Me Too!

Annika, Natalie and Sara all did this great meme on their blogs. Me too!!! Perfect for a weekend!

1. Favorite Food: Fritos

2. Hometown: Beverly Hills

3. Favorite Color: Rusty Orange

4. Celebrity Crush: Alec Baldwin...he is soooo funny and smart!

5. Favorite Drink: Tart Lemonade

6. Dream Vacation: Carnaby Street, London - 1968

7. Favorite Dessert: Warm Chocolate Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream

8. What I want to Be When I Grow Up: Rich and Thin..oh yeah, happy too

9. Name: Ellen

10. What/Who I Love Most in the World: Larry!

11. One Word Describes Me: Eclectic

12. Username: Ellblo (often heard as "elbow")

You can do this too. Here's how:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search. (Please, go to Advanced Search and choose Creative Commons images only. Otherwise you are stealing.)

b. Pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into this free mosaic maker

Photo Credits:

1. 1985 Fritos bag, 2. The Beverly Hills Hotel, 3. Rusty Orange, 4. Alec Baldwin , 5. Lemonade at Brasa, 6. London - Carnaby Street, 7. Warm Chocolate Cake, 8. "Thin, Rich, and Happy", 9. ellen, 10. Larry - Mardi Gras 2009, 11. Eclectic Crazyland Flyer Ep 42, 12. classic elbow

Modernica - 20th Anniversary

The Eames Shell Chair, Re-Imagined by Artist, Peter Shire

Did Those Crazy Legs!

Last night we missed the WeHo SnB so we could attend the 20th Anniversary celebration at one of our fave furniture and accessories stores, Modernica. Owner, Frank Novak, invited everyone to see new Eames shell chairs re-imagined by artist, Peter Shire and paintings by Amy Shock.

We had a great time visiting with friends and trying out all of the chairs! I love the new legs that Peter designed for the classic mid-20th century modern chair seat. He added slightly rococo curved wooden legs to the plastic molded seats. Brilliant! The wood brings the warmth of early-American design to the cool sleekness of the egg-shaped seats. Some of the chair legs are brown-wood in color and some are painted bright colors. I just love the marriage of the two styles. I'm considering purchasing one for our new bedroom!

After Modernica got too crowded, Larry, Mary Jo, Brit and I walked down the block to El Coyote for a delicious dinner. Yummmm...my fave...#4 combination, chile relleno, taco, rice and beans.

On the yarny front, I'm continuing work on my many projects. Being totally enamoured with the Noro Kureyon two-skein stripey thing, I thought that this method might also work with Patons Soy Wool Stripes yarn. I immediately picked up two skeins of the SWS and proceded to knit that scarf. Not so good. It just wasn't stripey enough. Sooooo, I remembered that this yarn felts really well, so I started to crochet a bag, alternating every row with a different colorway, double crochet stitches, size "I" hook. I'll keep working on this and possibly felt it over the weekend.

Have a good one!

Calendar

If you are lucky enough to have pre-registered for Stitches West in Santa Clara, California, congratulations! This weekend there is a yarn-a-rama-a-go-go happenin' there! I won't be attending this year, but I have in the past and it's a blast! If you can travel up the coast, you may not be able to get into any of the classes, but you can attend the Market! It's awesome!

I have a private knitting party to attend in Burbank on Saturday morning, then I'll be zooming across the City to see my Fairview Knitter friends in Santa Monica in the afternoon.
Also on Saturday, just in case you haven't had enough of Mardi Gras, one of my fave restaurants in this fair City, Uncle Darrow's, is having a Mardi Gras benefit party with music on Saturday! The gumbo at Uncle Darrow's is sublime! AND, if you go you simply must try their shrimp po-boy sandwich!

Esotouric is conducting an interesting tour on Saturday: Tom Waits' LA: Crawling Down Cahuenga.
If you're a fan of mob movies, the "Godfather" trilogy is screening at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, part of the American Cinematheque.
Undiscovered Chinatown is held on the first Saturday of every month: The L.A. Chinatown Business Improvement District offers a monthly trek through the alleyways and courtyards of Chinatown.
This is the final weekend to view the Crocheted Coral Reef at Track 16 Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica. Don't miss it!
Here's an event to sign up for NOW: The Modern Committee of the L.A. Conservancy's tour "City of Seekers: L.A. Spiritual Legacy. From the website: Los Angeles is home to a number of religious sites and organizations, many of which are deeply woven into the city’s history. “City of the Seekers” will celebrate this unique identity and the architecture that embodies it.
The Modern Committee ALWAYS puts on the BEST tours! We are definitely attending this one, even if it means I have to miss some knit groups!
Whatever you decide to do, hope you have a marvy weekend! If you have any other suggestions in and around the City of Los Angeles, please leave them in the "Comments" below!

More Mardi

Joan, Ellen and Wanda in their Mardi Gras Finery

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday. We headed over to the Farmers Market ONCE AGAIN for the final celebration! Eddie Baytos and the Nervis Bros. were performing right in front of the Gumbo Pot Restaurant. We heard more great Mardi Gras songs. There were lots of people....many re-located Lousianans (is that a word?). We met up with Joan....had dinner, heard some tunes, did a little dancin' and that was it. The Festival Season is offcially over! Phew! I'm exhausted.
Over the weekend, in-between celebrations, I managed to start yet another knit project. I reviewed Wendy Bernard's book, "Custom Knits" awhile back. One of the knitters in my Fairview group, Heather, is working on Wendy's "Favorite Cardigan." It really looks great. I decided to cast on with some mystery yarn in my stash. Of course, I'll be making MY version of this cardigan....longer, wider and not off-the-shoulder. We'll see how it turns out.

Mardi Gras Fun

Larry and Ellen - Sunday, February 22, 2009

We passed a good ol' time this weekend at the Original Farmers Market Mardi Gras celebration. We attended both days, heard ton's of great music and saw some very interesting people!
I decided to knit and crochet Larry a new Mardi Gras hat on Saturday. This is my wild, lopsided, Thai-temple-looking design that Larry wore on Sunday! He got lots of compliments!
Here's a slide show of this past weekend's festivities! Bon Ton Roulet!

Santa Monica Pier

The Santa Monica Pier is celebrating it's 100 anniversary this year! We went to a book signing and party on Wednesday night in celebration of this anniversary and to hear about James Harris’ book, Santa Monica Pier: A Century On The Last Great Pleasure Pier. The Carousel was all lit up. There was food, drink, slide shows and lots of people. Of course, the Carousel was working and we all took rides. The highlight of the evening for me was listening to legendary 60's folk singer/songwriter and centennial steering committee honorary co-chair, Joan Baez sing a few songs and mingle with the crowd! It seems that Joan spent some time in and around the Santa Monica Pier in the 1960's. She looks and sounds terrific! She even took a spin on the Carousel with her son, who accompanied her performance. Below are some highlights of the evening.

Thanks to Angel City Press for the party!

Home Front News: Our home construction project is finally getting finished! The hardwood floor is half-done; the deck and stairs are completed. Next project is tile for the bathroom. Woo Hoo!

Hardwood Floor

Stairs and Deck

Have a great weekend. Hope to see you at the Mardi Gras at the Original Farmers Market! Bon Ton Roulet!

Calendar

A Vision in Purple, Green and Gold!

The only item on the calendar for this weekend is the 20th Annual Mardi Gras Festival at the Original Farmers Market! Larry and I have both been attending this celebration for the past 20 years! It is, by far, the BEST Mardi Gras party this side of New Orleans, Louisiana. The music, food, people and decorations are the best! The true spirit of Louisiana is felt throughout the Market. Come on down! Here's the schedule.

I try to knit or crochet a new Mardi Gras hat to wear each year. Below are some of our hats from past years.

The Mardi Party Headband

The Ultimate Crocheted Crown

Granny Goes LaLa

The Mardi Gras Photo King of the Fairfax Delta

Think Pink

I finished my two scarves that I crocheted for donation to "Knit for the Cure." I crocheted for the cure. I will be dropping them off at my LYS today.

The first scarf is made from Araucania Ranco in a pink, purple multi-color. I used a size "I" crochet hook for this basic double crochet and fan stitch scarf, crocheted length-wise. It's light, airy and easy to wear. I like it so much that I'll probably crochet one for me.

The second scarf is the FAN-tastic scarf, adapted from Crochet-Roo's bookmark pattern. Thanks to Natalie for donating the yarn at a recent WeHo SnB yarn swap. It's Plymouth Encore yarn in a beautiful hot pink color, size "K" crochet hook.

The deadline to turn in your pink items is Saturday, March 7th. You don't have to make a scarf and it doesn't have to be entirely pink. You can knit or crochet a hat, hand-warmers, cowl, mittens, anything at all! The Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research is a wonderful organization that I hope you'll all support.

Love-Fest @ Lu's

It was a packed house!

Oh yeah...it was a Love-Fest, Housewarming and Class Reunion all rolled into one on Valentine's Night. Larry and I were two of the 200 people invited over to Lucinda Williams' and her fiance, Tom Overby's house on Saturday for a celebration. We hadn't seen Lu in years, but we've both known her for over 20 years. She lived in LA for a long time, before relocating to Austin, then Nashville. She and her b.f., Tom have finally decided that L.A. is home. They bought a lovely mid-century ranch style home in the hills and have settled down.

It was so nice to see all of our ol' roots music friends! Since Larry and I have been married, we haven't gone out clubbing as much as we used to when we were single and dating. As a result, we haven't really seen many of our music-oriented friends. It was just like old times. Once you have a good friend, no matter if you're not in contact for awhile, that friend is still gold. We all picked right up where we left off and had a great time.

Lucinda and Tom are wonderful hosts. They had a yummy taco and quesadilla table catered by El Cholo, margaritas, wine, beer and soft-drinks. The angels smiled on us all by not raining! Many people were able to party out on the deck and enjoy the view of the City. We all brought housewarming gifts. My favorite....a jumbo collection of t.p. (see below). It's the perfect house gift that everyone can use!

The Perfect Housewarming Gift!

Sorry for the fuzzy photos, but I didn't want to use my flash and we were having too much fun to really document this party. Now that we have the internet and everyone has a website, I hope to see my music friends more often!

Ellen and Lucinda

Thanks for a great party, Lu and Tom! To see more fuzzy pix, click here.

SWEET Valentine

Luckily, we avoided rain on Saturday for a chilly, but clear Valentine's Day and night. The rainstorm is here now...on President's Day. On Saturday, after my morning WeHo SnB at the Original Farmers Market and before my late afternoon SnB with the Fairview Knitters, Larry and I had Valentine's Day lunch at one of our favorite places in L.A., the Normandie Bakery on Jefferson Blvd. and Cochran St. It's in an industrial section of town. I've written about this place before. It's a hidden little gem.You'd never expect to see a French bakery on this desolate stretch of Jefferson Blvd. They've recently added a cozy canopy over the sidewalk tables to protect diners from the cold. Many restaurants all over the City get their French bread, pate' and pastries from the Normandie. Everything is freshly baked and they serve breakfast and lunch 6 days a week.
We had the most delicious, fluffy (and reasonably priced) omelettes for lunch! Check out the gorgeous Valentine tarts! Hmmmmm!

More about our Valentine adventures tomorrow. Hope your's was fun!

For the Cure

2009 Crochet for the Cure Scarf - Araucania Ranco, Size "I" Hook

Knit and/or Crochet for the Cure is collecting pink items now for their push for women's cancer research. You can read all the details here.

I usually crochet for the cure. Last year I crocheted a FAN-tastic scarf using Patons Soy Wool Stripes. Many stores in the Los Angeles area are collecting items for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

2008 - Crochet for the Cure FAN-tastic Scarf

This year I'm crocheting a very lacy scarf using some leftover Araucania Ranco in shades of pink. I'm almost finished. I'll block it this weekend then deliver it for donation. The race for this worthy charity is March 15th and starts near the Pasadena Rose Bowl. There will be a booth set up so that you can purchase all of the pink knitted and crocheted items to further the cause. What are you knitting or crocheting for the cure?

Weekend Calendar

Just in case you didn't know, this Saturday is St. Valentine's Day. Yes, it's an over-publicized, commercial holiday. Instead of going with the crowd and spending tons of money on an expensive dinner, let's celebrate in our own cost-cutting way in the City of Los Angeles!
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so on Saturday, I'll will be knitting with my girlfriends....without my true love, Mr. Larry. I'll be at the WeHo SnB Once-a-Month-Saturday Farmers Market meeting from 10am to noon, 3rd and Fairfax, upstairs dining area. At 3:30 I'll be at the Fairview Knitters group, 3:30-5:30, 21st & Ocean Park, Santa Monica. Finally, Larry and I will reunite for a nice bowl of soup in our romantic breakfast nook, at home. This will be a small repast to tide us over before we go out.
We've been invited to a Valentine's/House Warming party. Our long-time friend, Lucinda, has finally decided to plant roots in L.A., instead of Nashville or Austin. She's invited many of the roots-music community to her new house in celebration. It should be fun to see all of my ol' music friends. Larry is delighted that we're NOT going to an expensive, bad restaurant for V-Day!
There are tons of other options for this weekend. The Autry Museum in Griffith Park is having a workshop called, Let’s Make History at Griffith Park! Old-Fashioned Cross-Stitch Samplers,1–2:30 pm (free with museum admission). Celebrate Valentine's Day pioneer-style with a heart-shaped cross-stitch sampler to keep or give to your favorite Valentine. If I wasn't headed over to Santa Monica, I'd definitely check out that event. It sounds like great fiber fun!

The American Cinematheque is showing a few romantically themed movies this weekend, at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica.

Burt Lancaster & Deborah Kerr in "From Here to Eternity"
@ The Aero Theater

Many of us will be celebrating President's Day on Monday....three-day weekend! Woo Hoo! I am kinda' sad that they lumped Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays into one holiday. When I was a kid we used to get each of their birthdays off from school. Sigh. It's a free day for us. Not sure what we'll be doing. How 'bout you?

Beard Heads

Lumberjack, Grandpa and Viking

My friend, Stuart sent me a link to this interesting cold-weather hat...it's called a Beard Head Knit Cap. Here's the description from the website:

"We currently have four different color styles of Beard Heads: Viking Edition (Yellow), Lumberjack Edition (Brown), Grandpa Edition (Grey), and Pirate Edition (Black).

Imagine seeing these guys coming at you in a dark alley!

All caps are 30% wool, 70% acrylic, one size fits (almost) all, and machine washable.
The Lumberjack Edition of Beard Head is perfect for those who wish to endure the frosty snow of the slopes much like the hearty lumberjacks have to endure the chilling temperatures of the Pacific Northwest!! Feel the power coursing through your grizzly beard as you brave the outdoors, confident your face will remain as toasty warm as even the toughest lumberjacks!"

Pirate Beard Head

Oh! If only it was really cold here in Los Angeles, I'd make a bunch of these! I'm expecting the pattern to show up on Ravelry soon. Time to start designing the Bearded Lady Hat!

Party Day

Birthday Brunch @ Brit's

Sunday was party day. I started off with a beautiful brunch at Brit's house in Franklin Hills to celebrate her birthday. Brit's friend, Denise catered the brunch...it was totally divine! Her friend, Debra made a beautiful and delicious birthday cake. There were presents, food, laughter, wonderful people and the rain even stopped for a bit. It was a fun party! There are more photos here.

While Brit's party was still goin' on, I had to zoom over to Atwater for a MadHatter's Tea Party at Claire's and Tom's house.

Claire

Tom

This was an interesting party. Of course, there was tea, cake, cookies, champagne and caviar. We all wore hats. Even though it's winter, I wore my flowered bucket hat. It was well-received.

The hat above, owned by Claire, is made from plastic "straw." The flowers on top are made from recycled plastic bags! I love this hat!

During the party, we all switched around hats. I must say, it was quite a photo opportunity. My favorite hat of the day was this felted hat, part of Tom's and Claire's hat collection, modeled by Larry:

All in all, it was a fun, but exhausting day! How was your weekend?