#1 Visit Alaska or Hawaii.

Visiting Alaska has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and now I've finally been.  It is quite the amazing state, incredible beauty wherever you go (at least from Homer to Talkeetna which is where we were) and as much wildlife as you could hope for.  We went for 9 days, but with 20 hours of daylight it felt like 18.  I can honestly say it was one of the best vacations of my life and I'm looking forward to the next time I return.

Fall is a comin'

Getting ready for fall with my first cold weather accessory; a crocheted infinity scarf!  I used this simple tutorial  and then tweaked it a bit by going through back loops for every other row.  This made the vertical lines a little more prominent though only on one side.  It's big, chunky, and only took me one movie, yay me!  The pattern is crazy easy so it's great for any skill level.

You can never make just ONE scarf so I've started a Pinterest board for knit/crochet scarves and cowls all with patterns.  Below are some of my first pins, clicking the picture will take you to the original website straight to the pattern.  Cheers!

1.) A Spoonful of Sugar   2.) the Purl bee   3.) Shibui   4.) JennOzkan.com   5.) jimmy beans wool

#12 complete an embroidery project

The summer has been a blur and September will be here soon.  I've checked a few things off of my '26 before 27' list but have fallen drastically behind on my goal to read 52 books this year.  C'est la vie.  Today I am happy to cross #12 off my list, complete an embroidery project!  There are many embroidery samplers to help you learn such as this adorable Princess and the Pea Sampler.  My frugal self decided to go for the more basic (and free) approach of practicing stitches that I found on the web in lines.

What did I learn?  I'm really bad at french knots, I can't make them stick, they'll have to wait for a rainy day and with fall in Seattle approaching I predict a short wait.

I decided to move on to some doodle embroidery with back stitches so I interpreted  'B is for Basil' from Edward Gorey's Gashlygrumb Tinies into a hoop,

then I moved on and free handed this cute pin,

but my favorite is my pillow.  The pillow case was sewn from linen, then I drew a whale on with a water soluble pencil and proceeded to stitch.

I am satisfied that I have completed my goal . . . for now.  I'll continue to work on my embroidery and master the french knot, stay tuned.

Salad Bar

Our new salad bar.  Easy to set up and a nice way to add some interest to a fence.  Bloomsdale spinach, Buttercrunch , Forellenschluss (Flashy Trout's Back), and Deer Tongue reside in these gutters.  I can't wait to pick a mixed green salad ♥

#17 - Eat a Raw Oyster

#17 of my list of 26 before 27:  Eat a Raw Oyster

It's really quite unbelievable that I have not enjoyed a raw oyster until now.  I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay in a small town whose lifestyle revolves around the water and everything in/on it.  Whether taking a boat out for the day, having a crab pickin' or going to work on it, the Bay was a way of life for most people in my community.  So why in the world had I never had an oyster?  The answer escapes me but I have since remedied the situation!  Of course this was a west coast oyster so I'll have to reset my goal next time I visit back east and have a Bay oyster.

Mid February a friend was in town and we took our first Seattle ferry ride out to Bainbridge Island.  The trip was lovely and it seemed like sightseeing instead of a mode of transportation (I'm sure commuters have a different view on this matter).  Once there we went to the tasting rooms of a few Bainbridge wineries before heading to dinner at Hitchcock's.  Hitchcock's philosophy is localism, their service friendly and food superb.  Fresh raw oysters were on the menu a la cart and since I had recently compiled my bucket list I went for it.  I'm glad I got over my fear because it was delicious and I am looking forward to hitting up an oyster bar to try different varieties!  We went on with our meal where I tried pork belly for the first time which melted in my mouth and continued on to clams and giant octopus.  I wish I had written this sooner so that I could be descriptive but after 3 months all I can say is that everything was delicious and in the end our plates were clean.

In Seattle, on a ferry, with Starbucks coffee, could we be any more stereotypical?

Leaving Seattle in our wake.

It was gloomy downtown but sunny on Bainbridge, go figure.

Oysters!

Clean plates, the food was great.

I recommend coming in at night sometime on a ferry, it's quite stunning, this picture does not do it justice.

Sending Love in a Basket

Everyone loves a care package, me included, so when my friend sent me one a couple months back I knew I must reciprocate.  We are able to stalk practically everyone in our lives now through a multitude of social networks and find out all sorts of information.  Through the young but wildly popular Pinterest we are able to view peoples tastes, inspiration, ideas and more importantly for my current purpose, wish lists.  That is where I found the idea for the first item(s) in my care package.  My friend pinned a crochet basket and since she herself is not a crocheter I decided to step in a make her some!

I varied the pattern slightly by making them bi-colored and I didn't quite follow the row count but I did use the type of yarn that was suggested, Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick.  The end results are surprisingly sturdy yarn baskets.  The light blue basket used two full skeins, the purple used one, and the dark blue <1.  One skein of white was more than enough for all three.  I would have preferred the middle one to be a bit taller so that the proportional differences would be the same but I had only one skein available so I worked with what I had.  They nest nicely as each basket is a spiral row less/more then the one beside it.


I'll let my lovely Kansan friend decide what will dwell in her baskets but here's a few ideas.  Thank you Crochet in Color for a lovely pattern!

Bonsai; bōn-ˈsī

Bonsai; bōn-ˈsī: a potted plant (as a tree) dwarfed (as by pruning) and trained to an artistic shape; also : the art of growing such a plant  Merriam-Webster Definition

This Sunday I developed a much greater appreciation for the art of bonsai on our visit to the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection located south of Seattle in Federal Way, WA.  We spent over an hour with our wonderful guide Scarlett who was kind enough to answer the questions of our small group of 3 on a cold day where toes freeze and noses run.  The collection is breathtaking and each tree, grove and forest has a story.  We learned many interesting facts about these pieces of art and nature.  For example, each bonsai has a date of origin and the date they became a bonsai.  A tree becomes a bonsai when the artist begins its manipulation, this can be a seedling they sprouted themselves or a tree that has been growing in the wild.  Some of the trees are decades old before they become bonsai.  The photos below taken with my broken camera and frozen fingers don't do these living pieces of art justice but they'll give you an idea.

Trident Maple Acer buergerianum                            

Shimpaku Juniper Juniperus chinensis var. sargentii

Japanese Beech Fagus crenata

Formosan Juniper Juniperus formosana

Note the dead white wood and the live brown wood.  This technique was displayed several times and the results are beautiful. 

Catlin Elm Ulmus parvifolia

Coast Redwood Sequoia sempervirens
Our friend Blake standing next to a redwood bonsai! (I want one)

We will be going back in a few months when flowers are blooming and in the fall when the leaves change color, I can't wait!  We were told that only half of their collection is on display at any one time so there may even be some different trees.  I'll go ahead and say this is one of the best things I've seen on our recent travels.  My love for trees drives my desire to have one in my house.  Maybe if I start now I'll be able to successfully raise, train and care for a bonsai by the time I retire.  This hobby would take a lot of commitment.