Happy Halloween with clue 3

I have just returned from a work conference in San Francisco.  What best memory of San Francisco pre-Halloween than a sourdough pumpkin head? This was in display at the famous Boudin bakery, right behind it you could see the row upon row of loaves leavening and baking and cooling. The smell of sourdough was so delicious I was almost dizzy with hunger.


Here is some more SF images:

"Occupy San Francisco" protesters camp-out

The "Occupy SF" movement was quite noisy across the street from the hotel. Apparently some of the Occupy Oakland folks were expected over the ferry to come join them. The police had a raid scheduled but it was called off in account of a minor earthquake. I was blessedly unaware of both the protest and the earthquake.

My friend, who slept in the other side of the hotel, had a lovely view, but unfortunately was too close to the protesters and had some trouble sleeping. Still, great views of the Bay bridge and the Ferry building.

Atrium of the Hilton Embarcadero hotel

Speaking of the hotel... what a lovely atrium. Curves and straight lines crisscrossing. I will keep this in the inspiration board.

Sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf

I heard the weather was terrible most summer, foggy and sad, but past week the weather was lovely, sunny and clear, just a bit chilly. Here are the sea lions huddling together lazily

And just a hint of fog over the Golden Gate bridge. It is just fitting I finish my USA clue 12 here since it was the point of inspiration. Yes, I did 12 rows here! can you say "tendinitis"?

 

 I did need a lot of coffee to stay awake - I have simply lost the ability to sit still and listed to somebody speak for 8 hours straight. Luckily, the famous Blue Bottle Coffee was across the street. Best. Coffee. Ever. Will put hair in your chest. Just look at the huge queue of people waiting outside circa lunch time.

A good soul pointed me in the direction of 'Imagiknit",  a quaint yarn store in the lovely Mission district, rows of houses  just cute as a button. The store was packed to the rafters with gorgeous yarn in a dizzying variety of colors and materials. I went straight for the sock and lace, then thought better and got some chunky weight yarn (of which I have none in the stash). My hands also got tangled with some gold-colored Himalayan silk and it followed me home. I realized I had unconsciously bought Halloween tone yarns: autumn orange, black, and zombie green. Probably because I have become totally addicted to Zombie Farm for Android. It is such a silly game - farm zombies, invade your neighbours. Like a sick Farmville, but totally cute. My Nook suffered a power outage (maybe it does not like earthquakes?) and fritzed on me, just when I was reviewing a novel I may use for the 2012 KAL. I was a little sick of knitting (8 hours of conference - 8 hours  of knitting), ergo Zombie Farm. I am not very good at the game, and I am getting my undead butt kicked, but having fun at it.
I did get much done in some of the projects, and as it often happens in the airports, I came up with a new idea during the waiting. I promise pictures next time!

Reaching the end of 2011
We will be soon reaching the final clue of 2011. I may need again to push the date of release, mostly because I want to add a tutorial for the cast off portion, and I don't find anything to my liking, meaning I may have to make one myself, maybe even develop a small practice swatch such as the dishcloth last year... but with better instructions :)

And maybe the beginning of 2012?
Keep the inspirations coming! There was some talk on the forum about it; People suggested round shape, floral motifs, it looks like you guys are in the mood for a very romantic year. I would love to hear more suggestions, as well as some of your favorite books/stories/characters/themes to use as an inspiration. I have started the research phase of it (i.e. I have been looking at shawls I like, books, books about shawls...), which is always an anxiety-ridden phase, until finally the golden idea strikes and I have a vision of where I want to go. The final result may be different, but I do need that point of departure. the 10% inspiration, where I can put the remaining 90% perspiration. So keep pushing me in the right direction.