Chilly weather

True, the weather here has been cold and damp. Evidenced by this sudden hail storm with round chunks of ice, some almost the size of golf balls, pummeling the ground. But when I get pictures like the one below, from my son in law, pictures of true winter in Anchorage, I am very glad to be back in "Cally", my grandson Jack's favorite word for Sunny California.

This is the frozen mouth of Ressurection Creek, around 50 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska.

Table Runner

I was pleased with the way my daughters table runner turned out. I made it while I was in Anchorage for the holidays. Zaynab opened her studio space for us to felt, and we had the pleasure of working together. It was a great day, enhanced even further with a break in the middle for lunch at Sacks.

Eating and Knitting

I had the yummiest lunch today at Ranchos in North Park I love authentic Mexican food, and this place is good! It also has a very charming ambiance. Usually when I eat alone I bring a book, but since its close to the holidays I'm grabbing all the gift knitting time I can. So, as I waited for my chicken sope and blue corn avocado enchilada, I knitted away.

I carry my knitting in a little bag I made from an up-cycled felted wool argyle sweater. I always get comments on this little bag, and today was no exception. A well felted wool sweater can be cut and sewn in so many ways. When I go to Anchorage, Alaska to visit my kids I love to prowl through the thrift stores in search of old wool sweaters. Southern California is not the place to find such things, but the wool ground is fertile in Anchorage.

Felting Below Zero

I didn't have my blog when I was in Anchorage, Alaska in January.  But I do now so I'll talk about the wonderful Nuno Felt Workshop I taught at the Knitting Grounds .  Last year my dear friend Zaynab urged me to teach a workshop at her beautiful shop. This January was my second time teaching in Anchorage, and I love it.  Here I am with my terrific students who all had a wonderful time in our workshop which I dubbed, "Felting Below Zero"! The knit shop was a warm and cozy retreat from the below zero temps that persisted the whole time I was in Anchorage.  I lived in Anchorage for 15 years and can't remember a winter when we had below zero temps for weeks on end.

But summer in Anchorage is the best, and we are working on a Nuno Felt workshop/retreat in Hope , a charming old gold mining town just outside of Anchorage, this summer.  My daughter and son in law have a sweet cabin in Hope where they spend as much free time as they can, so I can combine my two loves, family and felting in one Alaskan weekend.    I'll keep you posted on those developments.

As for workshops in the immediate future:  I have two 2 day workshops planned to be held in my San Diego studio,  March 22 & 23, and April 2 & 3.  I will also be doing one in Phoenix the weekend of March 28 & 29.  For anyone interested, just email me hilltopbeader@cox.net