Laowai

Brian and I are going to a wedding soon and I so I decided to try making a dress. 

Here's my inspiration:

I had to keep it simple and doable so I hacked a pattern that I know fits well – the Bistro Dress. I just lengthened the skirt part and added a walking vent from the Extra Sharp Pencil skirt pattern. Here's one of my previous Bistro Dresses:

And I chose some velveteen – a fabric that is a bit more formal than what I'm used to but still a solid woven that is not hard to sew. I chose Robert Kaufman Lush Velveteen

So here it is:

Mixed feelings looking at myself but I'll wear it and maybe my favorite accessory (my husband) will improve the look.

Ok here's my last batch of photos from our vacation. First up a couple photos from the place where we stayed – it's called Asilomar. It's a hotel/conference place that started out as a girls camp in 1913. Several of its building were built by the remarkable early woman-architect Julia Morgan. The buildings are beautiful examples of the Arts and Crafts movement. And, as is becoming more and more clear, I am drawn to big beautiful rustic lodges. I can't get enough. 

Asilomar is now a State Park that includes a beautiful restored dune and a big beach. So we had a sunset pizza picnic and there was plenty of time for Bea to check out the tide pools. 

On our last full day I took a long walk along the beach while Brian went for a long bike ride up into the hills.

Later, while Brian was still biking, I convinced the girls to drive along the famous 17-mile drive. We paid our $11.25 to drive by big houses and famous golf courses. The ocean views and the seals that we saw made the fee worth it.

On our final day, before flying out, we spent a little time walking around San Fransisco and we did an escape room (Bea loves 'em).

We also stopped for a quick hike to stretch our leges and see some more amazing redwoods. 

Thanks California – you are so friendly and pretty!

For the next part of our vacation we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey Bay is a special place because the ocean is super deep and full of life there. And the Aquarium is great because it's all about the amazing spot where it sits. It tells the story of the cannery industry that it was built on as well at the great plants and creatures that are hanging out just beyond the wharf. 

Bea really enjoyed the aquarium and she took a million photos.

I have to say! The ocean is so full of strange surprising things – for example the photo below – that is a real live fish doing what it does. It plants itself in the sand at night; and by day it swims around like a normal fish.

We've been to this aquarium once before. Times have changed!

We spent Spring break in California and I feel like it was our first real family vacation since the pandemic started. 

It didn't start off great. We were delayed at O'hare for eight hours! Uhg – not fun but we did make it and the next morning we went for a hike on the coast of Monterey Bay.

Oh it was so windy and it felt so nice!

After exploring along the coast we hiked into a little canyon and had lunch under some massive redwood trees. How lovely to see a different kind of forest with all the different little leaves and textures and colors. And it smelled so good too! Herby and sweet with a salty mist near the sea. 

Back at our hotel that evening I could hear the ocean waves from bed – what a treat. I have lots more photos. I guess you can tell how much fun I'm having by the number of photos I take to remember the moments.

I recently tried double knitting and it almost broke my brain.

Double knitting is when you knit the front and back of a project at once. You end up with a piece that doesn't have a back side but instead has two images in opposite colors on each side. A clever technique but it was hard. I made a mug rug – it looks like a kindergartener made it (sorry kindergarteners).

Or when Brian is away – here is a random collection of things the mice got up to.

Comparing brands of eggs.

Accessorizing the mixer. Still don't know which of my daughters did this.

Ate a strawberry candy.

Went to the Chicago Botanic Garden orchid show.

Went to the pet store to buy fish supplies… not a white rabbit.

Since it's March in the Midwest we've had some cold days and some warm days. 

On one of the warm days Claire washed her bike.

Started sewing a velveteen dress.

Put something green on the windowsill while it's still brown outside.

Tried to figure out a new knitting technique.

Bea may have accidentally broken the glass panel on our back storm door. And then replacing the window turned into a full on refurbishment of the whole door. Projects get out of control and the basement is covered in dust. Uhg.

Since I finished knitting my sweater I treated myself to some new yarn for a new sweater. Here's the color inspiration.

Here's the new yarn – eeek! So excited!

Got some nice packaging in the mail.

And watched some Jeopardy.

Brian is returning, today, from a three week trip to Europe. The meetings he had to attend were supposed to be spread out over many weeks but because of covid they kept getting canceled. So then they had to be schedule one right after the other and Brian ended up on a grand tour of Europe. London, Lausanne, Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan and an airport connection through Frankfurt – I think that's everything. It was quite a trip. Here are a bunch of photos he sent to me.

He got some good photos didn't he. And no ugly airport hotels! 

While he was gone my knitting took up residence on his side of the bed. I have the (bad) habit of staying up too late, watching movies and knitting when he is away. The girls and I have been missing him more and more each day that he is gone. Three weeks is too long. We're going to smother him with attention when he gets home.

I finished two projects this week. One took a few hours and on took a few months.

The quick project was a Verdun T-Shirt from Liesl and Co. My third time making this pattern. This time I modified the neckline to a v-neck. I had just enough of this Liberty Lawn fabric – hardly a millimeter to spare. Ooh and it was 68° today – look at me – not even shivering outside.

My long term project, which I started in in December, is my first knitted sweater. The pattern is called the Winterfell Cardigan. It's far from perfect but I learned so much from making it. I love the way knit projects feel like they are slowly growing as you work on them. And I can't wait to start my next sweater.

Bea sent this photo yesterday – she's been dissecting a baby pig and that's the heart. She loves her biology class and has a great teacher. I thought maybe the photo was a love message to me but no, she just wanted to show me her work.