I sent off some skeins of sock yarn to Fernwood Woolworks awhile back. A few years ago I had socks made by Fernwood for holiday gifts for my yarny friends. I neglected to have socks made for myself! Now, I have three beautiful pairs of perfect-fitting socks! I love them all. Thank you, Molly D. for gifting me with the Claudia Hand-painted sock yarn. The other two pairs are made from Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, purchased at the great Black Sheep Knittery sale of 2007. Leftover Sock Yarn. Perfect for a Scrappy Scarf I'm on a sock yarn binge lately. I picked up some gorgeous Koigu sock yarn on sale in varying shades of gray. I have 10 skeins of one colorway (with bits of green and rust, along with the grays) and 1 skein of just grays with black and white. I already whipped up a little crocheted scarf with one skein of Koigu (grays, white, pinks, lilac)...it's blocking now.
Notice how 5 of the skeins of Koigu are slightly lighter (top) than the other 5? They are the same dyelot! Hmmm? Any suggestions as to what I might knit or crochet with 11 skeins of Koigu?

Our alma mater, Beverly Vista Elementary School This past Saturday was cloudy and rainy AGAIN. I drove out to the Sherman Oaks Galleria to meet up with my elementary school girlfrieds for lunch. We met at the El Torito Grill. El Torito Grill, Sherman Oaks Galleria

L-R: Dale, Karen, Deb, Denise, Linda, Sue B., Diana Sue C.
We were supposed to have a group of about 20 ladies....16 showed up. It was really fun seeing so many of my childhood friends. Two girls came in from Santa Barbara, one from Palm Desert, the rest of us live in the L.A. area.L-R: Diana, Mrs. C., Sue C., Sandy, Alison, MandyWe traded old stories, got caught up on each other's lives and generally had a wonderful time. The lighting inside El Torito was dim, but I didn't want to use my flash (too harsh), so I opened up my lense all the way and hoped for the best. I kinda' like the soft, blurriness of the photos. At our advanced age, blurriness is a good thing. Front Row: Linda, Denise, KathyMiddle Row: Mandy, Gayle, Debra, SueBack Row (standing): Karen, Sandy, Alison, Deb, Ellen, Dale, Sue, Judy, Diana

Looking forward to seeing ALL of you (and more) at our big high school reunion in October!

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards Ceremony is this coming Sunday. Hollywood will be at a standstill from early afternoon until late evening. The ceremony will be held at the Kodak Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. This theater was built specially for the Academy Awards ceremony. The awards ceremony has moved to different venues all over Los Angeles. From Wilipedia:
In 1929, the first Academy awards were presented at a banquet dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. From 1930-1943, the awards were presented first at the Ambassador Hotel and later the Biltmore Hotel. Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood then hosted the awards from 1944-1946, followed by the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles from 1947 to 1948. The 21st Academy Awards in 1949 were held at the Academy Award Theater at what was the Academy's headquarters on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. From 1950 to 1960, the awards were presented at Hollywood's Pantages Theater. With the advent of television, the 1953-1957 awards took place simultaneously in Hollywood and New York first at the NBC International Theater (1953) and then at the NBC Century Theater (1954-1957), after which the ceremony took place solely in Los Angeles. The Oscars moved to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in 1961. By 1969, the Academy decided to move the ceremonies back to L.A., this time to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion at the L.A. County Music Center. In 2002, Hollywood's Kodak Theater became the permanent home of the awards.
I know we'll be glued to our TV sets for the pre-shows, red carpet parade as well as the awards ceremony. This is the super bowl of award ceremonies here in Los Angeles. Enjoy the weekend!
most photos from the Herald Examiner Archive

Every Thursday night from 7-9pm I meet up with my West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch group upstairs at the Original Farmers Market. We have a great circle of people, full of wonderful knitters, crocheters, quilters, embroiderers, seamstresses, artists and more. The Farmers Market is the perfect place to meet because food is available, the people-watching is excellent and there's abundant parking. The winter is the best time at the Market because it's less crowded with tourists. I've met some of my BEST friends within this group in the last six years. Thank you, WeHo SnB for being part of my life.

West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch Circle

These photos from one of our late January, 2010 meetings.

Molly's Baby Blanket
Lori's Squirrel Nut Mittens
Brenda, Meri, Sara
Tami, Brenda C., Doug
Sarah
Mandy, AndréeTami's Embroidered QuiltSara, Molly, Lori

I'm looking forward to seeing my yarny friends tonight! Are you going?

This past Saturday, we had a post-b-day celebration lunch for Christine. It was so nice being one of the "ladies who lunch"....just like grown-ups! I picked up Christine and the skies were clear. We met Laurie and Liz at Chez Nous in Toluca Lake and had a delicious lunch amid much giggling, gifts and travel talk. It started raining a bit during our lunch and then it poured and HAILED as we were about to leave the restaurant. One more pomegranite mimosa, please!Ellen and ChristineGrilled Chicken Salad
Eggs Florentine

Chutney Chicken Salad

Spinach Crepes

Laurie and Liz

Thanks for a wonderful afternoon, Ladies!

There are still a few days to knit and/or crochet for Susan G. Komen's Foundation, "Knit for the Cure." You can read about it here.I try to donate at least one scarf every year. My closest drop-off shop is Wild Fiber in Santa Monica. This year, I used some Cascade 220 Superwash Wool in Bubblegum Pink (#901) and crocheted a short scarf using this openwork and lace crochet pattern. I really like the pattern and will be using it again on other pieces.

You can make any small item...a hat, scarf, cowl, hand-warmers, gloves, mittens, headband...anything. All profits from sales will benefit breast cancer research.

All of the new yarn that I purchased a couple of weeks ago is now wound up into neat little cakes and sitting on my dining room table. Last night, as I was walking by the table, I just couldn't help myself. I had to grab that Ravelry Red Malabrigo sock yarn and a crochet hook and start making a shawl. Yes, I have several yarny things started. Yes, I have deadline projects to complete. Yes, I have "start-itis."
With my size "H" crochet hook I started yet another Seraphina Shawl. It's my go-to pattern for quick, lacy and gorgeous. I've made several Seraphina Shawls in different weight yarns. I love the delicate look I get using sock yarn. The Malabrigo yarn is in varying shades of red. The lace pattern looks fantastic in an almost solid color. I'll be keeping this shawl for myself

Last night our WeHo SnB group met at Barnes & Noble at The Grove to see and hear our ol' friend, Laurie Perry, read from her latest book, "Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You've Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time." It was such a fun evening. We've all missed Laurie. She used to attend our SnB get-togethers, but for the past couple of years she's been working furiously on her writing. Laurie has promised to return to our future meetings.The new book is a collection of essays....funny, pithy and embued with Laurie's special insight and humor.Many of us brought our yarny projects

After she read a chapter, we asked a few questions and then everyone lined up to have their books signed by our very blonde, rock-star friend!

The blondeness of the evening was startling!
Laurie and Molly


Vivian (yet ANOTHER blonde) helped Laurie sign books

Uh oh...did you think I forgot Vintage Photo Friday? Not quite. I "borrowed" a pic from Laurie's blog. This is one of her "hairstory" pix from the 80's.
Partial Mohawk?! We prefer the current, flowing blondeness!
Much success to you, Laurie Doll on your latest tome.

Tonight at The Grove, 7pm, Barnes & Noble bookstore, our friend, co-knitter and co-blogger, Laurie Perry, will be reading from her new book ["Home Is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You've Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time"] and signing copies. Many of the WeHo SnB group will be in attendance, toting their yarny projects. For those of you that hang at our regular table at the Original Farmers Market, please let late-comers know where we are!! Thanks! This is the last weekend of Chinese New Year. It's the year of the tiger. There's a huge celebration and the 32nd Annual Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 5K/10K Run, Bike Ride and Nite 'n Day Festival. The festival is Saturday and Sunday.On Saturday, Liz and I are taking Christine for a post-b-day lunch at Chez Nous in Toluca Lake. I'm looking forward to a sophisticated ladies luncheon. Later on Saturday, I'll be heading over to the Fairview Branch of the Santa Monica Library for our SnB from 3:30 - 5:30. I have lots of yummy new yarn for show and tell.The L.A. Conservancy is holding some great walking tours this weekend.Next Wednesday, March 3rd our fellow WeHo SnB member, Kyle is holding a silent auction and raffle benefiting AIDS Project L.A. It's from 6-9pm at the Toluca Lake Marie Callender's. There are some wonderful items for the raffle, including, but not limited to an IPod Touch, various knitted and crocheted items, artwork and more.

Plan a great weekend! Maybe we'll run into each other.

I was working on this sweater, called "Imagine" for awhile and abandoned it. I've frogged two other projects with this yarn. I love the yarn. I just couldn't find the perfect marriage of sweater to yarn for this Queensland Collection Kathmandu DK weight in a beautiful olive tweed.
Hopefully, I have found a match. I've cobbled together a few crochet cardigan patterns and come up with this nice shell-stitch cardi. I'm working on the sleeves now, then will tackle the trim and button band.
Speaking of IMAGINE, I picked up a few skeins of dream yarn last week. I close my eyes and imagine what I would make from this beautiful yarn. Sometimes, the imagining is better than the knitting and crocheting. Maybe that's why I have bins and bins of yarn with very few garments to show for all of my stash!
The following yarns were purchased at Twist, Yarns of Intrigue in Manhattan Beach:

1 Skein Malabrigo, Worsted Weight, Color: "Plena"
I imagine a Mardi Gras Hat for Next Year
2 Skeins, Malabrigo Sock Yarn, Color: Ravelry Red
I imagine some fantastic lacy shawl
1 Skein (650 yards!) Twist Superfine Alpaca, Color: Cinnamon
So soft....not sure what I'll make with this gorgeous stuff!

The last two yarns were purchased at The Slipt Stitch in El Segundo:
1 Skein Berroco's Vintage Wool, Color: Grass Green
I Imagine a Wooly Scarf for Mom

2 Skeins Silkience by Ella Rae, Color: Pinky Red
I Imagine Another Lacy, Light Scarf for Mom
Do you have some DREAM YARN? What have you been imagining lately?

The Fowler Museum @ UCLA

On Saturday afternoon, I zoomed over to the UCLA campus in Westwood to view the current exhibit, "Meet Me at the Center of the Earth" by artist Nick Cave. The exhibit is small, but exquisite.
Nick Cave's Soundsuits
Here's a description from the Museum about the show: "Evocative of African, Caribbean and other ceremonial ensembles, as well as haute couture, Cave's work explores issues of transformation, ritual, myth and identity through a layering of references and virtuosic construction, using materials as varied as yarn, beads, sequins, bottle caps, vintage toys, rusted iron sticks, twigs, leaves and hair."There is lots and lots of crochet work represented in the sound suits! There were lace doilies, adhered to the forms with plastic canvas, decorated with buttons; there were crocheted hats on a form, there were granny afghans draped as skirts. It was really a fantastic display!! Here are some more photos of the suits. Later, I slipped into the Fowler gift shop and saw these 8" zippered clutch bags (below). They were made from canvas cloth in bright colors. The little crocheted granny squares were sewn to one side of each bag. Price: $18. Really not too much, considering the amount of work. Naturally, I must make one of these for myself or for a gift!!!
The exhibit continues thru May 30th. It is definitely inspiring and worth viewing!

Duplex on Point View St. near Pico Blvd., Los Angeles

I do love going to estate sales. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I used to buy things like crazy. Now that our house is rather filled up with "treasures", I've curbed my buying habits. I do like to take photos though.
Larry and I attended a really nice sale on Friday (and Saturday) hosted by Handle With Care. It was in the lower portion of a nice old Spanish Revival duplex, close to our neighborhood. The woman that owned the home was a collector and antiques dealer herself. It was a well-organized sale. Everything was priced fairly and the house was chock-full o' goodies.Various Refrigerator Dishes
I managed to purchase some Franciscan-Ware snack plates in yellow, a creamer and sugar bowl (also in a yellow flower motif), a tapestry handbag with a bakelite frame, some faux mobe' pearls and a sunburst brooch. There was a small oil painting of bacon and eggs that I was considering, but I didn't buy.
my yellow creamer and sugar bowl is on the left/middle
It was a very tempting sale. Sigh.

Cathy @ Twist
Yesterday, Beth and I drove down to Manhattan Beach to experience the little yarn shop that is TWIST. I love the entire name of this shop, "Twist, Yarns of Intrigue." So true!

Twist is PACKED with interesting and beautiful yarn!

The owner, Cathy, was very helpful, charming and gave us an wonderful explanation of the uniqueness of their yarns. Cathy has a terrific selection of high-quality accessories, buttons, bags and more. Twist is truly an inspiring shop. We spent lots of time and money at Twist, but it was totally worth it!! I just became a member of Twist's group on Ravelry! Hi, my name is Ellen and I'm a Twistaholic!

Handmaiden's "Sea Silk" @ Twist - Yummmmmm!

After tearing ourselves away from this perfect, tiny yarn shop, Beth and I drove a few miles to Main St., downtown El Segundo. If you've never been to this little area, you should definitely visit. This area of El Segundo is a real throwback to small town, USA. There are some cute little restaurants, lots of shops and The Slipt Stitch yarn shop on Main St. We had a nice lunch at the Main Street Cafe and then walked over to The Slipt Stitch. This shop is the sister store to Yarns Unlimited in Santa Monica. Similar yarns are in both shops, many national brands. They have high-end and low-end yarns.

Beth, shopping at The Slipt Stitch

Slipt Stitch is organized and almost spacious for a yarn shop! They have classes and lots of books and accessories. The owner, Patricia is very nice. Naturally, we had to purchase a few items here too.
Our last drive-by was in nearby Westchester. We almost got out of the car after driving by Needlepoints West, but we were both yarned-out for the day. We'll save this little shop for another field trip day.
Thanks for indulging me on an uneeded yarn crawl, Beth Doll!

L-R: Grandpa Lawrence, Uncle Mort, Dad, Uncle Hi
and Little Kenny Bloom, Hollywood 1950
On Saturday, Larry and I drove to San Diego with Mom and Hal for my Aunt Betty's and Uncle Hi's 60th wedding anniversary. We met up with cousins and friends at a Chinese Restaurant near Point Loma, San Diego.
Aunt Betty and Uncle Hi were married in 1950 in my grandparents house in Hollywood. Of course, I wasn't there, but my older brother, Ken was in attendance. Above is a photo of all the men in the Bloom family, at the wedding.
The party was very nice....lots of Betty's and Hi's friends from San Diego and from L.A. Since it was one day from Chinese New Year, my cousin Sasha arranged for Chinese Dragon performers and musicians to come thru the party. That really livened things up with all those 80 and 90-year-olds in attendance!! I tried to get a clear picture of the dragon performers, but they were moving so fast and the light was low, so I couldn't quite get them.We had delicious little square cupcakes for dessertThis is my favorite picture of the evening.
Mom and Hal, so interested and involved!
Even with all that driving and traffic, it was a wonderful evening. We had a good time. Happy anniversary Aunt Betty and Uncle Hi!

King Larry (not to be confused with Larry King!) and Sleepy Queen Ell,
Mardi Gras 2010
Yeah, you right! Mardi Gras at the Original Farmers Market over the weekend was super fun! The Market is having another band, Eddie Baytos and the Nervis Bros. TONIGHT too! Fat Tuesday is a special day for us. It's the day Larry and I got married 18 years ago! The date of Mardi Gras changes every year, so we celebrate on Fat Tuesday and on our "real" anniversary, March 3rd.
I caught a bit of Lisa Haley and her Zydecats set. They are always fantastic.
Skip Edwards on accordion and Lisa Haley on fiddle

The most fun was checking out everyone's Mardi Gras costumes, hats and finery at the Market.
A Mexican wrestling mask says "Mardi Gras" to me!Catching Beads from the BalconyNot sure what a Skunk Hat says about Mardi Gras
Yes, we all passed a mighty fine time at the Mardi Gras! Laissez les bons temps rouler! Let the good times roll, baby!
I'm on vacation this week. Later today I'll be preparing a bread pudding with whisky sauce for yet another celebration!

Every year Larry and I make Valentine cards for each other. We don't exchange gifts. We don't usually go out to a fancy dinner. It really is a commercial holiday, so we try to turn it into an art project, professing our love and admiration for each other.
Yesterday, we lounged around the house all morning, reading the Sunday paper, having breakfast until it was time to leave for the Original Farmers Market Mardi Gras (pictures tomorrow). We traded Valentine cards. I love both cards!!! Hope you all had a fantastic Valentine's Day celebration.Larry's heart "tatoo" says, Ellen. The fleur di lis is over the heart and a happy face below the heart. Larry and I met in New Orleans and got married on Fat Tuesday, so the symbols of that fair City are near and dear to our hearts.
I crocheted the background in blue and chained a little red heart with a pink crochet hook piercing the heart. The script at the top of the card is in "yarn" font. The sentiment "Some love lasts a lifetime. True love lasts forever! Acrylic yarn will survive us all!"
Happy Lincoln's and Washington's b-day too, y'all!

Thursday night's SoCal Connected hosted by Val Zavala led with Judy Muller's report on LA's budget crisis. Jack Humphreville and Ron Kaye provided the community voices. Here's the video:

 

 

 

After seeing last night's opening ceremonies to the 2010 Olympic Games, I LOVE the U.S. ski hat by Ralph Lauren! I think someone had better come up with the pattern on Ravelry, so we can all knit one....soon!!!!
Happy weekend!

Vintage Photo Friday, Valentine style... Interior view of an unidentified flower shop located in Hollywood, 1940. Photo courtesy L.A. Public Library Archives
Helen Jean Leonard and Geraldine Leisure are seen sitting on a table surrounded by Valentine's Day crafts made by the children of Echo Park playground, 1927Photo courtesy L.A. Public Library Archives
Last night our West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch group celebrated an early Valentine's Day with a yarny love-fest! Our cruise director, Natalie, organized a Valentine Scarf and Cowl swap. We were given about two weeks to complete our project. When signing up we had to state if we had any fiber allergies and two or three of our favorite colors. The default colors were pink or red in honor of Valentine’s Day. Natalie sent us our swap partner’s name on Friday January 29th. Many of us included other little goodies in our gift bags....candy, small accessories, etc. It was so great to actually know who we were knitting or crocheting for, along with their likes and dislikes. Everyone seemed really pleased with their gifties! I know I am!! Thanks, Lauren!

I tried to take everyone's photo, but managed to miss a few. Sorry! We have the BEST GROUP in Los Angeles!!! Have a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration and a great weekend!

It's a constant show outside our office windows. Yesterday morning it was pouring rain, gray and dreary. Later in the afternoon, the sun came out, but the rain clouds obscured the hills. I particularly like the sun shining on the reflective surfaces of the office buildings in Westwood and Century City. Today, I can see snow on the hills, the sky has puffy gray and white clouds, it's cool and lovely. I do love Los Angeles. The big excitement here today is that the Frysmith Truck will be in Santa Monica at lunchtime. Big whoop.
All photos taken from the balcony @ 2500 Broadway, Santa Monica