Taking The Pledge

Because I want to show my support and solidarity to those that have spoken up on this issue already, I am officially taking the pledge-

"Today I pledge that henceforth, I will only sign contracts that allow me the freedom of determining what happens to my intellectual property after the initial publication."

Like others I will also be writing a note of concern to the folks at Vogue.

Zesty Beret

Maya has been asking me to knit her a beret for a few weeks now....she even picked out the yarn whilst we were still in Scotland. She did originally request one of my patterns but after knitting so many of my own berets recently I needed to move on....so here is Rose Red (by Ysolda) re-interpreted in Lime Green.

I've seen some lovely versions of this floating around cyberspace but after seeing this one I had to cast on immediately!

Another great pattern from Ysolda...lots of fun to knit.... Maya loves it......and gosh it feels good to support other indie designers!
As I write this post and go and get the link for Ysolda's blog I got side-tracked by her latest post....if you care about designers in the knitting world then please go and read.....

Winter Camping Californian Style

( In which Gudrun's Knitting blog is taken over by family photos)!
Camping in January on the Californian coast can mean better weather than in the height of summer and we were not disappointed with what we found at Montana De Oro this weekend.

We were even able to book one of our favourite camping spots at the last minute. A beautiful environmental (hike in, no water) spot that sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean in a small grove of eucalyptus trees.

Montana De Oro is full of trails and dunes and miles of deserted beach. We all couldn't wait to dip our toes (and more) in the Pacific waters.

Yes it was glorious...... but we did have to cut it short as Sage was inflicted with a stomach virus in the middle of the night! So it wasn't all a bed of roses!

Reasons To Be Cheerful

The most obvious being this of course.....

David taking the moment in

...and some more reasons:

.......sunny weather and warm temps for happy kids to play in.....

...fresh orange juice for breakfast.....
and great music to listen to.....
Happy New President everyone!

Linga

I'm back in the West and feeling seasonally confused once again......leaving chilly dark days in Scotland for sunny mid 70's temps in California!
Owing to jet lag I've been up at 5:30 am every morning since being back (and I'm not a morning person)! However being awake in the wee hours has meant that I've finally sorted out the pattern for the Linga beret and I can now offer it for purchase!
(Thanks again to Christy for speedy test knitting)

Here she is:
LINGA

This slouchy beret features a beautiful hexagonal Shetland Lace pattern.
Ling is Scottish for heather and Linga means heather covered island in Shetland.

Finished Size
Diameter across top of beret is 11 inches
Materials
* Approx 210 yrds of DK weight yarn. Shown in Rowan Pure Wool DK ( colour 014) and Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure (Colour 11).
* US#4/3.5mm 16-inch Circular Needle
*US#7/4.5mm 16 inch Circular Needle
*Set of US#7/4.5mm DPN’S
* Stitch Marker
Gauge
21 sts and 28 rows=4 inches in stockinette st on US#7/4.5mm in DK weight.

$4.00

Goodbye Shetland!

This is our last night in Shetland.......we're all packed........the house is clean and tidy ready for my dad's return (he went to see my sister in New Zealand for Xmas)......and I'm feeling pretty emotional!

We got to spend the last few days with dear friends of ours who visited from Edinburgh. Below is their adorable 5 month old baby, Daisy...fitting that I got to get a photo of her in the Hap Shawl I made her back in the hot Fresno summer! It has aready seen heavy usage and actually needed some repair work!

So goodbye from Shetland and see you in a couple of weeks back in California!

Happy 2009!

Our peerie (but much apreciated) firework display at Muckle Bousta.