Monday, February 18, 2013

Crazy Cowl and Urban Legend ~


It's been a particularly hard stretch of work lately and so a little down time in San Clemente has been welcome.  I'm never as relaxed as I am in San Clemente, maybe because we don't take Simcha with us.  As adorable as he is, he has a lot of energy and likes to run our household rather like a military compound.  For example, if we aren't up by 7 am he will bark until he hears us moving about and he keeps us on a schedule all day long.  Personally I prefer a more flexible lifestyle, but I lost that vote.  Sometimes I think Simcha would be happy if our day began with a bugle roll call.  But I'm not buying him a bugle.  He's bossy enough as it is.


These pictures are of my new cowl taken at sunset along the San Clemente Coastal Trail that connects North Beach with the Pier and beyond.  This trail is a great asset to the community and everyone uses it to walk their dog, ride bikes or jog while enjoying beautiful views of the coastline.


Particulars:  September Circle by Melissa LaBarre (Knitting School Dropout); 1 skein Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Yarn; US 7 circular Needles; modified as follows:  CO 180 stitches; only knit 3 repeats.  I also spliced the colors so that the center had a stripe of light blue yarn just because I thought that would look nicer.  This cowl was a fun and easy knit with fingerling weight yarn so it gives a nice pop of color without a lot of weight which works perfectly with our climate and a sunset walk at the beach.




Simcha and an Urban legend


I was touched that some of the comments on the last post mentioned missing hearing about Simcha. That makes me happy as I love sharing our adventures together.  So I'll share what is probably my favorite picture of him taken at a special place where we often hike. There's a local urban legend that when Jimi Hendrix (guitar player blues/rock style, e.g. Hey Joe) lived in Topanga Canyon he would come to this place to compose and play his music. I have no idea if this is true or not but I do know it has mind blowing views and it is a popular place to party and play music.

Until next time, be well and love well and be sure to take breaks from your regular routine as everyone needs to be flexible.

13 comments:

SissySees said...

Beautiful cowl, beautiful you, but that last photo steals the show. Fantastic photography of an impressive canine!

... and Gretchen is the regimented soul in our home. Sissy is maturing into a proper (lazy) basset. Sure, she still likes to walk or run several miles daily, but she's content to sleep in most mornings while the wild wee one believes the day starts at 6am. Never mind that it's 6:45 on work days and ... could be as late as 8:30 (time for Sissy's eye drop) if only she'd allow it.

gMarie said...

Beau and Abby think Simcha has the right idea with the bugle call in the morning. They are only a tiny bit flexible with their dinner being late, but breaky - no way!

Love that pretty cowl. I hope work has settled down for you again. You look relaxed and beautiful as always on the beach at sunset. g

Willow said...

Is Simcha sensing Jimi's presence or is he noticing a rabbit in the canyon?

Love that cowl! I have been hankering to knit another cowl and I may have found my pattern!

Gail said...

Beautiful Cowl Claudia! I love the colors, and it looks soo good on you! Does it ever rain there? All your pictures are of sunny days! I envy you.......Simcha is such a handsome fellow!

Jules said...

Beautiful cowl! And the picture of Simcha is fabulous. Is it hanging somewhere in your house? It looks like he's pondering something weighty--how to get hold of that bugle, perhaps?

Renee said...

Such a lovely knit, the blue stripe in the centre is my favourite part.

Your best shot of Simcha ever! Should be a big canvas on your wall, love it! Topanga looks to be one of the most beautiful places in North America, absolutely gorgeous.

Hilary said...

I'm in love with that cowl! The stitch pattern is so interesting...I like how it makes chevrons and zigzags, but it's not just your usual afghan stitch. And thanks for the awesome picture of Simcha. :) Whether or not the legend is true, that *does* look like a pretty spectacular place! If I were a musician, I'd be playing out there all the time for inspiration!

Anonymous said...

Maybe because I'm reading a book about Edinburgh at the moment, but that view looks as though Simcha is gazing across a Scottish glen. (I'm deliberately ignoring the California vegetation at his feet, but honestly this picture makes me think of Brigadoon and makes Simcha look that much more romantic.) Other than that I'm with you on the getting wakened at 7 a.m. thing. Nice to have a vacation from bugle call. Chloe

betty said...

That's a fun looking cowl.

Our Large Dog used to try to get us up in the morning when he was young. After a while, he just made "oooking" noises, and some time after that, he gave up and now he just sits in his bed waiting for one of us to move.

Tracy said...

The cowl is GORGEOUS, Claudia... nice colors--it can go with so much. And I like the overall simplicity. Glad you had a chance for some downtime--always good. And always good is seeing a bit of Simcha! This photo of him is a favorite. :o) Happy Days ((HUGS))

Andi said...

Loving that cowl and of course it looks beautiful on you.
Thank you for the Simcha update. I love that image!
Hope works has settled down for you and that you got some much deserved relaxation.

Nicholas said...

Beautiful scarf!

Linda in Waterloo said...

He's such a gorgeous boy even if he is a bit of a drill sargeant. You could have named him Sarge, but that might have fed his ego! And I'll bet while he sounds be a bit of a handful, you can relax knowing he's on security duty. I must say that at least he has the good sense not to run off that cliff, whereas we could never trust our labs near such a drop. Lovely cowl!