Thanks to Antwan for taking a few minutes at halftime to model the latest baby sock for me. More to come.

Knitting baby socks have been a kind of salvation for me lately. I have managed to finish three pairs in the month of January alone (two pair of these). I have accomplished what I never thought I could way back in 1981: knitting an entire sock from memory – no pattern. The purple socks pictured above are similar to a tree ornament I made several years ago. I actually finished the second sock of the pair in just one day…in between classes.

I might even have enough of the bright yellow yarn used to make the grown up pair to knit a bright yellow mini pair. We shall see.

The latest pair were started from remnants of a colorful yarn that were used for a pair I made Alice about a year ago. The sock sits atop atop my Redhook in progress. That’s five inches of the required k2p2 ribbing knit in Cascade 220 purple heather.

You know I was feeling a little down today because I was stuck home on my first day off and the first dry day in quite sometime. So who should appear to cheer me up but the little Bradster. There is no blue feeling that a five year old can’t cure.

Sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly but it will always materialize if we work for it.

I actually unearthed the Liesel Scarf which I had started almost exactly one year ago. According to Ravelry records, it began life on Jan. 27, 2009. Weird, huh? It was so easy and natural getting back to this pattern even after its long hibernation. Who knows when it was last touched? Everything was tucked neatly inside the drawstring Japanese bag that Max had brought me from Japan nearly 5 years ago.

There are other things going on, trust me. But this is all you get for today’s drive by blog. More to come soon!

Today I would like to wish Alice, who is turning nineteen on the nineteenth, a very happy birthday. It’s hard to believe that 19 years have passed since your birth.  I recently unearthed the photo above which is dated February 14, 1994 but she more closely resembles the recent graduate below. Red seems to be a recurring theme. Happy Birthday baby!

Last Sunday, my sister Liz and I took Dad (aka “Opa”) along with super-boyfriend Kerb to the town of Bolinas on the Northern California coast. I received a tip from someone in Portland who had recently visited and she recommended this place highly. It’s an amazing locale and you really should visit if you ever get the chance.

I couldn’t get over how lush and green it was.

The beach we visited is called Agate Beach which is also home to the Duxbury Reef Reserve and as luck would have it, we arrived at a point of very low tide. There were many people out on this warm January day exploring the tide pools rich with sea life.

Alas, though, no agates to be found this time of year.

I also had the foresight to throw my latest hat in the car, a hat which I am calling the “Explorer Helmut” in honor of my sister’s love of nature and exploration.

Kerb looks a bit perplexed or perhaps askance. Always difficult to read Kerb’s poker face. It was really too warm for this hat which will work nicely on a chilly, snowy day – if I ever experience that again. I dunno. Maybe Ashland.

Bolinas and the surrounding beaches are not far from the city of SF. You can even see Sutro Tower in the distance. This is the view from the Muir Beach overlook down Hwy 1 a few miles.

I can safely say that I am past the hat obsession and well into my newest one: baby socks. Stay tuned.

A few people have asked so I am now posting the pattern for the post holiday slippers from a previous post. You know, the ones I made for my Dad (aka “Opa”). You can download Slipper Pattern 044 as a .pdf file now. The pattern was given to me many, many years ago by Thelma Tolomei and I’m afraid the condition is not the best and it’s a little worse for the wear. But it’s a time tested pattern and has produced untold pairs of slippers.

I also wanted to update everyone on the status of Blaise and Kathy Lee, friends who were missing in the Haiti earthquake. They have turned up in a Miami hospital injured but alive. I received a message from an emergency room nurse at Guatanamo who cared for them before they were transferred to Miami. Here is an excerpt from that message:

I saw your post on the missing list for Haiti…I saw that Blaise is your friend on here..Good news Chris, Blaise is, last I heard in Jackson Hospital in Miami…I can’t give you specifics, but he was treated in our facility in GTMO on the 13th, and sent to Miami same day.

My old friend, Blaise, who was a good sport and modeled some of my knitting themed t-shirts about a year ago, has been living in Haiti with his wife during the past year. Those familiar with Portland may recognize this spot with the blue wall as Rocco’s Pizza. As recently as last Monday, Blaise and I had been in contact via Facebook but since the earthquake, there has been no news. I’m hoping and praying that he and his wife are safe.

After the photo session, we went for coffee. These photos are making me homesick for Portland.

No, Blaise doesn’t actually knit. But like I said, he’s a good sport.

(PS: If you are able to donate to the rescue effort, I urge you to give what you can. Donating to UNICEF via Google is quick, easy and painless.)

These have got to be the ugliest slippers on earth but they were requested by my mother as a Christmas gift for my father. My mother was disappointed when they didn’t materialize on Christmas Eve but hey, what can I say? I didn’t even find the pattern until Christmas Day.

Then I got to work.

I started the slippers on December 28 and they were finished on December 30. They’re so simple that they really don’t need a pattern. I wrapped them up and presented them to Opa who was pleased…I think. Here’s a shot of Opa with his best bud, Tony D.

Tony is from Poland and comes over most Sundays after church to have a drink with Opa. This is about as cheerful as it gets around here. I love Tony because he always says “Hi gorgeous!” every time he sees me.

Today I took Opa to the beach. More on that later.

My new year’s was spent collecting Alice and her belongings and delivering her to SOU where she started classes yesterday. Here’s the college freshman with her new short haircut.

Amid all the packing and loading and visiting and driving we were able to spend a dry 24 hours in lovely Ashland. After moving her into the somewhat gloomy monolith known as Greensprings,

I suggested we stroll the downtown at night.

Everything was beautifully lit up for the holidays and luckily most of the shops were closed so I wasn’t tempted to spend any money. Still, I do enjoy window shopping at night.

I have to say, the town has a theatrical thing for hats. They were everywhere! Well I can’t wait to come back in the summer and check out some plays on the Elizabethan stage. In any case, I’m sure I’ll be returning to Ashland often.

The only knitting that I have to show for myself is a swatch. Yes, a swatch. I actually knit a swatch and I LOVE it.

Although this magnificently purple Cascade 220 was intended for the Monday Morning Cardigan, I have changed my mind. It’s going to be Redhook from the Made In Brooklyn pattern booklet by Jared Flood (aka brooklyntweed.net). I have had great success with Jared’s designs which are simple yet modern and extremely wearable and so I have high hopes for this project. Casting on…now.