Bike path characters

As a creature of habit and routine I often run into the same people, day after day, who are also on their own hamster wheel of routine.  There's the older guy I see toiling up the same hills I am coming down in the morning, the woman jogger I pass nearly every day, the lady out taking a stroll, rain or shine and my latest ... a person of indeterminate sex riding the opposite direction as me on the trail in the morning.  I usually pass s/he near the University Village.  I have been trying for weeks to figure out if it is a woman or a boy.  With a perpetual scowl, hunched over the handlebars and clad in unisex bike gear, it is impossible to say.  S/he looks kind of like Harpo Marx without his wig.  Pretty strange.

We tried out a new (for us) restaurant last night in Edmonds - which is another place that has taken off like Ballard.  It was recommended by some friend of Mr. M's so we thought we'd give it a try.  It was quite busy, even on a Tuesday night.  The menu was interesting and I chose a salad of Romaine lettuce with pancetta and  lamb pappardelle which was prepared with chick peas and mint in a tomato based sauce.  It was lovely.  Mr. M chose the tasting menu ... not realizing that it was a TASTING menu, meaning small portions.  I ended up giving him about half of my meal.  That's fine -- I didn't stuff myself and he didn't end up crabby.  Win win.

I didn't knit when we got home but instead sat up with a nice glass of wine and read my new knitting book that came yesterday - Modern Top Down Knitting by Kristina McGowan.  It's a wonderful book.  There are at least two dresses that I'd like to do.  I wonder if I have enough of that linen for one of them .... hmmm.  Anyway she took the top down methods of Barbara Walker and went from there.  What I am particular intrigued about is the sleeve construction.  She starts with a provisional cast on, which is illustrated with great pictures so I think I finally get it, and knits the back down to the end of the arm hole, then unravels the provisional and knits the front, joins and goes on down.  Then for the sleeves she picks up stitches around the arm holes and with short rows knits the cap, then on down.  So if one isn't in the mood for raglan sleeves, this is an awesome way to get set in sleeves without the terrible process of mattress stitching them in.  I can't wait to try it!