Honoring MLK in Yarn

This has become a tradition on "L.A. Is My Beat."  For the past eleven years I have been featuring Suzanne's MLK sweater on my blog in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I will repeat  again this year because I'm so in love with this idea and in awe of Suzanne's mad skills. 

The sweater pattern is from "Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines."  The name of this sweater is "Margaret," designed for the book by Mary Neal Meador.  The instructions state that the sweater may be embellished after knitting with chain stitched quotations of the knitter’s choice.  The sweater in the book has poetry added to the front and back. 

When I saw Suzanne's ("owlknits") sweater, I was touched by the words she chose.  This is from Suzanne's project page on Ravelry: 

I knit this sweater for a local art exhibition that was organized to honor the ideas of Martin Luther King, Jr.  I used quotes from his “I have a dream…” speech to embroider on the front and back of the sweater: Front: Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. Back: The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the day of justice emerges.

These words are still true today.  I am still blown away by Suzanne's sweater and her choice of quotations.  One day I will make such a sweater for myself.  Bravo!  Excellent work, Suzanne, honoring an eloquent man and his ideas! 

Follow this graphed chart to make a different sweater honoring MLK

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Marin Luther King, Jr.

Larry's Birthday 2024

On Sunday night even though our City was mourning over fire damage and considerable loss, I did not want to let Larry's birthday go un-celebrated!  We drove up to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and dined at Shirley Brasserie.  

I do love the Roosevelt Hotel.  It's a part of Hollywood history.  The hotel has undergone massive restorations in the past 20 years and really looks beautiful. The lobby at night is a bit dark and scary, but I guess you could call it Hollywood Noir!

Shirley Brasserie is the fancy restaurant at the hotel.  There's a coffee shop on the street level, different bars, etc.  It's called Shirley Brasserie after Shirley Temple! It seems that Shirley learned her tap-tastic dance up those Spanish tiled stairs right outside the restaurant from Bill "Bojangles" Robinson.  The photo below is from the actual film, "The Little Colonel" (1935).

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Shirley Temple, "The Little Colonel" (1935)

We were the only couple in the entire, huge restaurant at first.  People started coming in a bit later. We figured that because it was Sunday night and the town was watching TV to see where the next flames would strike was the reason.  Luckily, our house is out of the danger zones.

Shirley Brasserie at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Dinner was lovely!  We started out with a Caesar salad and French Onion Soup.  I had the Duck Breast in Orange Sauce with Spinach for my entree and Larry ordered the New York Steak with mini-potatoes.  We topped off our meal with their Chocolate Mousse with Espresso Cream!

Everything was really delicious and I would definitely return to this elegant place the next time we have something to celebrate.  The atmosphere is sophisticated and serene!

The Magnificent Lobby at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel