Finding Fun in Hobbies

I have lots of hobbies. I love to read, write, bake, sew, knit and crochet and those are  just a few. I also love to run, play tennis and hike.

But, lately, I've been  focusing on  my knitting a  little more. I love  to visit yarn shops and walk around  and look at the beautiful colors and touch the textures  and fabrics. Plus,  I've been  looking at youtube videos on-line.

Here's one new site I just found that I'm enjoying:

Michele Wang's  website.

She lists patterns, shows designs and even has youtube videos where she shares monthly favorites.

I've spent some time finishing a few  projects I was working on. Mine aren't anything fancy. I just knit for fun. But I finished a scarf I was  working  on for my son.

I bought this beautiful, chunky, bluish-purple yarn at The Stitching  Post in Sisters Oregon, which is really famous for their  Quilting  Festival in July but they have some beautiful yarns too.

I started  the  project when I went to my niece's wedding in January and when we got back home I put it away. But I figured if I didn't finish it soon, the warm weather would roll in (I hope) and my son would never wear the scarf. So,  I pulled  the project out of the closet and went to work.

You can't  tell by the photo above, but this is a really lush wool, so soft and thick. Perfect for cold, wet, windy Portlandia days.

Food Trucks

If you've ever been to Portland, Oregon and driven at all around the city, then you've seen FOOD TRUCKS or what Portlandians call "carts". They are everywhere. And these little grab-and-go food supplies lend themselves to an overwhelming diversity of foods. We have everything anyone could imagine...and maybe more.

And if you know me, you know I like to bake and experiment with ...almost everything. So, I've been thinking about trying my hand at a food cart. Yep, my brother used to have a restaurant before he retired. And together, we've been talking about starting a little family venture. So, if in the next few months you start seeing posts about testing out recipes, you'll have an idea of what we're going to be doing.

So, keep your eyes open for some fancy food and maybe even a few fails as we test our ideas and our food.

August 2-4 Willamette Writers Conference

The Pacific Northwest is known for creative people, we have Portlandia, Grimm and Leverage all right here in little 'ole Portland, Oregon not to mention tons of independent productions taking place all over the city. So, I guess it comes as no surprise that we have a lot of writers living in this beautiful part of the country.

And with writers comes writers' conferences and one that is well known in these parts is Willamette Writers.  Their big event is coming August 2-4 to the Portland Airport Sheraton Hotel.

There will be writers, agents and editors galore. So, if you're a writer or even a wannabe, you might want to make plans now to attend this conference. So, hop on over to the website and check it out here.