Stitches West

Bright and early this morning I boarded the Capitol Corridor "Stitch & Ride" train headed for the Stitches West knitting convention in Santa Clara. I was accompanied by several members of my local Knitting Meet-up group, the Chicks with Sticks. I've only been knitting for about a year so this was my first foray into the arena of hobbies popular enough to pack a convention center.

This was not your grandmother's knitting convention (if there ever was such a thing). It was not full of grey-haired grannies in doily-covered ponchos. (ok, well maybe a couple). There were knitters of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and fiber preferences (& even some men!). There were hundreds of different vendors hawking their wares. Everything from basic wool & cotton yarns to exotic (& pricey) blends of quivet (musk-oxen), camel & alpaca. They also had numerous classes on everything from basic knitting technique, to making your own argyle socks. I took a basic cables class and learned a lot in a short time - at least enough to get me over my fear of patterns with cables.

I had a great time knitting on the train with my pals and shopping for the perfect super-soft palette-pleasing yarn, however, I would recommend this trip only to the true fiber fiends among us. So much color and texture all in one place could lead to yarn-overload. My friend Greta likened it to an acid trip (though she claimed it was not based on personal experience). Disorienting indeed.

Issues

I tried to go to this magazine store on Friday after work, but the neighborhood it's in is quite trendy and packed on a friday evening, so I had to abandon my mission after circling around for a parking space for 15 minutes. From the peek in the window I got from driving by, it looked like it might be good.

Ancil Hoffman Park, Carmichael, CA

I came here with a couple of friends for a lecture on reading topographical maps. The guy giving the lecture was a little unprepared and a lot apologetic, but it was worth going to.

The hiking at this park is best described by my 60 hikes in 60 miles book - "Cakewalk." The flat short trails go out to the river, and provide much wildlife viewing (we saw a ton of deer, lots of birds, and a coyote). This is an excellent place to bring kids. There is awildlife education center on the grounds as well with live examples of snakes, owls, and birds.

Cafe Leila

In Berkeley, I met a friend here for lunch. It has an awesome patio, and the atmosphere is good. Food was good, but a little swanky, their idea of a cheesesteak sandwich is not my idea of a cheesesteak sandwich.

Oakland Color

Went to this paint supply location to get stuff for my class.