i visited my mom for a few days last week for mother's day. she was out of town last sunday so we had our time together a few days later than the actual date. and, of course, we headed over to the new yarn store where she lives. i love this little place called Knitique (they don't have a website!). while there i saw the new greetings from knit cafe book and love it! i need to set up a wishlist so i can put this on there.

music i'm listening to

had to delete this post as it was messing up the my blog. i went to our local music store (amoeba) and heard some fun stuff. but, do you think i can remember what i listened too???

SP8

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I love bamboo and soy silk. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I do not like any really scatchy wools.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I don't use anything in particular. I probably could use something to help me organize my needles...

3. How long have you been knitting? I've been knitting for about 3 years. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Intermediate

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I am making a wish list and will post more details later.

5. What's your favorite scent? lemon, vanilla

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes! I don't particularly like candy. But I love chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? I love to sew. Do you spin? No.

8. What kind of music do you like? I'm into Matisyahu, Old Crow Medicine Show, Stars, Kings of Convenience. Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? Yes.

9. What's your favorite color? I love greys and light pinks and purples. Really natural looking.

10. What is your family situation? Married with a cat.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Hats

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Quick items. :)

13. What are you knitting right now? A basket to be felted.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Both. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Bamboo and plastic.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No.

17. How did you learn to knit? Taking a class.

18. How old is your oldest UFO? 2 months.

19. What is your favorite holiday? Valentine's Day.

20. Is there anything that you collect? Vintage fabric and union buttons.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to master lace.

23. Are you a sock knitter? No; I did not have fun making my first pair of socks a couple of months ago. What are your foot measurements? I wear a 7.5 shoe.

24. When is your birthday? 11/21

i've come to the realization that i, alone, cannot possibly knit all the yarn i have. so it's time to see if these skeins could have a life with someone else. visit my de-stashing page at tickled yarn.

i meant to post this earlier. b and i went to mt tamalpais on sunday and had a wonderful morning. this was the view looking towards the city at the end of our hike.

sunny day

mom came to the city today to visit. we spent most of the day in golden gate park and at the conservatory of flowers and then had lunch at my favorite restaurant: cafe gratitude. i had the best pad thai with noodles made of celery root! these are the gifties my mom brought for me. roses from her blossoming garden and artichokes from her friend.

10 states sue EPA

herr herzog

last night b and i went to see an evening with werner herzog as a part of the san francisco internation film festival. there was a showing of clips from his career (not all or we would've been there all night!), then a film critic intervied him and then the showing of his latest film, the wild blue yonder. werner herzog is hilarious. all night, joke after joke. this was one of the best events i've been to in a long time. the emcee said it looked like more people came to see werner than robert altman! my favorite part was at the end of the audience q&a when an older man got up to the microphone and asked him whether or not he'd recived the screenplay the man had sent "herr herzog" via e-mail and would he consider directing it! ha! and he was totally serious. but i will say that werner herzog did an amazing job answering the question. he talked about how he normally writes his own scripts for the films he makes. he loves everything about filmaking: directing, producing, acting, and especially writing. and then he diplomatically thanked the man.

the movie shown after, wild blue yonder, was not my favorite. although, it had some of the best music i have ever heard. werner explained that before he started anything with the film he got three musicians from around the world together and recorded them playing before ever having rehearsed together. it was haunting and he then made the film around those sounds. you can hear a clip here.

happy day, earth!

i decided to spend 5 days straight walking everywhere. it has now been 6 days. and. i. am. tired. maybe it would be different if we lived in a flat city instead of hilly san francisco. but i suppose it wouldn't be so interesting then. peaks and valleys offer breathtaking views and insights into a place i call home.

tonight we will be going, by foot,--it is earth day you know--to our first film at the SF International Film Festival. we're seeing october 17, 1961 about the massacre of algerian protestors in paris. the next is on wednesday for a discussion of werner herzog.

i am a star of the sleeping world...

Find your own pose!

i guess i'm really in a dishcloth mood. here's a cute one i made yesterday. i call it "swirls."

it's a wonderful day in the neighborhood

i heard a re-run of a 2002 this american life piece on the radio this weekend. found magazine's contributor, davy rothbart, interviews mr. rogers 20 years after meeting him as a child. the whole segment made me smile. mr. rogers, davy, davy's neighbors. it's about neighbors and the connections we have (and don't have). he says, the only way [we] get in contact with neighbors is through conflict. and that shocked me. but i know it's true. there isn't any conflict in the building, so how many of my neighbors do i know?

during the first year in this building (we've been here about a year and a half) i hadn't gotten to know anyone by name. i would see people upon entering and exiting the building and i always smiled and said hello, but that's the extent of the relationship. sometimes it's not even that much if someone's is scowling or listening to music. what kind of neighborhood is this? why don't i know more of these people? because of circumstances (sharing a living space!!!), i should at least know everyone's name.

about a month ago, we received a notice that building management sprung for new windows for the whole building.installation started last week and will continue for the next week or two. during this time, i've met susan--the neighbor to the left of me. our bathrooms are about 5 feet apart; if we opened the windows we could actually talk to (and see!) each other. a little creepy. she says, it's funny we haven't officially met before because with our bathrooms right next to each other, we probably know more about each other than we'd like! ha, that's right; i already knew she had a bird and loves that spirit of '76 song. i also met carl and vanessa--the couple across the hall from me. and then there's paul down the hall--he's the building "manager" but how he manages the building, i'm not quite sure. and then i had a neighbor walk in to my apartment in her pajamas while the door was open--she wanted to see the new windows. i didn't catch her name, but i know she lives in apartment 103 and doesn't work during the day time.
what would mister rogers think?