The Anatomy of a Sandwich

Crocheted Sandwich

I have crocheted my fair share of "food" over the years. I've made cookies, orange slices, felted eggs with bacon, lemons, apples and my crocheted taco that resides in the World Famous Crochet Museum in Joshua Tree, California.

"Oreo" Cookies

Orange Slice Potholder

Felted Eggs, Bacon (courtesy of Natalie), Parsley, crocheted plate

Crocheted Lemon

Crochet Taco, Permanent Collection of Crochet Museum, Joshua Tree, CA

Poison Apple

Last year, for my birthday, my friend, Diane crocheted the most adorable macarons for me. Yes, I LOVE crocheted food!

Crocheted Macarons by Diane

My friend, Audrey is crazy for crocheted food. She requested that I make her a sandwich. I love a new challenge! I found this adorable pattern on Ravelry called "Playtime Sandwich." 

Instead of using crochet cotton, I used acrylic yarn. My bread has some visible, healthy grains in it. Also, instead of Swiss cheese, I decided on good ol' American cheese.

Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato on Whole Grain Bread

The Anatomy of a Sandwich

I do think that this cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwich needs a slice of ham or SPAM, don't you? Time to find that mauve yarn!

Visionary

Bust of A.W. Ross on Wilshire Blvd. @ Curson Ave.

Alvah Warren Ross better known as A.W. Ross (1878-1967) was the visionary realtor that made the stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and La Brea Avenues into the Miracle Mile. There is a statue of A.W. Ross on the corner of Wilshire at Curson. The inscription reads, "A. W. Ross. Founder and Developer of the Miracle Mile. Vision to see. Wisdom to know. Courage to do."

I'm sure thousands of people walk by this statue every day and never even glance at it or realize how ingenious and enterprising this man was. Way before Ross's development of this area, Wilshire Boulevard was a dirt road filled with barley fields and cattle ranches. 

Once the automobile was more popular and affordable, the road was paved and small housing developments cropped up north and south of Wilshire. It wasn't until 1920 when Ross purchased 18 acres along Wilshire that "Wilshire Boulevard Center" began to take shape. Between 1920 and 1928 people called this strip of Wilshire, "Ross's Folly." So, Ross enlisted the help of department store owners from Downtown Los Angeles and other businessmen to build along Wilshire Boulevard due to their proximity to the wealthy areas of Hancock Park and Beverly Hills. He also made sure that these businesses provided plenty of parking for the new car owners of Los Angeles. This is when his friends realized that Ross's Folly was really a miracle and they dubbed the area "Miracle Mile." The name stuck.

The Miracle Mile in the 1960s

In the past 85+ years, the Mile has gone through various economic changes. Although, no longer home to many department stores and shopping areas, it offers apartments, office buildings, world famous museums, restaurants and is a magnet for the people of Los Angeles and it's many visitors.

It bothers me when journalists and television news media refer to this area as Mid-Wilshire. It is not Mid-Wilshire. That's a few miles to the east (aka Korea-Town) in the MIDDLE of the City. This is Miracle Mile, west of Western Avenue, which is traditionally WEST Los Angeles. There are signs up and down Wilshire designating it so.

Thank you, A.W. Ross for your vision and perseverance in making this portion of Wilshire Boulevard so grand!

Miracle Mile, 2015

A.W. Ross, around 1960, photo from National Geographic Magazine

Creepy Bunnies

What does the Easter Bunny have to do with Easter, anyway? Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but chocolate eggs and the bunny who delivers them are not in the Bible.

How did the Easter Bunny become popular in America?  At history.com, there is an entry that says, According to some sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the U.S. and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping.

Easter bunnies are kinda' creepy, if you ask me! I searched online and found a few undated creepy Easter bunny photos for your viewing pleasure!

We didn't really celebrate Easter in our family. I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.  Passover is our holiday. I do remember dying eggs though. It was more of a craft project during Easter vacation than a celebration of the holiday. Later, we had deviled eggs.

Happy Easter, my friends. I hope you have a grand celebration WITHOUT any creepy Easter bunnies!

Ukulele Strap Granny Cozy

Granny Square Strap Cozy

I wanted to jazz up my ukulele. I decided I needed a colorful instrument strap. I have a boring, black manufactured strap that does the job. Since my playing isn't that great, I need to distract people with my smile and colorful accessories!

Fancy front, plain back

I checked Ravelry and other online sources for crocheted and/or knit instrument straps. I came across quite a few. I liked the idea of just making a cozy or sleeve for my existing strap. That way, I wouldn't need a fabric back to stabilize the stretchy yarn stitches.

I have an abundance of acrylic yarn in various colors. I decided that a black trim with different color centers would be a good choice. I crocheted small two-row granny squares and joined them together in a long strip, measuring my existing strap. 

Blog Star, modeling my new uke accessory

Then, I crocheted a back, lengthwise, in one color and joined it to the squares on the side of the strap, leaving each end free so I could slip the existing strap through. It works perfectly! I can't wait to make more in different colors and materials! I'm thinking a crocheted, stripey one using Noro yarn scraps would be great!

I sound so much better with that dazzling strap!

Sheep Shearing Festival

On Sunday I traveled to Cherry Valley with members of the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers to attend the Sheep Shearing Festival at the Highland Springs Resort. Thanks to Nancy Livingstone for organizing our event and to Peggy Avellar and Ann Wicker for giving Nancy a hand!

President Peggy and Bus Driver Donna

About 30 of us met at 9 am at the Joslyn Center in El Segundo to board the bus, expertly driven by Bus Driver Donna. Approximately 1-1/2 hours later we were bumping along the country road to the Highland Springs Resort. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. Cherry Valley is a beautiful area. The Resort offers lavender fields, hiking trails, a rustic lodge with restaurant facilities, cottages, various events throughout the year, goats and SHEEP!

Sheep Shearing Festival Vendors

The Festival was set up near the lavender fields. There were vendors selling yarn, fleece, soaps made from goat milk and all sorts of crafts. We had opportunities to watch natural dye demonstrations, wool processing, hand spinning, live sheep shearing and skirting of fleeces. A few of us ventured into the sheep pen for sheep feeding too.

Many of us explored the grounds of the resort on our way up to lunch. The grounds are lovely. There is a rustic pool, jacuzzi and spa facilities, along with various motel and cottage areas. The lodge has a gift shop that sells lavender products and olive oil sourced from the Resort grounds. 

Cottages at The Highland Springs Resort

We enjoyed a leisurely brunch and then ambled back to the Festival to see the last of the sheep being sheared.

We had lots of laughs and CHOCOLATE on the bus ride home. It was a perfect blend of fresh air, adorable sheep and comradery with my El Segundo Slipt Stitchers.

The El Segundo Slipt Stitchers

To see MANY more photos, click HERE. 

Milestone

Milestone

I've had my "new car" for just over one year. On Friday I reached 9,999 miles on the odometer. I thought I drove more than that! Time for a road trip out of town.

I'm still happy with my little Nissan Juke in Atomic Gold. It's a very zippy car, handles well and is just flashy enough for people to see me and not run me off the road!

Custom Hand-Crocheted Head-Rest Covers in Atomic Gold

The "Crochet Car" visits the Crochet Grandma at Valley College

Vintage Photo Friday - The Bloom Girls

The Bloom Girls, Amie, Barbara, Carol and Ellen. 1992, Playa del Rey

This weekend my Cousin Amie's younger son, Eric is getting married to the lovely Natasha. This should be a fun wedding. I look forward to seeing my cousins, A,B and C (Amie, Barbara and Carol). We are the Bloom Girls. We're all within 4 years of age and were thrown into each other's company endlessly when we were children. It was always fun going over to my Aunt Frances' and Uncle Mort's house to visit with my cousins. Even though Barbara and Carol have moved away from Los Angeles, it's like we've just seen each other yesterday when we get together.

The Bride and Groom, Natasha and Eric

The reception is being held at The Holding Company, located in Historic Filipino Town. Larry and I were nearby at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater just last Sunday, so we drove by The Holding Company to scope it out. At first, we didn't see where it was located. We did see The Medusa Lounge which used to be The Lowenbrau Keller, a German restaurant that we used to frequent. Judging from the online photos, it looks like The Medusa has retained all of the decor of the old Lowenbrau. It was filled with armor, shields, swords and decadent European artifacts and furniture. The beer stein and taxidermy collections were legendary!

The Old Lowenbrau Keller Restaurant

The Old Lowenbrau Keller Restaurant with Armour!

We finally discovered the address sign for The Holding Company down the alley next door to The Lowenbrau.  Wow! This is like entering a speakeasy...hidden away. 

"X" marks the spot for the entrance to The Holding Company, down the alley!

It appears that The Holding Company is a wide open space that can be decorated for each event.

The Holding Company Space

Looking forward to seeing The Bloom Girls and their families tomorrow! Congratulations Natasha and Eric!

It's All About The Corned Beef - Redux

THIS IS A REPEAT OF MY BLOG FROM MARCH 2010!

Corned Beef, Bok Choy w/Snap Peas and Boiled Potatoes

I'm not Irish, my husband is not Irish, however we LOVE those boiled and spiced meats! I heard a soundbite on one of the Food TV shows over the weekend that in Ireland, corned beef is not the traditional food for St. Patrick's Day. It seems that lamb and/or bacon was consumed on this day in Ireland, along with cabbage and the ever-present potato. Both lamb and bacon are expensive, so when the Irish immigrants came to America and lived close to their Eastern European neighbors, they learned about boiled meats, like beef brisket, corned beef, pastrami, etc. These are less expensive cuts of meat. Corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes became the traditional St. Patrick's Day feast in the New Country.

The other day I was at my fave store, Trader Joe's. I smelled this delicious, briny, salty, beefiness coming from the back of the store. It was after work...dinner time...I was starving! As I made my way to T.J.'s kitchen area, I saw tons of kids crowding around the counter, waiting for their mini corned beef sandwiches, served on T.J.'s corn rye bread. The store employee had a corned beef brisket simmering in an electric frying pan. OK, I was hooked. I couldn't get near the counter for a sample, but I knew it must be delicious corned beef. I zoomed over to the fresh meat section and picked up a corned beef brisket to cook for St. Patrick's Day.

I steamed the fully-seasoned corned beef brisket on Monday night...about 3 hours. Removed it from the pot and refrigerated it overnight. Last night we enjoyed our early St. Pat's Day feast of sliced corned beef served with Philippe's hot mustard, boiled potatoes and bok choy cabbage with some snap peas, along with a green salad. It was a divine dinner. Tonight, we'll have the left over corned beef in "sky-high" sandwiches on rye bread. A "sky-high" sandwich has cole-slaw inside the sandwich. I stopped by Label's Table Deli earlier today to purchase a bit of their great slaw and some fresh corn-rye bread. Yum!!! Last night we were Irish. Tonight we will be Jewish! I do love the melting (or stewing) pot that is America.

Just in case you were wondering, it's not ALL about the food. From the History Channel Site: St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is one of Christianity's most widely known figures. But for all his celebrity, his life remains somewhat of a mystery. Many of the stories traditionally associated with St. Patrick, including the famous account of his banishing all the snakes from Ireland, are false, the products of hundreds of years of exaggerated storytelling.

May the luck (and excellent food) of the Irish follow you today!

My Beverage of Preference Today!