friday was my birthday and i had some really good fun.

the cutest, funniest husband ever made me a delicious dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese.  he used the recipe from a local restaurant, the icon grille.  everything should have molten cheese sauce on it!

the next day, jess and i headed up to bellingham to continue the celebration.  we both got our bachelors at western and have some great (and some crazy, embarrassing!) memories of the place.

first stop, casa que pasa for the most delish burritos in the northwest.  i love the potatoe; jess likes the rancho.  we both crave these on a regular basis and try to make a trip to bellingham once every six months or so to get our fix.  pan friend potatoe cubes with beans, cheese, and an amazing sauce.  to die for i tell you.

we also did a little shopping.  our main stop was texture.  we both have at least three of the awesome comfy skirts handmade with organic fibers from texture.  they are so comfortable and cute.  i picked up a black one for winter.  although they are based in bellingham, texture has a booth at the ballard farmer’s market pretty much every weekend.

to keep it crafty, i picked up a couple knitting books at village books:  itty bitty toys by susan b. anderson and the knitter’s book of wool by clara parkes.  i can’t wait to crack into them.

then we hit up tony’s coffee to get our fix for the trip back home.

it was such a fun day.  i still love bellingham.  birthday’s are the best!  i do, however, have a wicked food hangover from all the mac and cheese and giant burrito.  oh well, i guess you only turn 35 once.  yikes!

i’ve been neglecting my blog in lieu of gym and/or knitting time.  two things i very much need right now, but the wips and fos are backing up.

my knitting buddies over on the sundara yarn love group on ravelry just finished up a lace kacal.  we coined this activity as a kacal, “knit and crochet a long” as to not neglect our crocheting counterparts.  we had so much fun and so many finished beautiful, inspiring projects.  the encouragement of the kacal got me to finally complete my moon dance stole.

(Ravel It!)
Pattern:  Moon Dance Stole by Pink Lemon Twist
Yarn:  Sundara Silk Lace in Black over Fuchsia
Needles:  US 4 Bryspun Flex circs

this project took a really long time to complete.  i think i cast on way back in february.  the actual knitting time wasn’t too bad.  i just never focused on it exclusively; knitting a few rows a week until it was finally done.  honestly, i don’t have much to say about it.  it is one of those projects that i worked on for so long i’m kind of over it.

i also have a couple of new lace wips.  they both may take me just as long as the moon dance to complete.

cleopatra wrap by mariam felton from sensual knits in sundara silk crushed cherries colourway

peacock feather and tail scarf by nancy bush from (her fabulous new book) knitted lace of estonia in sundara sock colourway morning mimosa

both really great projects, but i’m going to save the details for another later post.;)

i’m back from my trip to los angeles, where i visted my sister, jess, and I finally have moment to blog about it a bit. we had a great time. i loved the heat, and the area she lives in is really nice. a pretty townhouse complex with lots of good stuff within walking distance. we did a lot of different things – got pedicures, saw the “sex in the city” movie, took some field trips, and hung out at the pool.

we made it out to malibu and hung out at the beach for a bit. it was a little hazy that day, but still really nice and, of course, i managed to get a wee sun burn. the following day we went to the griffith observatory.

lots of great views of los angeles from the observatory and a really cool looking building as well.

during our hang out time, i did some actual, factual reading. i’ve not been very good about reading the last few years as i spend most of my free time knitting. but i managed to work my way through “the other boleyn girl” (hence the title of this post) during the course of the trip. it was so good. i loved reading about all the craziness, gluttony, and scandal! i’m hoping maybe i’ve got my read back on and i’ll be on the hunt for another historical fiction type book in the next few days.