Yarn Shopping: Taos, New Mexico

Here are some pics from my day in Taos, New Mexico. I visited 2 knitting shops Moxie Yarn and More and MoonCat Fibers. Both great shops. I bought this beautiful rainbow merino/nylon mix from Prime Yarns at Mooncat Fibers. It is hand dyed and comes with a cute quote on the inside of the label . Too bad I was dumb and made a huge mess of rolling the ball up. Kicking myself right now as I have in 2/3 untangled and that alone took me 3 hours. Ugh!

We also got to head to the Taos Pueblos, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The native peoples still live in adobe houses with no electricity or running water. The village was quite peaceful.

Good bye Taos and hello Santa Fe ☺️

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Grand Canyon

*this post has been amended.

There are no words for the beauty I saw today. The Grand Canyon has been on my list of places I need to get to. Believe me it is a must see! The size, the bends and folds in the rocks seemed unreal. I was really inspired by the purples, red, and oranges of the rocks. We did a short 3 mile hike on Bright Angel Trail. It took us longer than expected as the trail was quite icy. We also walked about a mile on the Rim Trail, which gave the best views into the Canyon. Both the boyfriend and I agreed we have to return to hike along the canyon floor. Next stop Taos, NM!

On the Road

I convinced my boyfriend that we should take a road trip over our holiday break. We decided on the Grand Canyon and Northern New Mexico. The Grand Canyon has been on my list of places to get to in the USA for awhile.  So 12 hours later we made it to Flagstaff, AZ! The drive was really not that bad. There was lots of interesting scenery to admire. I also passed the time with my new Christmas toy! Santa brought me a Wonder Knitter. I wanted to make some projects with i-cord and this is a simple little tool to help the job along. The tool is easy to use, but the tension is a little loose. Look forward to future posts of my completed projects 🙂 Next stop…Grand Canyon!

   

 

Hills in Southern California

The highway never ends!

More Hills!

 

 

 

Play Time!

Santa came to my house early! I received a new iPhone 5 S for Christmas and couldn’t be more happy. The bad news:  I have turned into one of those people who is obsessed with being on their phone. I tried out my new camera on a walk around the American River in Sacramento, CA.

Wishing those who celebrate a very Merry Christmas 🙂

Hats for the Homeless

In my eyes, giving back to your community is one of the most important things. Sometimes I feel that this is  only really emphasized  around the holiday season. However, giving back should be a year round thing. I know that I have made strong efforts this year to give back to my community by volunteering at the food bank and making donations to organizations for those who need extra assistance. One of the most surprising things about living in San Francisco is the number of homeless people around. It is a sad thing to see someone out on the street, especially when it gets cold. So for the Christmas season I decided to donate some knit hats to St. Anthony’s San Francisco. This organization provides food, clothing, and other services to homeless people in the SF community. Going into the new year, I hope to continue to dedicate my time and/or talents to those in need.

Here is a link to some other organizations in need of knit items. If you know of some other organizations looking for donations of any kind please post contact info in the comments.

Catching Crabs

What time is it? Crab season in San Francisco! It was a little chilly out, but the delish crab was worth it 🙂 yum!

Seagull trying to beat the wind on the pier

Dog vs. Crab…who will win?

Dungeness Crab? Yes please!

New Stitch

My lovely aunt and one of the best knitters I know, sent me an early Christmas present. She is great at helping me build my knitting library. This year she so kindly gifted me Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Gosh I love this book! It has over 500 stitch patterns to choose from.  Here is my first selection:

Purl-Twist Fabric Pattern from Barbara Walker

Kid’s Crafts

During the day I work as a speech therapist for preschool and elementary school students. One of the ways to keep students interested and developing language skills is surprisingly crafts. Rarely do I meet a kid who doesn’t love gluing and cutting and making a mess. However, I usually only have 30 minutes with them, therefore quick crafts are a must. As I was perusing Pintrest, I saw this Popsicle snowman. I remember making one of those!  This quick craft is an oldie but a goodie. Plus he reminds me of my favorite Nickelodeon character Stick Stickly from back in the day.

How to make “Frosty the Stick Snowman”

You need: Craft Sticks, liquid glue, construction paper, gems or buttons, a marker, scissors

Supplies needed

1)Use the scissors to cut the construction paper into a top hat , nose, and scarf.

2) Draw on the eyes and the mouth using a black marker.

3) Glue on the accessories. Gems or buttons can add a snazzier effect to the body.

4)Your Done!

How can I use Frosty?

• Attach a string to the top of the stick and make an ornament.
• Use as a gift tag. Write the “To” and “From” on the bottom portion of the craft stick.
• Teachers can use this as a turn taking tool. Have each student write their name on the back and stick them all in a jar. When it is time for turn taking activities pull out one snowman to see whose turn it is.
• Use them as a manipulative during circle time songs or stories. They would also be a great counting tool.
• Have your own snowman puppet show! Encourage the children to create their own winter stories and have the snowmen act them out.

Finished Work!