L.A. Is My Beat

Pre-Occupied Today

2012-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

'nuff said

Startled!

2012-01-31T15:13:00.001-08:00

The other day I was going into our laundry room to do some yarny blocking. I opened the door slowly, saw the sink and the washer. As I opened the door even wider, I was very startled to see this half-dressed ventriloquist dummy sitting on the clothes dryer, staring at me! I let out a shriek and clutched my heart! I flashed on this "Twilight Zone" episode with Cliff Robertson.

Apparently, Mr. Larry had purchased this new dummy at an estate sale. He already has a dummy named Little Ricky, almost exactly like this one. Larry wanted to clean his new dummy's red sport coat, so that's why Mr. Dummy was waiting patiently in the laundry room, giving me that wide stink-eye!
I recovered and started blocking my knitted piece. I did expect Mr. Dummy to start wise-cracking and criticize my blocking methods!

You can read about ventriloquist's dummies in Larry's fave book, Dummy Days.

Valentine's Day

2012-01-30T16:05:00.001-08:00

Heart's Desire Doily

It will be here soon! In just over two weeks it will be Valentine's Day! Larry and I usually create personalized Valentine cards for each other. In the years before wide computer use, I would paint or collage something for him. Sometimes I'd crochet or knit a little Valentine. Lately, I've been collaging on PhotoShop. We don't buy each other gifts. If we go out to dinner, it's usually just someplace local...nothing fancy.

HOWEVER, our West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch Group goes CRAZY for Valentine's Day! We have a Valentine scarf and/or cowl swap. Last Friday, our WeHo SnB Cruise Director, Miss Natalie, assigned us our secret swap partners with their color and yarn content preferences. Ooooooo.....I'm so excited. I searched for the perfect yarn for my Swap Partner's cowl. I'm working on the piece now! You can see pictures of past swaps here and here.
One year I couldn't stop making the "Hearts Desire Doily." This year I may crochet or knit some new heart patterns. Here are some possibilities:

Valentine Mug Cozy by Kristen TenDyke

Jackie's Heart Granny Square

Dear Valentine Square
Happy Valentine Hat by Amy O'Neill Houck

Birdhouse of Love Dishcloth by Kelly Daniels
oooo...this one satisfies my need to PUT A BIRD ON IT!

Are you planning on creating anything special for Valentine's Day?

The Corner Market

2012-01-27T14:55:00.000-08:00

Vintage Photo FridayS/E corner of Sunset & Fairfax, Los Angeles, 1933

Once a market, always a market.
The corner of Sunset and Fairfax in Los Angeles has been a small market since the 1930's. The photo above, the SunFax Market, was taken in 1933. In later years, probably in the late 1950's or early 1960's when the A-Frame architectural style was popular, this building was re-designed and called Chalet Gourmet. In 1999, the Irvine Ranch Market Company and Chalet Gourmet merged. This location then became a branch of Bristol Farms Market.
Unless some MAJOR redevelopment happens on this corner, this will, most likely, always be a small neighborhood market, catering to the locals.

S/E corner of Sunset & Fairfax, Los Angeles, 2012

I plan on visiting my local grocery store this weekend. Which local market do you like best?

Tonight

2012-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Guess where I'll be later tonight?

See you there, 7-10!

Seen Around Town

2012-01-25T15:16:00.001-08:00

As I travel around the City on my Los Angeles Adventures, I like to snap lots of pix. I run into some very interesting things!

Crocheted Grapefruit by Amy Inouye at Bleicher Gallery, La Brea Ave.Wine cork and crayon, parkway near Arlington and Olympic

Textured side of Rox-San Building, Beverly Hills

Suit made of 45 rpm Records, Soundsations, WestchesterSun Dial, Inglewood High School

Put A Bird On It

2012-01-24T15:12:00.001-08:00

Carrie Brownstein and Bird Tote from "Portlandia"

Do you watch "Portlandia" on IFC? Larry and I started watching Season 2 last week. After seeing this sketch, I've noticed that more and more artsy items in boutiques have bird images on them. Co-Creator of "Portlandia," Carrie Brownstein noticed this too. She says that it seems just by putting a bird on an item, it is now considered ART! Now, everywhere I look, I see birds on things! Ack!

I guess I'll just have to join the crowd and Put A Bird On It!

Christine's Bird Tote (seen at the Original Farmers Market)
Crocheted Bird Applique by Janet Carrillo

Birdie Decoration by Attic 24

Bird Pullover by Gail Pfeifle

Bird on Branch Chart by Sini Huupponen

Listen for more catch phrases from our new fave show, "Portlandia." Pickles anyone?

Finished Objects

2012-01-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

Petite Granny Carre' Sac

It was a birthday Sunday for the "Sometimes Sunday Crochet Group." We celebrated Natalie's and Carol's birthdays at Bao Dim Sum House. After lunch we walked back to Beth's house for presents and crochet. Beth's talented husband, Larry A. baked the most delicious apple and tart-cherry pie for us! It was a faboo afternoon!

The other Mr. Larry and his Pie Creation

Among a few other small gifties, I made Carol a small granny totebag. You can see all of the particulars here on my Ravelry project page. This is a small version of my pattern, Granny Greenbag. I used Noro Kureyon wool for the granny squares.

The colorway has lots of greens and aquas in it...Carol's faves. I couldn't believe the beautiful button I found for this bag at F & S Fabrics on Pico Boulevard! F & S has the BEST button selection on the Westside. I call the bag, Petite Granny Carre' Sac.

I reinvented the lacy cowl for Natalie, using Noro Silk Garden. The cowl looks good worn long or wrapped twice around the neck into a shorter piece.

Project details are here. The lace pattern is an adaptation of the border pattern on Doris Chan's "All Shawl." I've used this pattern to edge so many different types of garments, afghans, etc. It's very versatile and looks great all on it's own, as evidenced by Natalie's Pizzo Sciarpa Cappuccio.

Happy Birthday, Ladies. I just LOVE celebrating with our Sometimes Sunday Crochet Group!!

Lori, Julie, Carol, Natalie, Beth

Vintage Photo Friday - Hawaii

2012-01-20T15:35:00.000-08:00

This March, Larry and I will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. I know! I can't believe it either! We're thinking about going to Honolulu to celebrate. I'm researching now. Let me know if you have any tips!

We've both been to Hawaii several times...once, together. We're into sight-seeing more than we are into laying around on the beach. Honolulu is a major city. I know there's plenty to see!

My grandparents traveled quite a bit in their retirement years. They often went on trips with the Westwood Shriners. I discovered these Hawaii photos from 1956.

Sam and Freda with Friends, Hilo, 1956.
Freda doesn't look too thrilled here

Have a wonderful weekend! ALOHA!

Inspirations

2012-01-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Searching on the website RAVELRY is so inspirational. RAVELRY is like Facebook for knitters and crocheters. I've met so many other yarn artists through this amazing online community. There are free patterns too! The problem is, I find too many things that I want to crochet and knit. I'll never have enough time to make EVERYTHING!! Here are a few recent favorites:

The Boyfriend Scarf

Crocheted Owl Ornaments

Gathered Scarf

Breakfast

Loquat Cardigan

What artistic inspiration have you found lately?

Successful Family Brunch

2012-01-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

Bouquet, courtesy of Ryley and Jason

Last Sunday some of our "new" cousins came for brunch. We'd lost touch with this branch of my Mother's family and it was nice to re-connect. Our grandfathers were brothers, Sam and Max Katz. It's rather a large family and we have cousins scattered across the country. Since the Katz's were here from Northern California, it was a perfect time to gather as many L.A. cousins and aunties as I could and have them all over to our house. Larry is still in the process of painting our kitchen, but it's almost done and ready enough for cooking and guests.
I served our usual family brunch menu: Lox, whitefish salad, bagels, cream cheese, crisp vegies, fruit salad, curried deviled eggs, coffee, tea, juice. My cousin Jason brought some divine coffee cake from Bea's Bakery in the Valley, supplemented by my mandelbread and ruggulah from Diamond Bakery on Fairfax. We never run out of food at family parties!

BrunchWe all managed to squeeze around the table

Looking at the family photo album was a highlight of the day. Aunt Roz and Aunt Mae helped identify many of our ancestors.

Jason, Larry and Roz

Top Row: Carolyn, Janet, Marilyn. Bottom Row: Jason, Audra, Linda

It was wonderful meeting Jason, Ryley, Baby Zelena, Audra and Linda, after carrying on a correspondence with them for almost two years!

I made a little derby for Zelena. She's so adorable! I'm glad that the hat fit her.
I think that Baby Z liked trying coasters on her head more than her new hat!

Ryley, Zelena and the Coasters

Top Row: Janet, Marilyn, Ellen, Linda, John, Carolyn, Audra, Zelena, Ryley
Bottom Row: Mae, Roz, Hal, Jason

I look forward to a visit to the San Francisco area and more family gatherings. We still have to meet Linda's other son, Matt and his family!

Hollywood Classic

2012-01-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night Audrey and Jeff treated us to a divine dinner at Musso and Frank Grill in Hollywood in celebration of Larry's birthday. This was truly a treat! We LOVE Musso's. It's a historic landmark! The food is yummy, the atmosphere is old school and they have their own parking lot! This is a major plus in the middle of busy Hollywood, especially on a Saturday night.

The place was packed! Every other time I've been to Musso's, the place has been half-full. I guess I've never been there on a Saturday night. Since the revival of Hollywood Boulevard in the past 10 years, many new restaurants and bars have opened. Musso's has definitely kept up with the trendy places, offering excellent food and cocktails. You can read a bit about the history here.

Pimms Cup

We had drinks all around...Pimm's Cups for me and Audrey, martinis for the boys. Audrey and Jeff both had a first course. Audrey had the Cream of Tomato Soup and Jeff had the Iceberg Wedge Salad. For their main courses, Audrey had the Mushroom Risotto and Jeff had the Sand Dabs Meuniere. They shared a side of Sauteed Spinach. Larry ordered the Swordfish. I ordered the Liver and Onions. We shared a side of French Green Beans with Mushrooms. Our dinners were really delicious. Our waiter brought Larry a sweet piece of cake with custard filling for his b-day.

Iceberg Wedge Salad

Cream of Tomato SoupMushroom RisottoSand Dabs MeuniereSwordfishFrench Green Beans with MushroomsLiver and Grilled Onions

Birthday Cake

Oh! There were gifts too! Larry is one lucky guy and I felt fortunate to have been included in this generous celebration. Thanks, Audrey and Jeff for a fantastic evening!

MLK Day

2012-01-16T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is a repeat post in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday today.

From "Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the lines." Knit for local art exhibit in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Vintage Photo Friday - Family

2012-01-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Our Grandfathers, Max and Sam Katz - 1920s

This Sunday a few of our cousins from Northern California are coming to brunch! Jason Katz found me through the internet. Our families had lost touch over the years. He and his wife recently had a daughter and Jason wanted to fill out a geneaology chart for her and find out more about his father's side of the family, so he went searching.

Our Great Grandparents, Zelek and Frouma Katz

Both Jason's father and grandfather passed away early in life...that's how our connection was lost. I'm so glad that Jason found all of us. We have branches of the Katz family in SoCal, NorCal, New Orleans, St. Louis and beyond!

Jason's Grandparents, Max and Ruth KatzJason's Parents, Zander and Linda with his sister, Audra, 1971

We've maintained an e-mail correspondence for about two years. Jason has been fairly successful in hunting down cousins all over the country, calling them on the phone, collecting photographs, etc. Luckily, my Auntie Mae was the keeper of her parents' photo album. She recently entrusted me with the photos. Our cousins all over the country have been helpful in identifying the people in our vintage collection. I've been sending digital copies to many of our distant cousins. The album, along with Jason's geneaology chart and information will be front and center in our living room on Sunday! I look forward to grilling Auntie Mae and my mother, Roz for more family information. See y'all on Sunday, cousins!

Thursday Birthday

2012-01-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

This year, Larry's birthday falls on a Thursday. Today. I feel sad that he had to be at a photo job early this morning, way out in the west Valley. I will try and make up for this later today. We're going to an art opening in the early evening. Later, we're going to try the much-touted new restaurant, Post and Beam. Of course, there will be multiple presents!!
Happy Birthday, my darling Larry! I look forward to many more adventures with you.

Ramen Jinya

2012-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Ramen in a Mini-Mall

Larry and I happened upon a new-to-the-Miracle-Mile area ramen place the other night. It's called Ramen Jinya. There are branches on Sawtelle in WLA and in Studio City.

We each ordered the Tonkotsu White Ramen which contains pork chashu, spinach, bamboo, green onion, fried onion, dried seaweed, special flavored egg. I added tofu to my order. This was possibly the BEST ramen we've ever had. The broth was very flavorful and rich. All of the ingredients were extremely fresh. My tofu was creamy and buttery.

the spoons are gigantic

Tonkotsu White Ramen

We also saw bowls of No Soup Ramen flying by that looked fantastic. The Chicken Wing Gyoza also looked unique. It's a stuffed wing, deep fried!! We'll definitely be returning to this mini-mall paradise!

Ramen Jinya, 5474 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 323-549-0188, Hours: 11:00am ～10:00pm, Open: 7 days a week

A Day at the Beach

2012-01-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

Annenberg Beach House, Santa Monica

The weather has been GORGEOUS in Los Angeles....70-80 degrees! You'd barely think it was the middle of winter! Yesterday I was invited to a screening and party at the Annenberg Beach House in Santa Monica.

A friend since childhood, Phil Savenick, was celebrating his birthday with a preview of his new film, "Matisse's Ghost and Moi." Phil's a verrrrry creative guy. The film was truly memorable, especially for fans of Matisse's work. You can view an earlier film in Phil's artist series here. Happy Birthday, Phil!!! Thanks for the swell party!

Phil Savenick in "Matisse's Ghost and Moi"

I hadn't visited the Annenberg Beach House yet. It's really a beautiful place. This was formerly the site of actress, Marion Davies' mansion, built by her paramour, W illiam Randolph Hearst. The architect for the beach house and guest house was Julia Morgan, who also designed Hearst's castle at San Simeon. I do remember during the 50's, 60's and 70's when this was the Sand 'n Sea Beach Club. We all have many fond memories of hanging out at Tee's Beach, next to the Club and sneaking over to use the swimming pool in our youth. The original mansion was damaged beyond repair after the Northridge earthquake, but the Guest House has been restored in all it's 1920's glory. In place of the mansion, there is a fantastic public space including the original swimming pool, cabanas, patio area, conference and meeting rooms, a sandy play area for kids and a beach cafe.

The venue is open to the public. You must visit!The Restored Guest House

There also happened to be a celebration for Marion Davies birthday yesterday in the Guest House, next to the Annenberg Venue. There were people dressed in 1920's garb, speakeasy music playing and the video cameras were rolling. After Phil's event, I sauntered over to the Guest House for a look. Wow! this is some guest house! I'd love to be a guest here....like forever. The furniture is not particularly period, but it's comfy, plenty of room for people. The bathrooms have been restored to their divine tiled glory. It would be so much fun to have a party here!

Marion Davies' Guest House

Restored Tile Bathrooms

Marion's Original Mansion

Marion Davies at the Beach in Santa Monica

Vintage Photo Friday

2012-01-06T15:30:00.001-08:00

Van de Kamps Bakery in Vons Market, Los Angeles, 1939
Photo by Ansel Adams

I found the photo above in the Los Angeles Public Library photo archives. This is the south/west corner of Beverly Blvd. and Crescent Hts, L.A./West Hollywood. It seems that world-renowned photographer, Ansel Adams was on assignment for Forbes Business Magazine to photograph Los Angeles just before World War II, particularly focusing on the aerospace industry. There are many photos in and around Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, as well as street life from downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills. This group of photos was donated to the LAPL by Adams in the 1960's.

Here is the same corner today:

S/W Corner of Beverly Blvd. and Crescent Hts., 2011

I miss the windmill!

January Sunrise

2012-01-05T11:04:00.001-08:00

It's supposed to be at least 80 degrees in Los Angeles today! Hey, Wha' Happened to winter? At least I work near the beach, so it's cool and breezy in beautiful Santa Monica today.

This was the sky, facing east from Wilshire Vista at 6:30 this morning. Stunning! I thought there was a fire somewhere!!

Eggs-actly!

2012-01-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve Deviled Eggs, nesting in a bed of chopped parsley

When there's a party and we are required to bring a treat to share, I like to bring deviled eggs. Almost everyone likes them. This is a recipe that my Mom concocted. Over the years.I've added a couple of ingredients.

Roz's and Ellen's Curried Deviled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Philippe's Hot Mustard
1 Tablespoon Sweet Pickle Relish
1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder (or a bit more, to taste)
Dash Pepper
12 Sun-Dried Tomato Bits (optional)

After the hard-boiled eggs are peeled and cooled, slice them in half, length-wise. Pop out the yolks into a mixing bowl. Set the whites aside, being careful not to tear them. If you have an egg dish, this is an excellent way to serve them.

Mash up the egg yolks. Add mayo, mustard, pickle relish, curry powder and pepper. Mix well. With a small teaspoon, fill the cavity of each halved egg white with the yolk mixture.

For New Year's Eve, I added a bit of sun-dried tomato to the top of each egg for garnish. You could add a bit of caviar or an anchovy too, depending on your taste. Often, I just dust the yolks with a sprinkle of paprika.

For this recent party, my egg dish would not hold 24 eggs, so I substituted a 13" x 9" Pyrex dish filled with chopped parsley as a nest for the eggs.

On Halloween, I top each egg with a pimiento-stuffed green olive, then I carefully drizzle lines of ketchup or chili sauce from the "eyeball" out to the whites to resemble festive Halloween-themed bloody eyeballs!

Eggs. They're so versatile!

Climbing the Ladder

2012-01-03T15:18:00.001-08:00

Linie 106 Flair Yarn comes in lots of color combos...it's sparkly!

Awhile back, Carol brought the Sometimes Sunday Crocheters some beautiful yarn from Bruge, Belgium called Linie 106 Flair. It's a LADDER yarn, meaning that there are side strips to this flat, ribbon-like yarn with sparkly bits like ladder rungs in-between the sides. We all received different colors. Mine has lots of orange and gold in it with black. I've been hanging on to this yarn until I found just the right article to either knit or crochet with it.

On New Year's Eve, Carol and I were at a fantastic party, chatting and this attractive woman walked by us. She was wearing a drapey scarf around her neck with long fringes in this exact yarn!!! The color of her scarf was black, white, tan and brown. It was extremely stunning, with long fringes of the ladder yarn floating down her elegant black dress. You could see the light bulbs go off over our heads. Both Carol and I said, "Aha! That's what we'll make with this yarn!"

I started my triangle scarfy-shawl on New Year's Day! I tried crocheting with it, but it was just too tricky for me.

I got out my number 11 plastic knitting needles and started knitting a triangle, stockinet stitch, increase on the knit side at each end and 2 stitches in the center. I haven't even used one whole skein yet and it's looking good! I'll be saving one entire skein for the long fringe. Thanks, Carol!

Held up to the light, my scarf resembles the photo-collage ceiling
at Canter's Delicatessen!

Ceiling at Canter's!

Holiday Field Trip

2012-01-02T15:21:00.000-08:00

The History of Transportation Mural, Inglewood, CA

Monday, January 2, 2012....official holiday! Since yesterday was spent sleeping, eating and lazing around the house in our pajamas, today we decided to get out and go on a mini-field trip. So, after watching the Rose Parade (awesome, BTW), we piled into the car and zoomed toward Inglewood.

I'd heard about the restoration of the WPA History Of Transportation Mural, across the street from Inglewood H.S. near downtown Inglewood, but I'd never seen it. The mural was started in 1939, completed in 1940. The designer was Helen Lundeberg. This mural depicts the history of the Centinela Valley with an emphasis on the progression of transportation. There are so many wonderful WPA art projects in the Los Angeles area. I just love the deco-style and the Thomas Hart Benton-like figures used most often in this era of murals and paintings.

This particular mural is done in the petra-chrome construction technique, which is a variant of terrazzo; the panels were created from a mixture of rock aggregate, pigment, and concrete that is set and polished. These materials were used to insure longevity from exposure to the California sun. The color is very light, not like glass mosaic mural tiles. I did read that Helen Lundeberg used a very pale palette of colors in her paintings too. I enhanced my photos to show a bit more contrast. The mural was originally located in Centinela Park. It had suffered years of damage, graffiti, etc. In 2007 it was moved to Grevillea Park and restored. A few of the panels do not have terrazzo or rock pieces on them, they have merely been painted to resemble the former mosaic.

The history starts with walking, then using horses and donkeys with a buggy for transportation. It progresses to the train, trucks and automobile and ends with the airplane. The History of Transportation is a grand piece of WPA artwork, right here in Los Angeles!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

Vintage Photo Friday

Festive Party Attire, 1950

2012 should be an excellent year! 2011 was pretty good too. Usually, on New Year's Eve Larry and I go to an early movie and then out to dinner....casual, nothing fancy. Many restaurants in town have a New Year's special, charge too much money, give you lousy service and inferior food. Last year we ended up at our preferred restaurant, Pann's Coffee Shop for a delicious fried chicken dinner.
This year one of our favorite couples is having a party! This group of people are cuisine experts. Everyone is bringing their own special hors 'd oeuvres.....finger food only, no forks or spoons. It should be quite festive and sticky.
Not sure what to wear to the party. I'm thinking that a tiara or fascinator just might be the ticket to give me a party look!

New Year's Tiara

Standard Party Hats

Ellen's Bird Nest Fascinator

Oh Yeah! I think that wearing a bird's nest on my head will give me a look of refreshing beginnings for the New Year!!! What are you doing for New Year's Eve?

Between the Holidays

2011-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

MINTY GREEN WALLS, TERRA-COTTA CABINETS!!!

Phew! Chanukah and Christmas are OVER! That's a relief. All of the running around, preparing food for parties, wrapping gifties...DONE! It was a wonderful holiday. Now, we have a few days of quiet before the New Year's festivities begin.
Just so I don't get too complacent and lazy, I'm having two couples over for dinner tonight! Claire and Tom, along with Brit and Dan.
This is going to be a thrown-together dinner...easy. Larry just finished painting one half of the kitchen yesterday. The paint is dry and appliances are back in place. NOW, the other side of the kitchen is a shambles....the eating side of the kitchen, not the cooking side. Luckily, most of the activity will be taking place in the dining room!

Tom and Claire

Brit and Dan

I look forward to a laid-back evening of visiting with friends! Happy pre-New Year, everyone!

Best of 2011- Yarny Edition

2011-12-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

My name is Ellen and I'm a Yarn-A-Holic. I am addicted to yarn and making things for me and for my friends and family.

I made LOTS of yarny stuff during 2011. Here are some of my favorites!

Blue and White Mini Pillows for Mom's Living Room

Spa Soap Coats for Gifties

Baby Ripple Blankie for Baby Boy Snyder

Rhoda's Koigu Cowl

Red Scarf Project Donation

I joined the squares made by our talented WeHo SnB Members for a ComfortGhan for Lynne

Larry's Mardi Gras Crown
Holiday Photo Garland for Carol & Thane

The "Darcy" Sweater for Me!
The Farmers Market Tower Hat

I have many unfinished objects (UFO's) sitting in my craft room, ready for completion or frogging in 2012! Happy New Yarn to everyone!
Info on all projects above can be viewed on my Ravelry project page.

So Festive!

2011-12-26T10:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's been a festive weekend for the Bloom-Underhill household! We started off the holiday weekend by heading over to the Tam 'O Shanter Inn in the Los Feliz-Atwater Village area on Friday night.

Many old friends convened in the bar for roast beef sandwiches and holiday libations. I just love that place!

Larry, wearing his Tam 'o Shanter at the Tam O' Shanter Inn

It's so cheerful during the holidays. The restaurant was decorated inside and out, there were carolers dressed in Victorian garb and the prime rib sandwich was divine!

The Tam has been in existence since 1922!

On Christmas Eve I made a flavorful dinner of baked ham, brussel sprouts, roasted potatoes and green salad. We spent a quiet evening at home, just puttering about. On Christmas morning we met Mom and Hal at Pann's for a yummy breakfast. This was the first year that Pann's was open on Christmas Day. It was definitely busy!

Chicken & Waffles @ Pann's

Later in the day, Larry and I opened our little gifts. We had a good day, lazing around the house, eating ham sandwiches and playing with our new toys.

One of our neighbors went a bit overboard on the Christmas balloon decorations this year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I'm not working this week, so blog posting may be sporadic. Best wishes for an excellent vacation!

Happy Holidays 2011

2011-12-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-12-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

The Original Farmers Market, 3rd & Fairfax, Los Angeles, Mid-1950's

You all know my love for the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles. It's near our house. We're there ALL the time. The place is the vortex of Los Angeles. Eventually, everyone shows up there. The history of this beloved gathering place goes back to 1934!
My West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch (WeHo SnB) group meets there every Thursday night from 7-9 pm, upstairs dining area. We've been meeting since 2004. I LOVE this group and all of the peeps in it! We come from all walks of life, but have the love of yarn as our common denominator.
Last night was our annual Holiday Hat Party. Every year many of us dress up existing hats with ornaments and other holiday decorations. Some of us construct holiday hats from scratch. I've done both. This year I decided to step it up a notch and represent one of the places I love, The Farmers Market, in hat form.

Ellen and Reindeer Natalie

Members of the WeHo SnB

Yes, I won the grand prize!

Have a safe and joyous holiday weekend! Meet me at Third and Fairfax!

WeHoHoHo Holiday Hat Party

2011-12-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

It's TONIGHT! Woo Hoo! This is one of the most fun Stitch 'n Bitch parties ALL year!!! Everyone will be decked out tonight in their holiday hats. Please join us from 7-9pm at the Original Farmers Market in the upstairs dining area. Bring your knitting and/or crochet and a treat to share!

WeHo SnB Group

For the past few years I've been haphazardly just throwing something festive together for my holiday hat. This year I really thought about it and have been working furiously to come up with the perfect chapeau for this event. I just put the finishing touches on my creation a few minutes ago. This is a sneak-peek of my hat for this year:

Ellen's Mystery Hat, 2011

Here are a few of our hats from past WeHoHoHo parties:

Ellen

Laurie Ann and Jenna

Fascinating Ms. Natalie

Vivian and Brenda B.

Laurie Ann

Ellen

Natalie

Zoya

Bridget

Meet Me at Third and Fairfax!

Happy Chanukah

2011-12-21T11:43:00.000-08:00

Potato Latkes

Last night was the first night of Chanukah. Larry and I have been attending so many holiday parties lately, that we just wanted to relax, sit, eat and stare at the wall. This means no cooking for Ellen. So, we zoomed up to our local deli, Canter's on Fairfax Avenue. We ordered the traditional latkes (potato pancakes) with sour cream and applesauce. Larry had a half of a pastrami sandwich and a cup of navy bean soup. I had a delicious stuffed bell pepper. It was a perfect meal, served quickly, so we could go home and stare at the wall and the lights on our menorah.

Traditionally, you are supposed to eat foods prepared with oil for the Festival of Lights. The story of Chanukah that explains many of the customs is here. Another popular food for this Festival of Lights is sufganiyot, or little jelly-filled doughnuts, fried in oil (of course). I became familiar with this custom later in life...it's a delicious Israeli or Middle-Eastern recipe.
When my cousins and I were children, Grandma and Grandpa Bloom would host a Chanukah party for all of us kids. After we multiplied, my Aunt Betty and Uncle Hi would host the party at their home. We're all very close in age, so there was a lot of running around and excitement. Aunt Betty made the very best latkes! She would deep-fry them! Yum! We fondly called them Kentucky-Fried Latkes!! Happy Chanukah!!

Chanukah, 1958 with the Bloom Cousins
Top Row:Kenny and Denny
Middle Row: Amie, Sasha, Grandma Ethel, Ellen, Barbara
Front Row: Barry, Carol

So, What's the Bloom Family Story?

2011-12-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

Color photos by Ellen Bloom, except where noted

photo, courtesy of Barbara Bloom

On Sunday my cousins, Amie, Barbara and Carol hosted a book signing party at my Uncle's home for his self-published book of memoirs. The book is called "So What's The Story" by Morton J. Bloom. It's not available on Amazon.com yet, but should be soon!

The Author with his daughter, Barbara

Uncle Mort, at the age of 94, decided it was high time to actually write down all of the family stories he'd been telling us for years. His daughters helped with this production....Carol helped Mort recall many facts, Barbara edited and compiled the book, Amie kept Mort on track and focused while working on this project. I offered many photos from my Bloom family archive, given to me by my Dad, George and my grandmother, Ethel.

Barbara, Carol, Larry, Judy

The book is over 140 pages long, filled with family history, photographs, drawings and even recipes! Yes, among his many accomplishments, Uncle Mort is a great cook!

It's always a pleasure getting together with all of my cousins. We have so many memories of growing up together in Los Angeles. I'm glad that many of them decided to attend from San Diego, Santa Barbara, Knoxville, Sebastopol, Massachusetts and New York!

Sasha and Ellen

Adrianne, Roz and Hal

Alex and Gena

Alex, Sasha, Ellie, Eda

JoEllen, Amie, Jessica

MacKenzie and Mike

Roz and Jo

Mort thoughtfully gifted each of us with a copy of the book. I'm thrilled to have this record of our family's history from the Ukraine, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Iowa, Illinois, Los Angeles and beyond! Thanks Uncle Mort. We all appreciate your recollections and generosity!

The Blooms, Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, 1922
Top: Lawrence, Hi, Ethel. Bottom: Mort, George
photo from the Bloom Family Archive

Photo Garland

2011-12-19T13:48:00.000-08:00

Need a quickie decoration for your house or as a gift for a friend who is hosting a holiday party? I like to crochet a holiday garland each year for our friends, Carol and Thane. They host a lovely tree trimming party every year. One year I crocheted a garland of stars. The following year I crocheted the living Christmas tree garland. I was stumped for this year. I'd thought of crocheting some angels, but all of the patterns that I found were a bit fussy.
After thinking this through, I realized that Carol's and Thane's house is very photogenic and I have MANY photos of their various parties from the past in my archives. Soooooo, I went through my photos and their Facebook album pages and came up with about 25 great images.
Here's how I made the garland:
1. Once you decide on the images, upload them to picnik. This is a free photo editing site.
2. Choose the "frames" tab at the top of the screen. Click "rounded edges" and move the corner radius slider all the way to the right, achieving a circular photo.
3. Save each circular photo to your desktop.
4. Open the Word program on your computer and insert each circular photo into a document. Leave at least one inch space around each photo. Print the photos on card stock.
5. Cut out the photos leaving about a 1/4" border
6. Punch holes into the edges around each photo.

7. With an "I" crochet hook loosely single crochet around the edge, placing two single crochet stitches into each hole for the first round.

8. Second round, chain 1, sc in first stitch, 2 sc in next stitch. Continue around in this manner until you reach the beginning. Tie off, weave in ends.

9. With main color (I used off-white yarn), single crochet stitches around the entire piece, not increasing. Add a small chain loop of 5 chains near the top of each "ornament" as you crochet around.
10. Once all of the ornaments are edged in crochet, decide on the order you want to string them.
11. Chain 10, slip stitch through top loop of ornament; chain 10; slip stitch through the loop of the next ornament. Continue until you've attached all of the ornaments to one continuous chain.
12. I added a little note to the back of each ornament describing each item pictured....in French (because Carol and Thane are definitely Francophiles)!

13. I also flattened each ornament with a cool iron so the discs would not curl.
We hung the photo garland along the mantel of their vintage Spanish Revival fireplace. I just LOVE how it looks!
I might simplify this idea for individual tree ornaments and use a different photo for each side!!

Office Holiday Party

2011-12-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

Vintage Photo FridayThe Barbies, Ken and Midge @ the Office Xmas Party

Today is our office holiday party. We are treated to a lovely luncheon event at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills. Yes, I love my job. After lunch we do NOT have to go back to work! Yayyyy! It's a nice chance to see people from other departments, eat some great food and hear some gossip from the past year. Nothing wild. I'm not sure if my younger co-workers stay late at the party and carry on. I'm trying to remember my office parties when I was in my 20's and 30's. Yes, there were many liasons made during those fun times. Heh heh.
My cousin Craig recently gave me some more of our Great Aunt Luba's photos. In the archive was a notebook that Luba's co-workers compiled for her upon her retirement from the Los Angeles City Traffic Engineer's office in 1970. It's a treasure trove of photos from the late 1950's to 1970, including office Christmas parties. Here are a couple from the early 1960's.

L.A. City Traffic Engineer Office Xmas Party, early 1960's

Aunt Luba lived for almost 20 years after retirement. She traveled extensively and regaled her many nieces and nephews with stories of life in the Ukraine, Chicago and Hollywood, along with her travels. She was everyone's favorite Auntie.

Great Aunt Luba's Retirement from the City, 1970

I'm looking forward to our office party today. When is your party? Don't go too crazy! Remember, you have to see everyone on Monday morning! Have a wonderful weekend.

Ellen's Office Holiday Party, 2010

Dinner with Friends

2011-12-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

Mary Jo

On Monday, a very cold and rainy night, Natalie invited me over for dinner, along with Darcy and Mary Jo. Mary Jo is traveling to Brazil and beyond for the holidays, so this was our last chance to see her for awhile. We missed our other KnitGrrlz, Carla, Brit and Lori, who are all in other locales for now.

Darcy

Cold and rainy...yes. Chefette Natalie warmed us all up with yummy snacks and wine. Her table setting was simple, yet beautiful.

She baked a wonderful savory bread and served it with a salad made from fennel and other goodies.

Fennel Salad w/Parmesean, Pomegranate Seeds, Oranges

Natalie served a flavorful and hearty chicken in the pot (Poule au Pot) for the main course....Yummmm!!

Fruited Chicken with Red Potatoes, Vegies

Darcy's Potato Chip and Pecan Sandies

Apple Ambrosia

Darcy contributed her famous potato chip-pecan cookies for dessert, paired with apple ambrosia.
We laughed, talked and generally had a great time. We waited for the rain to subside and bid farewell and bon voyage to Mary Jo. I anxiously await her photos and travel stories on Facebook.
I love my friends!

Hostess with the Mostess, Ms. Natalie

By the way, Mary Jo was on the Channel 7 news last night. You can view the story here!

DIY Santa is On His Way

2011-12-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Hot Salsa Kitchen Cabinets

Santa Larry has been very busy in our antiquated kitchen. I've been kvetching and crying over this crummy kitchen for YEARS!! Larry is Mr. DIY Guy. He knows that if he hires someone to paint the kitchen it will never be completed the exact way he WANTS it to be done. Soooooooo, for the past several months, between photo assignments, Santa Larry has been working on our kitchen update. We're not doing any remodeling, just cosmetic clean-up!

First, Larry patched, plastered and painted our back porch white. Then he installed our newish stainless steel refrigerator. Eventually, he'll be building shelves around the fridge for storage.
Next up, the lower kitchen cabinets were strengthened, cleaned and painted a dark terra-cotta color to match an extra cabinet and work surface that I bought at IKEA. Hopefully, during Xmas vacation, the walls will be painted minty green to blend with the existing tile and the upper cabinets and trim will be painted white-white. My job will be to make curtains, change out the table cloth and accessorize appropriately.

Minty Green Paint to Compliment Existing Tile

I keep collecting photos like the ones below for inspiration. Trade out the aqua for mint green and the red for terra cotta.....dream kitchen!

Dream Kitchen Examples

We'll discuss doing something about the icky linoleum at that point. We could tear up the existing lino and replace it with something decorative like black & white check floor OR we could strip the wooden-sub floor, stain and varnish it. I saw this treatment on a house in our neighborhood and I rather like the farm house floor look.
Thanks, Santa!!! This is exactly what I wanted for my holiday gift this year!!

Here Comes the Sun, err Son?

2011-12-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

This past Friday we went to the Hollywood United Methodist Church to view the "Beatles Nativity." I like visiting houses of worship. Usually, they are beautiful buildings. Most congregations spend more money on their churches and temples than they do on anything else in the community. The flock could be starving and homeless, but they've got a gorgeous church!

Hollywood United Methodist Church's building on Highland and Franklin in the heart of Hollywood is truly a beautiful development. The church was built in 1929, designed by Thomas P. Barber, and based in part on the English Gothic style of Westminster Hall in London. The structure is steel-framed concrete, with the sanctuary roof having an open hammer beam construction. It was decorated for Christmas. Yes, it's definitely an inspiring building with gorgeous carved wood and stonework.

The "Beatles Nativity" is a very creative telling of the Christmas story using songs by the Beatles. The performances by the cast members and band were excellent. Larry and I were trying to figure out ahead of time which tunes they would sing. There were a number of songs from the "Abbey Road" album as well as others. It was definitely a kick hearing music from our youth describing this ancient story.

The Cast and Choir of "Beatles Nativity"

You still have a chance to see this production during the holiday season. Check it out!

Whoop-Dee-Doo

2011-12-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Slow Eastbound Santa Monica Fwy., December 2011

Yup! That's how I feel on a cold, rainy Monday in Los Angeles. "Whoop-Dee-Doo," she said sarcastically.

Rain and Wind today in East Santa Monica

The only bright spot to look forward to today is that I'm having dinner with my KnitGrrlz later!

Rock 'n Roll Holidays

2011-12-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

Vintage Photo Friday

I glean fascinating information at my weekly Stitch 'n Bitch meeting. I do LOVE my SnB group! We're a collection of all ages, races and religions with a common love for all things yarny. Yarn is a powerful connector.
Last night, Lauren was talking about a program at her local church, Hollywood United Methodist. She had recently seen a presentation called "Beatles Nativity." Here's the description from the website:

BOTH - A Beatles Nativity. BOTH is a new musical that tells the story of the Nativity using 23 Beatles songs: Not a single word is changed! The story is told by Father McKenzie and a cast of 16 (including Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, 3 Wise Men, Angels, Shepherds, The Taxman and King Herod) plus a Gospel Choir. The book of the show is written by Hollywood United Methodist Church member Mark Wilson, with musical arrangement by Jason Paige. The show will be performed in the HUMC Sanctuary December 7th, 9th and 10th at 8pm. Tickets are 'pay what you can'.

Oooooo...this sounds like my kind of show. Larry and I will be attending tonight's performance.

I'm not a religious person. Culturally, I am Jewish. However, I do love the "theater" of it all! Attending a church service for a performance has always been one of my favorite things to do. Churches are generally beautiful buildings, often with much architectural history attached. Think about the "Glory of Easter" and the "Glory of Christmas" at the Crystal Cathedral in the old days. WOW! Those were amazing shows. Los Angeles religious leaders like Aimee Semple McPherson and her Angelus Temple, Kathryn Kuhlman broadcasting from the Shrine Auditorium and Miss Velma all had a charismatic hold on many in this City.

Sister Aimee

Kathryn Kuhlman

Miss Velma

You can view a video of Miss Velma, soaring above her congregation, dressed as an angel as an example of her impressive theatrics. You can also check out one of her special Christmas Extravaganzas here. I was lucky enough to attend a couple of Miss Velma's Christmas services in the mid-1990's. There were more local musicians in the "congregation" than at a local show at the House of Blues! We were all studying Miss Velma's extensive entertainment expertise.
Think about it, attending a concert or rock performance can be a religious experience. Entertainment and religion go hand-in-hand in Hollywood! Have a fabulous weekend!

F.O.'s *

2011-12-08T14:16:00.000-08:00

*F.O.'s are Finished Objects. I have two to share.

Cowls are very popular this season. A cowl is really just a scarf, joined into a loop. Sometimes they're long and can be wrapped around your neck 2 or 3 times. Sometimes you can cover your head with part of the loop and wrap the rest of it around your neck. Sometimes cowls are short, kind of like a turtleneck without the sweater attached. I like cowls. There's less opportunity to lose one like you might a scarf. You can use any combination of stitch patterns. They are fast and easy projects.

I turned this pile of gorgeous Koigu yarn into the Celadon Lacy Cowl for you-know-who. I only used 1-1/4 skeins of yarn.

Details: Koigu KPPM, 1-1/4 skeins, size G crochet hook. I improvised the beginning of the cowl. the last 6 rows are the edging to Doris Chan's "All Shawl." When looped once around the neck, the cowl is about 28-1/2 inches long. It can easily be wrapped twice around the neck. I hope she likes it!!

My next, super long cowl is made from some very nice yarn that Beth gave me. It's "Amazing" from Lion Brand in the colorway called "Regatta."

I used two skeins, size "I" crochet hook and a stitch pattern that I found in one of my Japanese crochet books. I haven't blocked it yet, but I do like the fluffy nature of this piece. This can be wrapped at least 2 or 3 times around your neck. It measures 3 feet long when hanging around my neck. I definitely have someone in mind for this gift!

Have you finished knitting and/or crocheting your holiday gifties yet?

Festive Farmers Market

2011-12-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Don't you just LOVE those little F. Mkt. Shopping Cart Ornaments?!

The decorations are UP all over town, including our hang-out, the O riginal Farmers Market. Last Friday we met my cousin, Craig and his wife, Linda for dinner at the Market. Craig grew up in the area, but hadn't been to 3rd & Fairfax in years. It's all so nostalgic.

Craig and Linda

We had a great dinner at Singapore's Banana Leaf. After dinner we walked around a bit and browsed at the Shine Gallery. This is a unique shop at the Farmers Market. From the Shine website: We recover GENUINE VINTAGE MEMORABILIA from dusty warehouses, old factories, and closed stores. We search the world over for quantity finds, items from bygone eras in unused condition. Here you will find authentic period items mostly from the 1910s through the 1950s.
It's a very cool store, especially if you're looking for an unusual gift.

Little John's Famous Candy Shop

Craig was craving a bit of sweet, so our next stop was Little John's Candy Shop. Ooooooo, they're expensive, but the candy is exquisite!
So glad that Craig and Linda decided to make the trek from Malibou Lake!

Little Gifties

2011-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

Hand-Crocheted Spa Soap Coat

There are lots of patterns for soap coats on the internets. I've never used a soap coat, cozy or scrubbie....until now! I whipped up this cotton number, slid my fave Trader Joe's Lemon Verbena soap inside and now I'm addicted. The cotton coat/scrubbie has a loose weave, so that the soap suds come through the coat while you're washing. The scrubbie acts as a defoliator, getting rid of all that dead skin. It's a win - win idea.

Here's how I made my Hand-Crocheted Spa Soap Coat:
Materials needed: Size "K" crochet hook; small amount of kitchen cotton.
Instructions: Chain 18 stitches. Single crochet one row, then single crochet around the other side of your chain. Keep going round and round in a spiral, single crocheting in the BACK of the stitch after round 1.
Once you have about 12 rows (or a sack large enough for your soap bar), skip 2 stitches in the center of one row for a hole. When you come to the opposite side of the little sack (center stitch), chain up about 16 stitches, then sc into same stitch to make a loop. Continue in sc until you reach the edge of the little sack. Tie off, weave in end. Pop in your gift soap. Voila! Giftie!

I think I'll crochet the next Spa Soap Coat with the loop at the short end of the soap.

UPDATE: OK, last night I whipped up 3 more Soap Coats, vertically! The only change in the pattern, chain 12, continue for about 17 rows. All the rest of the instructions are the same!

I wouldn't be disappointed if you decided to make one of these for ME this holiday season!!

Historic Homes & Dinner!

2011-12-05T15:20:00.000-08:00

The Crenshaw Mansion

On Saturday Larry treated me to the very festive West Adams Heritage Association Progressive Holiday Dinner and Home Tour to kick off our holiday festivities. This is the 25th year of the tour and it took place in one of the more beautiful areas of Los Angeles, Lafayette Square. This is a photo-heavy post!
I've always loved this area of town. Most of the homes are very stately, usually at least 5,000-6,000 square feet and built in the late teens or early 20's. There are also a number of Mid-Century modern homes in the area, most designed by architect, Paul Williams (who was also a resident).

Interior Detail, Crenshaw Mansion

We chose a 4pm start, which made it possible for us to see half of the homes during daylight hours. Luckily, the weather was fairly mild with only a bit of wind. We registered at the historic Crenshaw Home. WOW! The woodwork in this place is amazing.
Here's the description from the brochure about Lafayette Square:

Originally envisioned by George L. Crenshaw as one of the region’s premier real estate tracts before the area even became a part of Los Angeles in 1909, Lafayette Square’s design was based on European cities, inspired to bring a feeling of tradition and graceful style not widely found in a very young Los Angeles. Crenshaw’s son Charles described the Square, and its central drive, St. Charles Place, as “a ‘Spanish pasear,’ a place where residents could stroll and meet socially.” Over time, Lafayette Square became home to many of Los Angeles’ luminaries including George Pepperdine, Sepulveda family descendent Princess Conchita Pignatelli, Actor Fatty Arbuckle, Alexander Pantages, Norton Simon, boxer Joe Louis, singer Little Richard, and architect Paul R. Williams.

Our tour guide, Susie, first led us to a modern home, built in the 1950's, designed by Paul Williams for the appetizer portion of our progressive meal.

Mid-Century Modern Paul Williams designed home in Lafayette Square

This house is a knockout! It's very different from the classic, older homes in Lafayette Square. The home is still occupied by descendants of the original owners. The appetizers were lovely...hot, cold and zingy. I felt like I was in a Rat-Pack movie while in this house, sipping champagne....very swanky!

Next up, the salad house. Once again, a gorgeous home filled with beautiful antiques.

Drought-Resistant Landscaping at the Salad House

Italianate-Mediterranean style soup house

The soup home housed an incredible collection of Weller Pottery in celadon green! The soup was cream of butternut squash, served in elegant glass mugs.

Weller Pottery Collection in the soup houseThe stately dinner house

The dinner house was not a tour house. However, we did see the exterior, living and dining rooms of this beautiful home. The docents rushed us into the dining area to a yummy dinner, served family style of chicken cacciatore, pasta w/ tomatoes and shaved parmesean, zucchini melange, along with white wine.

My friend and active member of WAHA, Danny Miller was the sommelier at the dinner house. All of the volunteers were really scurrying around to keep the meal on schedule. I heard that there were almost 500 people registered for this event!

Ellen and WAHA volunteer, Danny

Our last stop was an imposing Spanish Colonial Revival home. This style is sometimes referred to as Spanish Romantica. Wow! The towering, beamed ceilings, tile work, built-ins, floors....all were very impressive. The current owners have only lived here for a short time and they are still renovating. I really liked the rustic and "unfinished" look of this place. The owner is an artist and did much of the renovation herself.

Larry at the Spanish Romantica Home

Our dessert was a very rich fudge brownie cake with salted caramel sauce and a touch of whipped cream.

Child Labor at the Romantica Home

All in all, it was a wonderful tour! I urge you to check out the West Adams Heritage Association's website for upcoming events.

Happy Holidays!

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-12-02T11:18:00.001-08:00

I have an attraction to eyeglasses. I need to wear them to see, of course, but I also like to think of them as a fashion accessory. I've written about my frame collection extensively. Throughout recent history, glamorous people have worn glasses.

Sophia Loren

Marilyn Monroe

Edith Head

My idol, Barbie

Fashion icons have designed eyeglass frames:

Then, there's my very own fashion-forward, four-eyed husband, Mr. Larry:

I'm particularly fond of these "Boy Watcher" glasses from 1965 that resemble space-age alien glasses but were really invented so girls could stare discreetly at any young man walking by without being too obvious. They double as a head band. Brilliant!

UCLA Photo Archives

"Granny Glasses" were popular when I was in high school and college....debris from the hippie generation:

I just picked up my new eyeglasses today from Jeff at Westside Opticians. I do love them!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Gifties

2011-12-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

"Pinky" Scarflette

I'm ALMOST done crocheting most of my holiday gifties for this year! Phew! I still have a few soap sweaters and spa cloths to whip up, but they're fast.
Last night I met my good buddy, Rhoda for dinner. She was wearing a very pretty pink Koigu lacy scarf that I crocheted for her last year. I'd totally forgotten about this scarf. It's very lacy and very Rhoda. It looked stunning on her bejeweled black cardigan.

I asked Rho if she'd like another similar scarflette, but in a different color. She wants celadon green. I have very little blue and green yarn in my stash, so I zoomed over to WildFiber at lunchtime today and picked up this gorgeous yarn. I'm going to crochet a different lacy pattern than "Pinky." Can't wait to start! LOVE working with this yarn!

Rhoda's Celadon Green Yarn

Everything Changes

2011-11-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

Roxbury Memorial Park Recreation Center, Beverly Hills

I'd heard that the City of Beverly Hills was going to remodel the Recreation Center at Roxbury Memorial Park.

Roxbury Park was built around 1927-28 in the bean fields that bordered Tenth St. and Roxbury Drive. Tenth Street was what Olympic Boulevard was called before the 1932 Olympics. Also, before the 1932 Olympics, Tenth Street stopped at 20th Century Fox Studios and picked up on the other side as Country Club Drive. Later, 20th added a bridge over Olympic Boulevard to their north lot (now Century City). After 1941 the park was renamed Roxbury Memorial Park to honor Beverly Hills residents who died in battle.

The only history I could find about the park relates to the lawn bowling portion of the park and an overview of all Beverly Hills parks. Here are some really nice photos of what the park looks like today.

Roof Overhang at the Rec Center

The plan to remodel the Rec Center includes adding classrooms, offices, a multi-use large room, updated kitchen facilities, a gymnasium and more. They will be changing the existing building (1958) quite a bit.

I spent my youth at Roxbury Park. We lived on Bedford Drive, one block over. It was like our backyard. We had picnics and birthday parties there. We played and climbed trees at the Park. When I was older I played tennis on its courts and took tap dancing at the Rec Center. I've always loved the clean, modern architecture of the Rec Center. I wonder who designed it? Does anyone know?

Mid-1960's Planter Benches in the Courtyard of the Rec Center

Larry and I stopped by the Rec Center over the weekend to snap a few shots before they tear the place apart. Sigh.

Ken and Ellen Bloom, Roxbury Park, 1955
(before the current Rec Center was built!)

UPDATE 12/2/11: The fantastic, Mr. Chris Nichols found an article about the opening of the Rec Center, including the names of the architects and construction company! Thanks so much Chris!!

Holidays!

2011-11-29T12:02:00.001-08:00

Knit Menorah Pillow for Chanukah

OK! Time to gear up for Chanukah and Christmas! There are tons of knit and crochet patterns out there for the celebration. Some patterns are excellent, some...not so much. Here are a few:

Christmas Elf that will either delight or scare the kids Hanukkkah Gift Bag
The bag is nice, but the unfortunate choice of ribbon in the
Greek Key design that resembles a swastika is not a good thing
Christmas Tree Duo
LOVE those thread spool tree trunks!
Felted Chanukah Dreidel
Not sure if these would spin properly, but they're cuteHoliday Hat! My all-time favorite

Hey! Isn't it time to start planning our WeHoHoHo Holiday Hat Party, Ms. Natalie?

Mini Traffic

2011-11-28T14:47:00.001-08:00

Super-Mini in West L.A.

It was lovely driving around Los Angeles over the 4-day Thanksgiving weekend. There wasn't any TRAFFIC!!! After barely surviving my tortuous hour+ drives home from work (east Santa Monica to Mid-City L.A....8 miles) at 6pm every night last week, it was such a pleasure to be able to drive from downtown L.A. to Santa Monica in 20 minutes over the weekend!!
I spotted this adorable little Mini-Mini Cooper on eastbound Olympic Boulevard near Westwood Blvd. on Wednesday afternoon. The side of the car had a Classic Coca-Cola logo on it. This car was super-mini with a super tall guy driving it!

His "other car" is a yoga mat! Hahahahaha!

Thankful

2011-11-25T09:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving, 2011, Del Rey Yacht Club

Thanksgiving with my family yesterday was wonderful. Once again we celebrated the day at the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey. We reserved a private dining room for our large group. That way, we could really talk, hang-out and the kids could run around without bothering the rest of the club members in the large dining area.

We had a full house last night with relatives coming from the San Francisco area, Oregon, San Diego and just around the corner in L.A. There were almost 30 of us in attendance. It's great seeing everyone and seeing how all of the kids have grown! Here are a few highlights from our evening.

Amelie

Avery

Brooke, Roz and Hal
Liz wore this goregous scarf!

John, Carolyn and Mae

Lots of laughs! Larry and Karen

Happy Thanksgiving! With love from Ellen and Larry

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:16:00.000-08:00

Placemat by Rachel van Schie

I'm soooooo lucky! No cooking or clean-up for me! However, I do get to see my family and enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving feast. Thank you to the people who work on this day so that we may have a day of togetherness. I hope everyone has a wonderful celebration.
I'll be knitting, crocheting and reading today, before we leave for our turkey party. Here are a few seasonal patterns courtesy of Ravelry.

Thanksgiving Turkey Tea Cozy by Angela Catirina
Gobble Turkey Hat by Robin Croninger

Empty Office

2011-11-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

Empty Lobby Today

I arrived at my Santa Monica office this sunny November morning to find an almost EMPTY suite! Yes, we're leaving early today, but what's the deal with taking the whole day off! Sheesh!

The phones are quiet. The lobby is devoid of people. Computer screens are dark. I brought in bagels for the few of us here.

This is what our lobby looks like on a normal work day

Busy Lobby

yeah, we always have carolers, don't you?

Empty Office

Bagels for the Suffering Workers

Yahoo Center, Santa Monica

One thing about the Thanksgiving weekend, the traffic yesterday was horrible and I expect it to be awful today too! I travel 8 miles from home to work. It usually takes me anywhere from 15-35 minutes to get home. Last night it took me one hour and 45 minutes to travel the 8 miles! Ack! It was grueling. I plan to stay close to home for the rest of the weekend. We're having T-Giving dinner tomorrow night with my family in Marina del Rey. Have a wonderful, safe and happy holiday weekend!

Thanksgiving, Beverly Hills, 1956

Seen Around Town

2011-11-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I always take photos as I drive around our beautiful City. Here are a few recent snapshots.

6th Street Bridge, L.A.

Test Run for New Expo Line, viewed from La Cienega Blvd.

Old and New Houses, Lincoln Hts., L.A.

Seating at Chabelita Restaurant, L.A.Vintage Cadillac, La Cañada, CAMural, near 5th St., Downtown L.A.

Sunday Lunch @The Churchill

2011-11-21T15:16:00.001-08:00

Julie's Birthday!

Yesterday, in the POURING rain, the Sometimes Sunday Crochet Group convened to celebrate Julie's b-day! We all met at Beth's house, then Beth's chivalrous husband, Larry A., shuttled us over to the Orlando Hotel for lunch. The Churchill is the new restaurant/pub at the Orlando.
There was a private party in the upstairs dining room that had the music cranked up to high, but Beth had reserved us a private booth downstairs, away from most of the madness. After awhile, the booming party music subsided, thankfully!

Divine Bloody Mary

The Churchill has a patio....not used on rainy Sunday. There's a bar, lots of TVs tuned to football games and a high-tech, but woodsy decor....kind of new-age Brit. Most of the time, we took pictures of ourselves, our food and giggled a lot!

Lori and Carol

Julie and Beth

Natalie and Ellen

The brunch/lunch menu features many choices: Omelets, sandwiches, soups, salads, entrees and more. Below are some of our lunch items.

Cheeseburger

Grilled Cheese Sammi and Soup

Flat-Iron Steak Sandwich

After lunch, Chauffeur Larry A. picked us up so we wouldn't have to walk the 2 blocks in the rain back to Beth's house. Julie opened her gifts, we all had yummy lemon b-day cake prepared by Beth and had a wonderful afternoon crocheting away! That's MY kind of Sunday!!!

Carol, Lori & Natalie in Beth's Cozy KitchenNatalie and Beth

Julie and Carol
Beth's and Carol's Sweet Eleanor Scarves

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-11-18T16:38:00.000-08:00

Chefs preparing for the Thanksgiving Feast, Statler HIlton Hotel, Los Angeles, Herald Examiner, 1955

The Los Angeles Statler operated for many years as the Statler Hilton, then the Omni Los Angeles and is now known as The Wilshire Grand Hotel. It was built in 1952. I've heard that it's future is uncertain!!
Are you ready for Thanksgiving next Thursday? All 30 of us will be celebrating once again at the Del Rey Yacht Club. It's always lots of fun getting together and seeing all of the kids, my cousins, Aunties, etc. I do miss having a home-made T-giving meal, but I don't miss the preparation and clean-up!! What are you plans this year?

On the Lighter Side

2011-11-17T18:18:00.001-08:00

The Golden Goop Pots

Since this blog is mostly about ME, ME and ME (that's what blogs are, right?), I'll tell you what I've been doing this week. I took off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from work. Wednesday was dentist day....having all those old silver fillings replaced with spiffy new ivory colored ones! Ack! The novocaine made me feel like a stroke victim!
Today I did some errands around town and then went to the hairdresser. I was in need of a haircut. I haven't dyed my hair brown in over 2 months, so lots of gray hair was showing. Yes, I'm old.

Ready for Take-Off, Captain!

Well, I decided NOT to dye my hair brown. After cutting most of my brown hair off, I still had a bit of the brown on top, so my hairdresser, Alfredo added some golden highlights to the brown and now I have tri-colored hair! It's wild. I'm not used to it yet, but I think I might actually like the gray hair when it grows in completely. I'm going for that Paula Deen look one day....maybe!

Shocking, yes?

Windy Saturday

2011-11-16T12:34:00.000-08:00

It was windy and coolish last Saturday. I met my WeHo SnB group at 10am, Original Farmers Market, for our once-a-month yarn-fest. We always have a great time together. My friend, Suzette and I had pre-arranged a lunch date after the SnB. Suzette came over to our house so I could show her my MANY granny square and crocheted objects in all of their yarny goodness. Then, we walked down to Bloom Cafe for lunch. I do wish I was related to the folks at Bloom Cafe. It's a wonderful, casual spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner, right in our neighborhood! We go there often. Suzette ordered the chilaquiles with quinoa....not exactly traditionally made, but tasty.

I had the spinach and bacon eggs benedict with a hint of chipotle spice in the hollandaise sauce. Yummers! Suzette and I had a nice afternoon of chatting, eating and talking endlessly about yarn!!!

Thanks for a fun morning and afternoon, Suzette!
Later in the afternoon I zoomed out to Santa Monica for the Fairview Knitters Group. I certainly love windy, yarny weekends!

Suzette gazes out at cold, windy Pico Boulevard

Yarny Inspiration

2011-11-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

Holiday gift time is upon us. I have most of my MAJOR gifts taken care of. There are a few small items that I need to either make or buy. I also have a number of friends with January birthdays! I've been perusing the pattern section on Ravelry for inspiration. I've found a few intriguing small gift items:

Tesselations by Tracy St. John

Loken by Shelby Allaho

Christmas Angels by Roswitha Mueller

Incognito by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark

Ballband Soap Sock by Lisa Clark

Patchwork Festival

2011-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

On Sunday I stopped by the Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts Festival at Helms Bakery in Culver City. I do love this location. It seems there are a few empty showrooms on the property, so the festival was actually held in 3 different showrooms, across from the original Helms Bakery.

There was a great range of artisans present, selling their wares. I was very impressed by the variety of items and craftsmanship. Since I consider myself a crafter, I usually do not purchase items at these types of events. I do take photos and steal many ideas though. "It's hard out here for a crafter....." Not an easy way to make a living. Most of the items that I saw were reasonably priced, considering the time that goes into making each piece.

The sun was shining, the place was packed with people, food trucks were parked nearby and everyone had a lovely afternoon!

Granny Baskets made from torn t-shirts

Oven Mitts

photos for your holiday cardscrocheted animal head pillowsvariety of food choicesglass ringsI'm totally stealing this dish cloth tag!

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-11-11T12:17:00.001-08:00

2451 Barry Ave., West L.A., 1940

The other day my cousin, Barbara called me. She's editing a memoir that her Dad, Mort is writing about his life. Mort is the last surviving brother of 3 (Mort, George [my Dad] and Hi). Mort is 94 years old!

Barbara was looking for some Bloom family archival photos to add to the memoir. Since I'm the keeper of most of the family photos, I was able to honor Barbara's request for a photograph of the Bloom family home in West Los Angeles. I drove by the old house that very morning and snapped a current photo. The house has since been divided up into apartments, but it really looks almost the same as it did years ago.

2451 Barry Ave., West L.A., 2011

As the story goes, my Grandfather had this house built during the depression...around 1933-34. Lawrence A. Bloom was an attorney. This was the depression however, so he wasn't exactly rolling in the dough. Grandpa called in many favors and performed legal services for all of the tradesmen he knew in order to have the house built. I do like the Streamline Moderne lines of this house.
Grandma and Grandpa moved from Barry Avenue toward the end of WW II. I have a picture of my brother as a tiny baby in 1945 in front of their next and last residence in Hollywood.
Today is Veteran's Day and it happens to also be 11-11-11. In honor of the Bloom brothers and their service to our country, below is a photo from March, 1946 of the boys in their uniforms. Thank you and Happy Veteran's Day.

Mort, Hi and George Bloom, Hollywood, March, 1946

At Home with History

2011-11-10T14:20:00.001-08:00

Rosenkrantz Apartments, Windsor Village

On Sunday Larry and I attended Los Angeles Conservancy's "At Home With History" tour, exploring the historic preservation overlay zones (HPOZs) of Country Club Park, Wilshire Park and Windsor Village.
It rained like crazy late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. We left the house on a drizzly morning. Once we arrived at the first location, the clouds parted and the skies began to clear. Phew! This tour was sold out, so I didn't want rain to spoil the day.
Larry took all of the house photos for the brochure, so he was aware of many of the architectural details of the homes we visited. It's always nice to tour with an expert.
First stop, Windsor Village's Rosenkrantz Apartments, built in 1936. We were one block from the Wilshire Ebell Theater. One unit was empty so it was perfect for touring. Louis Selden designed the courtyard twin buildings in the French Eclectic style. I LOVE this style. I have called it Normandy style, but I'm glad to learn an alternate term for this type of building with round towers, turrets, leaded-glass windows and decorative iron work. These apartments are all two levels with beautiful and original features of tiled kitchens and bathrooms and all sorts of built-ins. The vacant apartment currently rents for $2,500 per month.

Prairie Style Home, Windsor Village

We were not supposed to photograph any of the interiors in the tour homes, but I could not help sneaking a few snaps. Next stop in Windsor Village was a beautifully restored Prairie style home on So. Windsor Blvd. This was my favorite of all the homes on the tour because it comes closest to the sleek, modern mid 20th-century style that I like. I could definitely see myself living in this house.

Prairie Home Dining Room

The owner of the home grew up in the house. He and his wife have really gone overboard to update but preserve this home. Their pottery and furniture collections are fabulous!

We zoomed over to Third Avenue in Wilshire Park for our next tour. This is a Spanish Colonial Revival home built in 1926. This home was recently featured in the Los Angeles Times Home Section. You can see more photos here.

Spanish Colonial Revival Home, Wilshire Park
check out that coral tree!

The owners have kept the exterior classic. Inside they have painted every room a different color, accenting their collection of international folk art.

Original Fireplace, Wilshire ParkThe Mexican tiled swimming pool and loggia in the backyard are outstanding.

Time for lunch! We motored down Western Avenue to our favorite stand for fish tacos, Chabelita's!!! We love this place. The food is fresh and cheap. It's amazing what you get for $5! How can you not love all of the murals at Chabelita's? The building is a work of art!

Cogswell Craftsman Home, Country Club Park

Next stop, Country Club Park and the Horatio Cogswell House. WOW! This place is really amazing. It's a perfect Craftsman style home with lots of wood paneling, built-ins, stained glass window and beautiful fixtures. The owners have been collecting furniture and objects of this style for years and have placed them in their home. I do remember being at this house a couple of years ago with my friend, Rhoda for an estate sale. They've done tons of work since then!

Cogswell Home Interior

Milbank Mansion, Country Club Park

The biggest home and highlight of Country Club Park was touring the Milbank Mansion, built in 1913. This house has 11,000 square feet of space, in addition to extensive grounds which include a sunken garden, swimming pool, tennis court and rolling lawns. It's on a knoll on Arlington Avenue, between Pico and Olympic. I used to drive by this house all the time. It's used in films and TV shows, so it was immediately recognizable.

WOW! This is one grand, Italian Renaissance mansion designed by G. Lawrence Stimson who also designed the Wrigley Mansion in Pasadena, also known as the headquarters for the Tournament of Roses.

Backyard, Milbank Mansion w/Annie Laskey of the LAC

Historic Photo of the Milbank Mansion

Our final stop was South Bronson, an apple green Mediterranean Revival-style house built in 1919.

Bronson Avenue Mediterranean Home, Wilshire Park

Large rooms and beautiful plaster moldings give this home a spacious and villa-like ambiance. The current owners have decorated their home with many artifacts and furnishings from India. The walls are brightly painted to highlight the architectural details.

Bronson Avenue, Indian-style furnishings and decoration

I'm totally exhausted just writing about this tour!!! It was a very well-researched and presented tour. Thanks to the Los Angeles Conservancy for organizing another great day! Do check their website for upcoming events!

The Red Scarf Project

2011-11-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

As Thanksgiving approaches, we should all have some free time on our hands AFTER dinner. I wanted to let you all know that the Orphans Foundation of America is collecting red scarves for their project! I've completed one red scarf to donate to this worthy cause. From the website: OFA launched a unique initiative to warm the hearts (and necks) of college-bound foster youth. We began taking donations of handmade red scarves to put into our Valentine's Day Care Packages for young adults who have left the foster care system.
Here are the particulars about your scarf donation:
Scarf Size: Approximately 60" long and 5" to 8" wide. Scarves should be long enough to be wrapped around the neck, with tails long enough to be tied in the front.
Style: Think unisex collegiate. Ask yourself if your son, brother, and/or husband would enjoy receiving the scarf. Fringes are optional. Your scarf should drape and tie easily.
Yarn: Preferably DK, double fingering-weight, worsted weight, or light bully yarns. No laceweight, super-chunky, or mohair yarns as there are many people who find mohair too itchy. The yarn should be soft.
Color: Red! However, this could mean burgundy, cherry, russet, red stripes with other colors, or multicolor hues including red. Other unisex colors, including black, navy, teal, olive or gold are also welcome.
Finished and tagged: Yarn ends should be securely sewn in. For a personal touch, attach a tag saying "Handmade for You" with your first name, city, and group affiliation, if any. Donors have also included washing instructions, messages of encouragement, gift cards, etc.

Co-Worker, Matt models my red scarf donation

Deadline is December 15, 2011. Check out the site for pattern ideas. The deadline is December 15th. You can mail your scarves here:
Orphan Foundation of America
The Red Scarf Project
21351 Gentry Drive
Sterling, VA 20166
There are other ways to donate to the OFA if you do not knit or crochet. Check out the website AGAIN!My red scarf donation is crocheted with Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn, Scarlet, standard V-Stitch, using a size "K" crochet hook. There is a fabulous knit pattern, "On the Quad Scarf," in "Craft Activism," designed by Rebecca Hatcher. You can download the pattern here, FREE!

Crafty Saturday

2011-11-08T12:05:00.001-08:00

Loop & Leaf Yarn Shop, Santa Barbara

On Saturday I headed up to Santa Barbara to participate in a book signing and trunk show for "Craft Activism." Author, Joan Tapper was in attendance with a few of the items from the book. I was the only crafter there, so I brought tons of my granny square items to show.

Ellen's Granny Extravaganza

Author, Joan Tapper

Crocheter, Bernie and Shop Owner, Celeste

The Loop & Leaf is a darling little shop, just off the main drag in Santa Barbara. They are many luscious yarns, nice people and plenty of places to sit.

Joan and I met at the shop and dropped off all of our yarny stuff. We headed over to Los Arroyos for a yummy lunch before our talk.

From 1-3pm we showed off our wares, talked about and sold copies of the book and demonstrated the versatility of granny squares. We met lots of great knitters and crocheters at the Loop & Leaf. I even ran into an old friend from my music days in L.A., during the early 90's!! It's a small, yarny world!!

Joan, modelling Lisa Anne Auerbach's Sharrow Sweater

When you're in Santa Barbara, be sure to stop by the Loop & Leaf. You'll love it!

La Luz de Jesus - 25

2011-11-07T16:14:00.001-08:00

Billy Shire opened part 2 of his huge 25th anniversary art show celebration this past Friday at his gallery, La Luz de Jesus. Larry and I met Brit there to view the art and people-watch! We knew many of the artists in the show. It was a lively scene.

Brit and the Cake Skelly

We always have a great time at La Luz/Wacko/Soap Plant! The show continues through November 27th. Be sure to drop by and see it!

Photographer, Larry Underhill and Artist, Dale Sizer

Artist, Danny Heller

Gallery Owner, Billy Shire

In addition to all of the great artwork, I was obsessed with watching this woman. I just love how she put herself together. She was a walkin'-talkin' work of art!

To see more photos of the event, click here.

Ellen and Brit

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-11-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

Granny's In Da House! Grannies ARE the house?

Today, all I can think about is TOMORROW! I'll be at the Loop & Leaf yarn shop in Santa Barbara with Joan Tapper. We'll be talking about the newly released book, "Craft Activism." Joan is the author, Gale Zucker is the photographer and I'm featured in one chapter on GRANNY SQUARES!!!
I've gathered tons of my granny square creations to illustrate how granny squares are the building blocks to fashion! If you're in the area, do drop by. We'll be at the Loop & Leaf from 1-3pm, 536 Brinkerhoff Ave., near downtown Santa Barbara.

Below are a few vintage granny items found on the interwebs:

Vintage Granny Vest

Cozy Granny Poncho

Clint is HAWT in this granny vest!

Inspiration

2011-11-03T14:19:00.001-07:00

Mary-Heather's Granny Infinity Cowl

Now that the weather is a bit cooler, I've been tagging and queuing lots of patterns on Ravelry. I'm always interested in patterns that utilize modular construction, like granny squares. Mary-Heather, the Godmother of Ravelry just posted a really cute cowl she calls Infinity Granny Cowl. There is no written pattern, but M-H explains how to put together the granny squares on her Ravelry Project page. I LOVE this! Just one more wonderful thing to do with my faves, granny squares!
Here are a few more patterns that have inspired me lately:

This is a doll-sized copy of George Nelson's 1956 designed Marshmallow Sofa. LOVE IT! I do believe that my vintage Barbie dolls need to have one of these!

Bubbly Sofa by Clara Bavarri

Copenhagen Jacket by Tammy Hildebrand Incognito by Mercedes Tarasovich-ClarkTwisty Rolly Headband by Sara Dudek

Time to get crankin' on those holiday gifties!!! Are you kniting and/or crocheting gifts for friends and family this season?

Dia de los Muertos

2011-11-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Art Class Muertos by Tony de Carlo

Today is Dia de los Muertos or All Souls' Day. This is basically an observance to remember the dead. You can read some of the customs and history here.
My friend, artist Tony de Carlo paints a new Dia de Los Muertos painting every year. Here are a few of my favorites:

Surfing Muertos by Tony de CarloAmerican Muertos by Tony de CarloCalle de Calavera by Tony de CarloMichael Jackson en Dia de los Muertos by Tony de Carlo

Have a sugar skull and a pan dulce for me!

Craft Activism @The Loop & Leaf

2011-11-01T12:09:00.000-07:00

Granny Greenbag, photo by Gale Zucker

FIELD TRIP!!! On Saturday I'll be traveling up the coast to Santa Barbara. I'm appearing with author, Joan Tapper at the Loop & Leaf Yarn Shop for a book signing and lecture. I'll be talking about my chapter in the book, "Craft Activism" and how crocheted granny squares are the building blocks to fashion! Joan will be talking about the entire book, "people, ideas and projects from the new community of handmade and how you can join in."

I do not have the original Granny Greenbag tote that I crocheted for the book, but I have many similar projects that I will be bringing along to show how versatile the modular granny square can be in fashioning household items and clothing.
I visited Loop & Leaf in May 2010 with my yarny friends for a photography workshop for knitters given by the photographer of "Craft Activism," Gale Zucker. It was a great day. We learned a lot and it was wonderful just being in the Loop & Leaf environment. The shop is located just off the main drag near downtown Santa Barbara in a charming little house filled with delicious yarn! I'm really looking forward to this event.

Here are a few of the items I'll probably bring for the trunk show.

Bucket Bag Version of Granny Greenbag Tote

Babette Granny Afghan

Small Granny Tote

Lace Granny Panel

Granny Pillows

Mosaic Granny AfghanGranny Beret

So, if you're in the Santa Barbara area on Saturday, drop by the Loop & Leaf Yarn Shop for a granny-a-go-go extravaganza!

A Very Busy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

So far, we've attended three Halloween parties....three separate costumes. I'm exhausted and Halloween isn't over yet! Oy!

First Party, WeHo Stitch 'n Witch. Larry wore one of his Forest J Ackerman Dr. Acula t-shirts . I was a Sophisticated Kitty.

Dr. Acula

Sophisticated Kitty

Second Party, Wilshire Vista Halloween Haunt. Larry is the official photographer for this neighborhood block party so he just wore his Chevy Fez so he'd be free of costume restraints for heavy-duty photo work. I wore a version of the Dia de los Muertos Posada artwork...sort of like a Victorian Skeleton.

Chevy Fez Photographer

Posada Calavera Elena de Wilshire Vista

Third Party: At a private home. The theme was Amityville High School Prom Night, "Forever Young." This was a few too many themes for a Halloween party for me! Larry paid no attention to the theme and fashioned a "Richard Harrow" prosthetic for his face, much like the one worn by this character in the HBO Series, "Boardwalk Empire." I tried to adhere to the party theme a bit and wore my vampire version of the Material Girl from the 1980's....more like the Material Matron!

Richard "Larry" Harrow

The Material Matron

Tonight is actually Halloween! I'm sure Larry will wear his scary prosthetic face mask to frighten the kidlets. I'm wearing my kitty ears and regular clothes. That's it. I'm done. It's over until next year!! Happy Hallowween!

Vintage Photo Friday

2011-10-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

Venice Beach, California, 1936

photo courtesy of L.A. Public Library Photo Archives

I've been reading about the history of Venice Beach. It seems that there have always been special events scheduled for this beach community, ever since it became a tourist attraction in 1905, engineered by tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney. One of the major events, prior to World War II was the Venice Mardi Gras. The notation accompanying this photo in the L.A. Public Library Photo Archives says that this masked woman may be part of the Venice Mermaid Mardi Gras, 1936!

Halloween is this coming Monday. There are lots of Halloween parties, parades and festivals to attend this weekend in the L.A. area. Have you prepared your costume yet?
We celebrated Halloween early last night at the West Hollywood Stitch 'n Bitch, Original Farmers Market. This year's theme was Fairy Tales. There were three categories for prizes: Best costume/Fairy Tale; Best Costume/Yarny; Best Costume/Overall. I was just too busy this year to be very creative in yarn or the special category, so I put together a Sophisticated Kitty outfit. We had a great time. To see more photos and the contest winners, check out my Facebook album.

Happy Halloween.....Meowwww!

Hamburger Hamlet

2011-10-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

9201 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood

It's the end of an era. The very last Hamburger Hamlet restaurant in L.A. proper is closing. At one time there were about a dozen Hamburger Hamlets in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and the surrounding areas. The only two left in California are the ones in Sherman Oaks and Pasadena.

Last night Larry and I had dinner at the Hamlet on Sunset Blvd. just inside the West Hollywood border, near Beverly Hills. The very first HH was located just down the block from this incarnation, near the Whiskey-a-Go-Go. The Hamlet has been in business since 1950. Here's a great story about the history of HH, how Marilyn and Harry Lewis revolutionized casual dining in Los Angeles AND a couple of recipes.

Original Hamlet w/black & white striped awning on Sunset @ Hilldale, WeHo

Growing up in Beverly Hills, my parents often frequented the Hamlets on South Beverly Drive and on North Bedford Drive. I was a classmate of David Lewis, one of the sons of the founders, Marilyn and Harry Lewis. We often saw the Lewis' at the Hamlet, running around, checking to see if everything was handled well. It was a Beverly-Hi hang-out. We all had our favorite dishes. The Lewis' sold the HH chain years ago, but the remaining restaurants still served the same delicious food. After the sale of the Hamlet, Harry and Marilyn opened another successful restaurant in Beverly Hills, Kate Mantilini, that David and his brother Adam now operate. There's also a branch in Woodland Hills. It's a lovely place too, but has a different ambiance than good ol', comfy, clubby Hamburger Hamlet.

Tap Room, Hamburger Hamlet, Sunset 2011

Last night we ordered the Lobster Bisque, served with garlic cheese toast. We split the Mushroom Burger and substituted cheddar for swiss cheese. Everything was delicious. The only menu item missing from my youth was Egg Custard Lulu!

Lobster Bisque w/ Garlic Cheese Toast

Mushroom Burger

We might just have to make the trek out to Sherman Oaks or Pasadena for our next Lobster Bisque fix!