I left my heart in San Francisco but came back with a full suitcase.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Santa Rosa for my dear cousin Olivia's (2nd from the right) baby shower. She is expecting a baby boy this May and many of the family came together to celebrate. It was so nice to see many of the 25 cousins I have. (not to mention the 11, soon to be 12 2nd cousins). This picture is sorta a one of these things is not like the other. I swear I am related and I am Mexican, my mom just happened not to marry another Mexican, hence my gringo appearance. I must say we do have a good looking family.

Now in this picture everyone looks like each other. I swear the older they get the more my mom and her sisters look alike.

This is the hat and baby kimono I made out of Paton's cotton tots for Olivia's baby. I didn't know it was a boy until the shower hence the neutral colors. I brought along my trusty yarn shop travel guide and managed to sneak in a few visits to some LYSs. The first shop I went to in Santa Rosa was Cast Away. They had a wonderful selection of Blue Sky Alpaca yarns but nothing local, at least that I could find. The person working never addressed me or offered assistance the whole 10 minutes I was there, so hence I left empty handed.

Now Knitterly in Petaluma was a whole different story. It was a delightful shop with a very friendly staff who eagerly helped me find some local yarn. They even let me take pictures. I think if I lived here this would definitely be my hang out. I love the felted ball curtain that hangs in the front door, too cute.

This is the local artisan yarn I purchased. The Royal Hare is the indie dyer and this sock yarn is called Russian River Rose. I just couldn't pass it up with a name so perfect for remembrance of my trip.

I also bought this beautiful optim roving because I have been dying to try optim and the price couldn't be beat.

While on my mini vacation I did manage to fit in some knitting as well. I finished the Sweet Pea set for Mariah and am thrilled I completed it before the little guy has joined us.

On Sunday I traveled with my Mother and Aunts to San Francisco. I wanted to do something a bit different this time since I have seen Fisherman's wharf more times than I can count. So we headed to Japantown.

Here I was able to purchase some great presents for the kids and maybe a thing or two for me. I bought bento boxes for Maddie, Little A and I. All of the accoutrements are too adorable to pass up. I love the little sauce containers and the animal food picks. I also picked up a quirky little red notions bag, a tea bag dish (gifted to me by Aunt Esther) and some chocolate at Ghirardelli Square.

But the most awesome purchase was this kick ass bag that I fell in love with. Already my daughter has tried to steal it but I am resolved to keep it. It is made by Angry Little Girls and is just awesome. I have a feeling I am going to buy more of their stuff in the future, it is so hilarious and cool. You have to give it a look.

So overall it was a quite enjoyable trip spent with family and friends and a nice dash of fiber. Next time I will not wait 6 years between visits. My heart always belongs to San Francisco.