I'm back from a brief trip to California. Can you believe that I grew up in the bay area, but that I've never been to Big Sur, a mere 3 hour drive from San Francisco? Well, I didn't know what I was missing:

This is a waterfall that strikes directly on the beach at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. There are also some lovely trails in the park with gorgeous cliffside views after a 900 foot ascent.

I guess it's when you're motivated to show someone else your home turf (in this case, my Italian husband) that you're pushed to explore places that are so close and yet so unfamiliar. It was the same with my husband. He grew up in a town near Milan, but it was only when I travelled with him that he finally got to see Rome, Venice, and Florence - the trifecta of touristy Italy. Growing up, his family preferred to go to the tiny resort towns along the southern coast.

Of course, no trip to SF is complete for a knitter without a visit to Artfibers. I managed to leave with only 5 balls of Sherlock in a subtle black with a hint of muted other colors swirled in. It's destined to be a simple slightly fitted cardigan with a modest ballet neck. No pictures, but here's the swatch photo from the website:

And I did do some knitting while on vacation. I visited a pregnant friend of mine and managed to knit her a little newborn ensemble between the 6 hour plane ride and the 3 hour car ride down the coast. The hat is the jelly bean hat from the new Rowan Bambino book (the same book the Daisies cardigan store sample came from). The booties and sweater are from Knitting for Baby by Melanie Falick.

I decided to knit the smallest size (3-6 months) both because I figured it would be nice to give her something she could use almost right away and because it's the least time intensive option. I love baby knits! Instant gratification here I come.