Whilst it was 51 degrees in southern California, it was freakin' 83 degrees here in Virginia. In March. Make it stop!

"How did the Beverly Center get here?" -- I love it!

You look lovely in the hat. I am jealous that you get to wear knitted things! It was hella hot in TX yesterday.

I have done the drive-by thing as well, only I ended up in Picayune, Mississippi!!!!

At least you got to wear your knit gear.

Meanwhile it has rained 6 inches (I'm NOT even exaggerating) in the past 3 days over here in the Ohio Valley!

As a former Bostonian myself, I totally agree with the California wussy-ness that one develops in a short amount of time. I dug out my hats and gloves this weekend too--things I thought I would never wear again, except to a ski lodge in Big Bear or something (well, then I'd take them off and drink my cocoa in the lodge because it's not like I'm coordinated enough to actually ski). And I was actually laughing at the weatherman who referred to this weekend as an impending "deep freeze"--because in Boston that meant that the high was going to be less than 10 degrees. Ha! proved me wrong. Oh, and you look so cute in your hat and scarf--short bus or no short bus!

Wait. A man spoke to you on the elevator? Initiated conversation? I am boggling here...(never happens to me...) :( Cute hat!

You need to come over the OTHER hill, that is, you need to come to Ventura County!! We have a lovely LYS here, and very nice people too!

What's up with the people who drop the f-bomb in their bumperstickers??? I love it when I'm driving my kid around and see those...grrrrrr.

I'm with ya on the knitted garments. Yesterday I wore a cashmere sweater (deal of the century at Ross) and my knitted scarf. I was dashing and warm!!

Thank your lucky stars you didn't get the snow that the rest California seems to have gotten. It was the lead story on the news on Saturday night up here in Ontario.

Meanwhile, it has been raining and +10 (Celsius)... in Ottawa... in March. The weather, it is weird these days.

Is the typo not really a typo in Portuguese? Or Brazilian Portuguese? I'm guessing, of course.

This was a great weekend all around for knitters needing to justify 100% wool garments... I live smack dab in the middle of San Francisco and LA and we had snow this weekend for the first time in eighteen years!

Also, I think the hat & scarf look great together...not "short bus" at all.

Well, as a current Bostonian, I applaud you for wearing all your woolies at once, and for knowing in advance that you'd need them. I'm too upset winter is nearing an end and I haven't worn all my wools yet. Damned mild winter!
Loved your photo journey.

I love the scarf and hat.

You know the weather has gone wonky when we in Northern California get to read about freak blizzards near the Golden Gate Bridge.

Lelah ... further down on his lower bumper he had a Mexico sticker, so I don't know. But I'm going with typo, because it's funnier :)

Dude, in that inclement weather pic, is that two 7-11s on either side of the street I spy? Love the Valley. And it loves it some 7-11s.

Come to Wisconsin and you can wear knitted items 9 months out of the year and you'll want to wear the colorful ones considering you'll get that pasty ass-white look for lack of a tan. Enjoy reading you, hang in there girl life gets easier and amazingly wonderful. From a divorced and remarried (hot hot hot) 45 year old with 4 boys.
And when I remarried I already had 3 boys. Life is absolutely unpredictable.

OH HE** YEAH we love our 7-11s!! At any given time you are within walking distance of a 7-11. I heart the Valley.

Purl!
Love the hat and scarf...and especially love the cutie wearing them! I love your site. Am I the only guy here?

I'm all the way on the east coast in Philly and over the weekend, we had springlike weather. In the upper 60s! Today, Monday, it's up to almost 80!! Woo hoo! No need for the knitted cap here.

Keep up the great work. This Philly writer (straight, seperated, 42...) has a bad case of the Purls!

Laurie, your handknits are gorgeous! And I admire your forthought in bringing them! Despite your Southernness, might you also have some Yankee practicality? (That's a compliment from a Bostonian!) Started a Magic Scarf over the weekend, with help from my cat, Lola. Thanks for the pattern inspiration!

Hah. Sic Sobakawa on the Unnamed Coworker Originally from Boston. She'll fix his little red waggon.

OK. After reading Mary's comment, I have suddenly realized that I am overdue on visiting my grandmother in Virginia. I am sick of the torrential rain. Oh, and did I mention the snow? There was a 28 car pileup in Marin County this weekend because of the icy weather. How wrong is that? At least I get to wear my new hat now, but I'd rather be wearing spring dresses.

Let the record clearly state that 1) not all New Englanders are that rude 2) it is currently in the 50s here in beautiful suburban Boston and I am wearing my long johns, which do not come off until May. More than once DH, who laughs at my ultrathin blood, has found himself shivering on a windy hillside while I, beside him, remained snug in my long johns.

It was 53 degrees warm in Boston on Saturday. Everybody was out and enjoying the weather, very few handknits in sight.

Laurie! I love my portrait with Barbie...perfect perspective. Barbie taught me how to accesorize. You can spot my accessories in the photo...hat and scarf. Always great to see you. Thanks for gracing us twice this past week with your presence at the SnB!!!
Love,Ellen B.

We had 60 degree, sunny weather in Boston this past Saturday. It was great, but it reminded me that any projects that I had planned to finish this winter I need to get on right now!

Today we're back to low 50s and gray and drizzly. Happy Monday, not!

Well, VIVA LA MECKSIKO! :D

Hi Lucia and Kat! It is so funny that 53 in Boston is springlike, and 53 out here is "The icy, arctic cold front" (actual words from Rick Dickert on Channel 11 this morning!!) I love this town. We are all crazy.

Dagny -- I saw the news re: the SF snow, that is nutty!

Steve... I think there are other guys here. My dad, for one. And... Chase, who works with my dad. And, anyone else my dad probably bribed to come here LOL.

Hi everyone! Monday. bleh.

That typo is oh so hysterical!! As a foreigner, it has never ceased to amaze me the need people here in the USA have to let you know who they are or what they think. But a typo in Spanish is just beyond hysterical (well, especially coming from a "garañon!) LOL. On the knitting front, let me tell you that your blog is the highlight of my lunch hour! No need to tell you what you know already, that you're better off without your ex ('cause you are, life's too short to put up with people or situations not worth our time), etc etc, but I admire your strength and will to move on. I also think that your knitting is fantastic and THANK YOU for the visual aids on knitting techniques. Even though my grasp of English is good, I am a bit slow reading knitting instructions and visual aids are vital to me. Thank you! :-)

I thought of you on Friday night when I begged my friend to come pick me up because it was THUNDERING and LIGHTNING and POURING DOWN RAIN outside and you expect me to WALK in THAT? OUTSIDE?

You see, I'm from Pittsburgh where storms like that are the norm. I now live in Seattle and I won't lie... I scoffed in my head at all the Los Angeleans (made that up, I think) and their fear of rain, because rain? BAH! It rains here all the time!

Except not with the thunder and the lightning and the pouring down of the rain. It usually just... mists. Lightly. And the thunder? SCARED ME. I am a big baby. And I am big enough to admit I was wrong to scoff. Sorry, Los Angeleans. (Um, what do you call yourselves? And is there a seat on that short bus for me?)

Oh, and it also sort of hailed. I thought the world was ending. When did I become so weather-wussy?

next time i will be aware of this saturday snb. oh yes i will.

and i will go there instead of h&r block, and i will like it, and i will not cry in front of strangers or financial advisors.

In the *other* valley--the Inland Empire--we were a frosty 45 most of the day with intermittent hail switching to rain switching to sleet. But like a true Southern California native, I. Was. Excited! Cause we don't get weather.

My husband, a native of New Mexico, ran around in shorts and shirt sleeves during weather like this when he first moved here. I notice, though, that his blood has thinned quite a bit over the 8 years he's lived here. He actually wore a jacket on Friday.

Way cute hat and scarf! Love the yarn on the scarf...great colors!

I grew up in Southern California (lived there till I was almost 24) and I reside just outside Boston now. When I heard about the weather in California this past weekend, I just laughed. I thought "Rain and cold? Oh God, will the state shut down?" Then I said to my husband, "When did I get to be a North East bitch? I used to go nuts when the weather was like that out there!"

Hope its better now! Can't wait to see the Brangelina hat!

Well, stll wearing all my hand-knits, since it is about +11F here in Alaska. Sigh...went to Cincinnati to find spring, but all I found was blowing, damp wind. Did not have enough hand knits there. Sighh again. Good luck with that wet s tuff coming from the sky.

You think LA'ers are wussies when it comes to cold, you should check us out down in San Diego. I'm thinking about hibernating.

Oh, and what yarn did you use for your scarf? It is SOOO pretty and soft looking.

I don't care what anyone says - IT'S FRICKIN COLD OUT HERE!!!! And I lived for years in D.C. Your hat looks ADORABLE, and it does go with the scarf, b/c they are both colorful and hand knit and look so very soft. I would have had to pet you.

CURSE the LA SnB group - I get the digest, so I didn't even realize it was Farmers Market day. Not that I would get up that early on a weekend, just to freeze my arse off. . .

Hi Laurie,

I've been more and more inspired to pick up my knitting needles again and don-cha know the store I visited on Saturday (earthy-crunchy PC place) had re-claimed cashmere! Some woman in Massachusetts buys "gently used" sweaters and pulls them apart, winds them into skeins and sells them for waaaaay less than new cashmere (she gets in a few washings of the yarn, too). It wasn't cheap, but I'm knitting me up one soft-assed scarf! You want me to send you some?

Hee-hee. I just noticed you pixilated the license plate of the garañon. Too friggin funny.

Sounds like a great weekend. What did you knit @ your SnB???? Oh, in the IE we not only had rain, but hail & sleet & snow. Did you love the beautiful mountains afterwards?????

Miss L-
How much do I miss the valley? So very much. I have to thank you for all the pictures, please keep them coming. I am now in Dallas, and it is not the valley. I miss the people, music and food. Did say I am now in the Dallas?....Gosh...

Oh! The scarf in the picture is my Coworker Scarf, done in two balls of Lana Grossa Colore. :)

I got here by way of Neil - one of my favorite amusements. I love this post, but read your "about me" and had to hold in my hysterical laughter since I'm on a conference call with a new huge client at this very moment. I'm glad I found your blog & I'll be back!

What yarn is the hat? It's so pretty! And it totally goes with the scarf. You don't want to be too match-y.

53 is springlike in Boston, yes, but that does not mean we remove our long johns.

Looking at that photo, I think I've given you spare change before... do you sell oranges out of bags on your lunch break?

Gwen -- the hat is also Lana Grossa (I am so predictable) just in pink instead of green. It was great seeing you on Thursday!

It's thundering and we have BIG HUGE RAINDROPS here right now...north of Pittsburgh. It was 70 this morning but is going to drop to 30 this afternoon. Tornadoes are a possibility. So give me your 56 degree Valley weather any day! :) (Pssst...someone tell Steve D. the writer that it is sepArated...)

It snowed here in central California. Yes, it has been THE story for the last week. It snowed at my house. At 1000 feet elevation. ! It also snowed at the hotel near Yosemite that we had a big muckety muck convention going on. Not fun when 65 people can't get back up the hill in their bus because the road is closed. That means staying in town. Overnight. Without their personal belongings.

And it's supposed to be in the 60s by tomorrow.

i love how you mock california weather. i live just outside of l.a., so i understand how a little rain is construed as a STORM of the CENTURY.

I survived the too. :)

In Portugese percent is "por cento." I don't know what the "garañon" means.

No kitty pictures?

Oh my Lord it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights here in SW Ohio, and your photo of the scary impending weather looked really familiar. I don't think I can take any more. My backyard is now officially a swamp. On a cheerier note, your hat is adorable, and it totally matches your scarf! The scarf has a teetiny bit of pink in it, see, so you're all matched up. Now I have to find an online translater so I can find out what "garanon" is and whether I would want to be 100 por sinto it. :)

Oh my Lord it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights here in SW Ohio, and your photo of the scary impending weather looked really familiar. I don't think I can take any more. My backyard is now officially a swamp. On a cheerier note, your hat is adorable, and it totally matches your scarf! The scarf has a teetiny bit of pink in it, see, so you're all matched up. Now I have to find an online translater so I can find out what "garanon" is and whether I would want to be 100 por sinto it. :)

PS Sorry for the double post. The technology, she frightens me.

Okay, I googled and found "garanon" and it means "stud" in Spanish, right? so it's the "por sinto" that's spelled wrong? I knew I should have studied Spanish!

dagny, i got an email from my dad yesterday about that pileup. he lives in marin county. email subject: "snow". text: "Saturday morning woke up to almost an inch of snow on the deck and the street out front. There was a 28 car pile-up on the Waldo grade up by the tunnel due to the snow, two people killed, dozens injured, took the highway department 12 hours to clean up the mess and get traffic back to normal. "
and i read this while sitting here in a pair of shorts. in baltimore. in march. it's 83 degrees. un-bee-lievable.

Being also from L.A. and likewise dealing with the Bitter! Cold! and Paul Magers's wacky Dick Tracy gangster suits as mentioned in your previous post, I can only hope that he owns a wool coat that is appropriately pinstripey.

See, I KNEW they went together. I am a genius. And it was so good to see you, too!

People...it just snowed a foot here in the Twin Cities. NOT kidding. It is not that cold (meaning 30s) but the amount of snow is just ridiculous.

Deepa

People...it just snowed a foot here in the Twin Cities. NOT kidding. It is not that cold (meaning 30s) but the amount of snow is just ridiculous.

Deepa

Caroline, you are giving me yet another reason to visit my grandmother. I will have to check what the temperatures are in Hampton.

I lived in Virginia a couple of years and never heard about pileups like that. Then again people there are a little more used to snow. In the Santa Cruz Mountains you expect some snow every winter, but the Waldo Grade??? By the way it's one of my fave stretches of road to drive around here -- except in the winter when it floods around Lucky Drive.

It's been rainy, overcast and in the mid-40's here in Sacramento for the last week. But in the middle of Feb. it was positively balmy, nearly 70 degrees. WTF? Please oh please tell Mother Nature that winter's almost over. Please.

Talked to my folks last night and they were saying it was 86 degrees in Their Town, Florida. Just north of Tampa/St. Pete. And my dad was sayinghe hopes it's not getting the ocean warmed up so soon, because they are not looking forward to another busy hurricane season.

I think the earth is maybe mad at us?

I saw some Eiffel tower/France flannel fabric saturday at the Jo-Anns. It was kind of a muticolored pink background....naturally I thought they would make fab apres' trip loungers..Magnifique!!!

I agree, the hat and scarf are cute together!

It's 50 degrees here -- about normal for mid-March -- and I just went to the store (Target! knitting kits on clearance, but not marked down enough for how weird and/or ugly they are) without heavy coat, scarf, or gloves, and I was ok. I must be getting (re)acclimated to Kansas after so long in Houston.

What I am not acclimated to is the tornado or whatever it was that blew through here yesterday at 8 am. It isn't supposed to thunderstorm already at 8 am in mid-March, is it? I think I will probably never get acclimated to tornadoes. Although I think I'll still take them over the earthquakes and wildfires y'all get out there in la-la land.

Boy were my cats peeved when I grabbed them and put them in their box so they would stay downstairs under the stairs with me.

I love this weather. I need cold more often. If I shut my eyes, I can pretend to be back in Connecticut, sledding off my parents' garage roof.

Oh no! Rain! Whatever shall we do? *snicker*

It may not take Bostonians long to acquire the LA-wussieness, but this former LA-weather-wuss acclimated nicely to "real" weather. I'm in Denver and it snowed pretty much all weekend.

Yeah! You're alive! So glad you survived!

April

How the heck do two 7-11s on both sides of the street survive opposite eachother? Don't Californians ever cross the road?

Love the hat and scarf, and you definitley don't look like you are waiting for the short bus. You need more primary colours for that. Like what I wear. I always look like I've just been let out for the day, or so my ever tactful family tell me.

Um, Purlie, did you not get that Steve D was totally flirting with you?

Just goes to show that illiteracy comes in all languages! Lived in the Antelope Valley for 2 years and had many cold days in May. 50 with the wind blowing and no trees to stop it.

I love that you wear your knits together -- as San Franciscan I look to LA for my fashion forwardness and now I know I am justified in wearing my wacky knitted combos. Its just plain charming no matter what my husband says - you offer proof! Its freezing here as well - so I have been layering on the fruits of knitted-labors. Hope I can pull it off even 50% as well as you.

CAP, this is somewhat off topic, but can you tell me what size needles you used on your Noro Transitions scarf WAY back in October?

Brilliant story about the hatless, gloveless, possibly now dead scoffer.

Bevae-- I used a size 15 bamboo needle. I love me some big needles!!

Lauren, no. I just assumed he was really excited to learn to knit...?

Irene... no, Californians do not cross the street. It involves having to flip a U-ey and double park and why? why when we can just build a 7-11 on the opposite side of the street? So much easier! HEH HEH

Hi Laurie!

Question: do you have the last Yarn Girls' book Beyond the Basics?? I have an extra copy and would love to send it to you.

Let me know, okay?? I'd love to give something to you to thank you for your wonderful blog.

Enjoy your evening!! Liz R. from VA

Love your stories! DH only got to wear his scarf for a few days...in GA, it is HOT!!

Liz, I do not! I have the first Yarn Girls book, it's awesome. Are you sure? If you have an extra copy that would be so great!!! I may even be able to part with a few precious balls of Up Country as a thanks !! :)

hee heee, you said "precious balls"....

I would love to send it to you...it's an awesome book and perfect for cool girly stuff! Please don't send me anything in return........just having a wonderful blog to look forward to every day is enough!!!

The address on the earlier entries is correct? I'm at lizandjuan@comcast.net.

Love, Liz

It's 52 degrees here in Vermont at 11 pm. That is pretty warm here but it is just as ugly, grey, and rainy.

I live in Santa Cruz County, and we had snow at the beach! Well, maybe it was just hail that stuck together and looked snowy (I don't know snow!), but it was fun anyway. During the storm we had lots of thunder, lightening, and noise--one cat hid under the couch, two others paced and fretted, and one sat in the window and enjoyed it! Yes, I am also blessed with four cats. Yes, I'm probably crazy too. ;o)

Hey, it was 39 in Long Beach this morning! I could see my breath! That's cold. And I am a former Bostonian too, so I know from cold. I knitted some Noro Kureyon fingerless gloves so I could wear mittens while I knit.

God I miss the Valley. It's 55 here in Philly, and I busted out my flip flops. That looks like my area of the Valley actually. I used to live off Balboa and Victory, or as I used to tell my friend... off the corner of Juanito's. Mmm.. tortas. Yea, I'm missing Cali right now.

A note on the "Portuguese" and the sticker - that sticker is just very poor Spanish (Laurie was cien por ciento correct) - not even close to Portuguese or Brazilian Portuguese! :-) And "garañon" is Spanish for the Portuguese "garanhão", that is, "Stud" in English. Take it from the Portugee here! ;-)

Okay Laurie, now I'm open mouthed in amazement that crossing the street involves a car! I live in the city, I don't own a car, it's quite normal over here. And I wander into traffic with impunity. It nearly always stops. Often just to swear at the crazy lady in the middle of the road. Also helps to wear the primary colours I was talking about.

My grannie used to wave her stick at the traffic, Moses-stylee, and wait for a path to clear. It generally did, so much so, that she didn't believe you had to press the button for the crossing sign; she just waved her stick and lo, the traffic halted.

Irene-- I plan to become just like your granny.

Love the hat! Love the scarf! Love it all!
Love it! Love it! Love it!

MN did get a scary storm on Monday, dumped near a foot of snow in my yard. Big, thick, wet, HEAVY stuff. Sure is pretty though.

I'm on a conference call and the line about being bundled up like a special child made me laugh out loud. Oops. You're so cute.

good lord! when its in the 50's here, folks start to wear shorts!...the 50s makes me wonder whether to even wear a jacket or just the sweatshirt! u r spoiled girl!;oP

Can anyone explain the joke about the car sticker?????

Call me stupid. Thanks.

Love,
Stupid.