondering if I’ll ever have knitting content again, check back tomorrow. It’ll be all knitting. I promise!

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks 

C is for…

…Columbia Gorge, Oregon. 

These pictures are from my first trip to Oregon right after my best friend Cyn moved there. I still can’t believe she’s not living here in L.A. And damn it, I miss her!

We took a drive through the Columbia Gorge region, and had a great time. These amazing waterfalls are freakishly close to the major highway through the area. 

These last two pictures are from the famous Multnomah Falls. 

And if you click for the large photo, and look closely, you can see the teeny tiny people standing on the bridge. That should give you an idea of the sheer size of Multnomah Falls. And like so much of Oregon, it’s a beautiful and friendly place. 

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks 

B is for…

…The Beach. My mom and I took a drive one afternoon up towards Santa Barbara so I could play with my new camera. It was a lot of fun, and I learned that I still have a LOT to learn about the features of my camera. LOL. But it’s a start, and I’m pretty happy with the results, so enjoy!

Lynda the Guppy
Aka The Fish with Sticks
Aka Ansel Guppy 

A is for…

…Ardmore, Ireland. A beautiful, wonderful village with wide, sandy beaches and beautiful ruins. It was a charming, relaxing afternoon. A wonderful break on the long drive to Waterford. 

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Alphabet Soup

On Ravelry I belong to a group called “ABC-Along.” The goal is every two weeks to post a picture that relates to the letter of the alphabet for that period. And I’m behind. Shocking, I know. Over the next few days I’ll be catching up, so be sure to check back!

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks

Just For Jeanne

My cousin Jeanne from “across the pond” has been nagging me long distance. Seems she thinks it’s time I updated my blog. (she’s right, of course, but please don’t tell her, otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it *grin*) So this one’s just for her.

End of the year recap (okay, so I’m a little late!)

Knitting I’ve finished this year:

My Olympic Peace Shawl…

My Anthracite Shawl…

Cynthia’s Comfort Blanket…

Tavi’s Stocking (including the Sacred Brush)…

And finally, Rani’s Stocking (including a new CrackBunny)…

I started a number of projects, too, and I’m still working on some from two years ago last year. And since things are tight right now, I’m really making an effort to knit from my stash and to finish projects I’m currently working on.

This year is really The Year of the Shawl, as I have a number of them on the needles, such as the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, Miriam Felton’s fantastic Icarus, and I’m searching my stash for yarn to use for the Forest Canopy Shawl. Not to mention the Mystery Shawl 4 I need to finish. 

And if you’re wondering if I’ve forsaken scarves, let me put your minds at ease. I’ve got a scarf in Malabrigo, a scarf in Atacama, a scarf in Kureyon sock yarn (a mini clapotis), and a scarf in Shepherd Sport Twist. LOL And I’m working on them pretty much 1-2 rows at a time. Slow and steady, right? Every little stitch counts?

And speaking of counting, the KnitMeter tells me that just counting the projects I finished last year, I knit 2.65 miles last year. Whew! No wonder my hands are tired!

So there you go, Jeanne. One just for you. LOLOL Love you!

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks 

A Birthday Yarn Extravaganza!

My friend Marilyn and I have made it a tradition to do a yarn crawl near my birthday in December. The first year we drove up the coast about 2 hours and visited every knitting store between here and there. Last year, we just did a mini-crawl, and went more locally to the yarn stores in Ventura County. This year, I decided it was time to head south. 

Along for the ride this year was Marilyn, me, my mom, and my friend Alyson. We got to Marilyn’s at 7:30 and headed south. Our first stop was Liscat. A charming, welcoming, and fun store. Definitely a favorite. The owner was very chatty and friendly, and so were the people sitting and knitting. The store had a ton of store samples scattered around and creatively placed, and there were some fun uses for stashbusting, such as the chair back covers. I wish I lived closer to this place, because I’d be there all. the. time. 

Yarn purchase:
Laceweight Ornaghi Filati Merino Oro in dark purple (Ravel it!)
Fingering weight Aurora Yarns Acquerello (Ravel it!) 

Next stop: Alamitos Bay Yarn Company.

While I do love their laceweight yarns, and their selections of both Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace and Fiddlesticks Knitting’s Zephyr is unrivaled here in SoCal, I find this store to be completely underwhelming. I’ve been in there exactly twice and the staff have either ignored me completely (when no one else was in the store) or made me feel like I’m interrupting brain surgery to ask a question about their inventory. Don’t get me wrong…they’ve never been rude or hostile, just…unwelcoming. Frankly, unless I’m going for something specific, I probably won’t make an effort to get back there.  But I still bought yarn. LOLOL.

Yarn Purchase:
Laceweight Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace in “Devon.” (Ravel it!)
Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn in “A” (Ravel it!) 

Now for my favorite: The Yarn Lady

I have a sentimental attachment to The Yarn Lady. It’s such a HUGE store with really great yarns, tons of toys and tools, LOTS of bags, and the friendliest staff around. I’ve been there on Bag Sale days and even then we’re greeted with bright smiles, cheery faces, and get cookies and coffee delivered to us when we’re in line. LOL Even this time, when we left, we got hugs. LOLOL It’s a happy place. And here’s where I bought the most, and I think we spent the most time there. By then we were getting tired, so it was nice to sit in the back of the store at a huge table and just go through pattern books and rest for a bit.

Yarn Purchases:
Collinette Cadenza in Velvet Bilberry (Ravel it!), Florentina (Ravel it!), Jay (Ravel it!), and Jewel (Ravel it!)
Noro Silk Garden Lite in 2013 (Ravel it!)
I also picked up a couple clear plastic bags for small projects or tools, as well as a 4 more sets of Addi Lace needles in various sizes.  

And finally, an unexpected jewel. Strands and Stitches.  

This little store has one room in the front for knitting and a room in the back for needlepoint, and in between is the register. But aside from that, it’s remarkably well-stocked, and the two ladies that work there were VERY nice. In fact, we didn’t realize it until we got back in the car that we were there after closing. They didn’t mention it, and they never tried to hurry us along. And they had nearly as much fun trying to find yarns for us as we did! Great, great little shop.

Yarn Purchase:
Fiesta La Luz in Iolite (Ravel it!)

By then it was after 5:00, so we wouldn’t have made it to The Sheared Sheep, so back to Costa Mesa to hit the Container Store and Barnes and Noble before we had dinner and then headed back. We got home at about 10:30, unloaded the car, did a bit of fondling, and fell face first into bed. 

It was a great Birthday Yarn Extravaganza!

Lynda the Guppy
aka The Fish With Sticks