back in cali

Well, I made it back to California, and now I’m tired and feel like I have too many things to do! Isn’t that the way? Before I blab on about things nobody will find interesting, how about some knitting content? When I was in Portland, I worked on the Pumpkin Fluff sweater. I had bought some Sirdar Snowflake last year, and it has been sitting in my stash, waiting patiently. I thought a little spring pullover might be nice. The stuff is very light and soft, but the gauge is impossible to detect, so it’s kind of a pain. The good thing is you can’t see any mistakes!
pumpkin fluff in progress.jpg
Some reactions I’ve received thus far? Insane brother (who is turning 40 on April 12): “What the hell is that fluffy thing?” Peter: (after laughing) “Why do you have that pocket there? That yarn is too lightweight to support that sort of pocket, and it will be all misshapen. Can’t you get rid of that pocket?”
Speaking of Peter, it’s his spring break this week, but he’s already booked up. Here’s part of our backyard this morning:
wall before.jpg
And a few hours later:
wall after.jpg
Yup, no more stone wall! The earthquake nearly knocked it over, anyway. Now Peter will spend the week digging post holes and building a tall wooden fence.
Other news: I spoke with cancer-fighting Megan yesterday. She sounds great and is not in much pain (ahh, the wonders of morphine). The surgery went well, and she was discharged from the hospital today! I’m going to see her next week when we go up to the Bay Area for a short trip (okay, so Peter has to go to the All-Sail Expo).
And finally, I want to share an amazing discovery Mrs. H and I made: Cadbury Creme Eggs taste better when they are melted! If you leave the big ones in the sun so that they are teetering on the brink of liquidity but are still holding their shape, they are super yummy. The outside shell melds harmoniously with the creme filling to create perfection. Try it and let me know what you think!

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10 Responses to back in cali

  1. Jessica says:

    Welcome home. I hear what you’re saying about not being able to detect gauge. I had the same problem with Homespun making the No-Sweats. At some point you just hold your breath and forge ahead.
    I “treated” myself to two Cadbury eggs last week. I am done for this season. Maybe I’ll try the melty trick next year.

  2. Elaine says:

    I love the fluffy thing, especially the color. Orange is so underrated.

  3. Rachael says:

    OMG, Cadbury Creme Eggs are some of my favorite things in life. Must try this new trick. And say, when you coming north? Any chance it’ll be on Saturday? Come by for knitting?

  4. Em says:

    Cadbury Creme Eggs: not just for Easter anymore. I love the idea of letting them, uh, soften a bit. Must try it.
    Pumpkin Fluff looks beautiful! I don’t get the pocket comment; it looks fine to me. Not like you’re going to be carrying heavy things in it, anyway, right?

  5. marta says:

    ooh! Can Peter come over to my house next? I have a huge yard and this will be the first summer I have to take care of it by myself. The sudden crop of dandelions has me a little scared already. Maybe I should just post “free room and board in Colorado for visitors who will do yard work!” 😀
    I like the pumpkin fluff very much! Looks wonderful to wear.

  6. Heidi says:

    I have always felt that the warmer the chocolate the better it will taste. That’s why when you serve certain desserts you want them to be room-temperature instead of straight out of the fridge. Melty Cadbury eggs sound like a gooey but delicious mess! Yum.

  7. Stella says:

    The orange sweater is awesome! Tell Peter to make his own sweater before he makes another comment like that. The pocket is a design element! Otherwise the sweater would be boring. Oh, and please show us some Japanese knitting designs, ok?

  8. JStrizzy says:

    I want to try the melty egg thing, but I’ve already had one creme egg this year and I don’t think I can stand the sugar of a second. We’ll see.
    So, you’re going to be in the bay area this weekend… I second Rachael’s plea for a visit on Saturday. Come on, all the cool kids will be there!

  9. Kerstin says:

    Some day we will be treated to a photo of the *real* Mariko. Sans teeth. 😉 From one wack job to another!

  10. claudia says:

    Hi Mariko! Go Pumpkin! Yay for C-F Megan!

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