Trying to get "back in the grove" after 6 weeks on the road!

Hi Megs

I am very impressed with all your projects! You have finished so many! I am sad to say that I have finished nothing but the 15 little purses (16 because I made another on the road) that are now all over Brazil - and one in Jefferson City, Missouri, that I gave to Sally. My Eleanor is still on the needles and with the finer yarn and smaller needles I am now on section 39 but it is only about 1/2 to the length I want it. I enjoy working on it. Yours is beautiful. The colours came out really well. I do like your water bottle cover. I was thinking about it in Brazil because we were so cold. I want to make one of the sweaters in the magazine you brought me from Japan but may have to get Nathan's help with the translation.

I haven't had much time because as soon as I got home I had to start working on the Rug Hooking Guild Magazine. It is already late and want to get it done. Also the garden was a mess but at least the weed are big so when you pull one a lot comes with it. We had our friend the lobster fisherman help (the season here is now over) and he whipper-snipped and put the dock in.

I loved your stories of what you saw on your travels. You found some wonderful places and I am sure that Dana enjoyed your visit. Her children are beautiful! I did the gambling thing in Macau, then we lost Ed - one of our traveling companions when we couldn't fit in all the taxis - so I didn't get to see all the wonderful places you found. I did love Japan. Spent most of my time in Kyoto . It is just a beautiful place with wonderful gardens and temples. Would love to go back to both places with Stan with time to explore on our own.

I did enjoy Brazil. We were in such a special area - Rio Grande do Sul (gaucha country and we did see gaucha's). What stands out is the people. They are so nice - lots of hugs - and welcoming. We packed so much into the 4 weeks it is hard to know where to start. I would suggest that you go to our blog Rotary GSE 2007 where we have stories of what we did and who we met with pictures. We only got to June 2 - the last day we could get good internet access - but will be filling it in for the rest of the time so visit it often for the continuing story. It was winter there (way below the equator in the mountains) and so cold. By the time we got home at night I was so tired and it was colder in the houses than outside - my hands were too cold to knit. I did like to wrap up in the wool shawls I made (they were life savers) and my knitting. We did finally had to buy gloves and long sleeve t-shirts so we could layer ourselves.

We did get to meet one young crafter who is revising the art of weaving on a frame she learned from her grandmother. You place threads on a frame and then tie then off at the intersections. Hard to describe but her art is in the fibers she puts together. She is going to write up her technique and some patterns she has developed with it. Her name is Roberta Borcarin Bordin. She has just graduated with a degree in commerce and wants to have her own business. I found her colours combinations very appealing and the fibers she selected for these combinations. She also had nice patterns. This is very much like the triangular frame I got in Missouri at Hillcreek Fibers although the weaving technique is different. I was very impressed with Hillcreek and Stan also liked the "husband chair" (thanks Nathan!). I worked on one piece on my way home on the little loom I bought. I used Noro Transitions in brown and grey tones. I am going to make 3 more pieces and hook them together. A very interesting technique of weaving the warp and the same time as the weft. I put the fringe on. It is like the old pot holder frames but more interesting.

In Brazil what did strike me more as a rug hooker than a knitter were all the patterns that are around you. Most of the streets, even in major cities are cobble stones. This is a material that is readily available and inexpensive. So you might be on a paved road and then hit the cobble stones and you rattle away down the street. It must be hard on the tires but I loved the patterns they make and the earthy colour. In fact I notice that my weaving is almost the same earth tones as the cobbles. The soil is red as are the stones. We visited an area where the stones are found - they actually break away in squares lengths and are then hit and break into the size for cobbles.

The churches from the 1800's had really nice Italian tiles that the immigrants brought with them to build. That are square and are arranged in many different ways to make different patterns. Really nice and interesting. I could imagine how I would arrange them to give a different effect. They would also make great hooked rugs. Most of them I had not seen before.

The wood floors were also interesting. Beautiful native woods were used in older homes in so many colours. Now the wood is totally protected because so much of it was cut down. The tree is a Pinheiro that only grow in this area of Brazil and are now protected. They are beautiful and very unique. People were very proud of their wood floors and took great care of them because they can't be replaced. I loved the patterns they make.


Have to get back to my magazine and try to find time for some knitting. I visited Briggs and Little in Harvey New Brunswick, outside Fredericton - on our way home - and got some 2-ply. Don't know what I am going to do with it or when I am going to do it but liked the colours.

We enjoyed seeing you in Missouri. It was nice all around. But it was also good to be home. I was gone 41 days! Home is great - weeds and all!

Hope you are feeling better and the dog is responding to the "needles" and it is not too stressful. Keep knitting.

Love ya,

Mom

Knitting update

Hi Mom,

Now that I've caught you up on my Asian adventures I thought it was probably high time I got back to my knitting! Especially since there has been quite a bit on & off the needles in the past many weeks - I am now working on (almost) a whole new set of projects. Here's the rundown for you:

The first thing that I finished was the much maligned yet much loved hot water bottle cover - I am just so pleased with how it's turned out and it's already kept me warm on more than one evening! (Hey, it's summer here in San Francisco, which means the fog and cold winds are out in full force.) It's just simply pretty to look at too, even when it's not in use.

Project notes:
Pattern: Hot Water Bottle Cover, Sarah Dallas Knitting
Yarn: Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere in navy for the main body with trim of Rowan wool cotton in turquoise blue (leftover from the stash basket)
Notes: As with many Rowan projects I've completed, everything is supposed to be made in pieces and then sewn up. Instead I knit the two main body sections separately up to the shoulders, then joined them in the round for the neck and collar. The picot edging was crocheted, but that was straightforward.
I really liked the pattern and am really pleased with the final result. If I were to do another, though, I think I'd look at different yarn options. I wanted something I could throw in the wash, but the cotton cashmere was stiff and kind of squeaky which made it difficult to get neat cable edges. I'm not sure though if the suggested yarn, Rowan handknit DK cotton, would have been easier to work with or not.

My next finished object was the lovely Lady Eleanor. Doesn't she look great? I have gotten many compliments on this one and think it was definitely worth the extra time to re-knit alternating the two colors to bring a woven effect. I was intimidated by the knotting of the fringe at first but once I got into the rhythm it went by quickly. The fringe has now turned into dreadlocks somewhat as the yarn was loosely spun to begin with but I can live with that. I curled up in this on all my flights while traveling to and fro and it is my new favorite cozy shawl!


Project notes:
Pattern: Lady Eleanor, Scarf Style
Yarn: Handmaiden Yarns, Ottawa, two hanks of 3 skeins each (almost 1500 yards in total), one purchased & the second dyed to match by the lovely people at Handmaiden
Notes: My yarn was thinner than the recommended La Lana wools, so as a result my squares are 12 x 12 as opposed to the original 8 x 8 to still get the recommended size, which required minor pattern tweaks. I also made my stole somewhat longer than the original - 44 tiers in total - after all I had plenty of yarn to play with! The pattern is well written and easy to follow. Now I know why this project is so popular! If I hadn't already essentially knitted it twice, I might be tempted to make another...

I actually pushed myself to complete these two projects before I left for Asia, just so I could dig into fresh projects for all the travel time that lay ahead. Since I have heard only bad things about trying to bring knitting needles through security in both Japan and Hong Kong I decided to play it safe and cast-on for my summer crochet project instead: Rowan's Joy. The open shell pattern on the lower body has gone by very quickly, and after a few muck-ups I've even managed to figure out the single/double crochet pattern used on the upper chest.

So far I've completed the back panel and the lower section of the right front. Since 2 of the 7 balls of yarn I have for this project are from a different dyelot, I think I'm going to work up the same section of the left front next, then see how much I have left of the primary dyelot yarn before I work the two chest sections. Hopefully I can get through all of the body pieces with my primary yarn, using the second dyelot for the short cap sleeves and flower closure. Wish me luck!

While 'at home' with Dana and Rachael I worked mostly on my secret/gift project for Sarah's baby-to-be which you had a peek of while we were all in Missouri. I am almost finished with the largest part of this and should hopefully be done this week, with only two small pieces to go - good thing as the baby is due on the 3rd! Once that has been posted off & received I will finally have the chance to show off all the tiny knitting on size one needles that my hands have had to power through in this effort...

Since I'm making such good strides on these two, of course I couldn't resist the opportunity to cast-on for another, especially since Melanie has just opened up the sign-on for her Mystery Stole 3! The first clue is coming out this Friday, with sign-ups only open until July 9, and my email in-box has been overflowing with messages from the 3,000+ members (so far) all busy getting their yarn, beads and swatches ready for the big day!


The recommended yarn for MS3 is Jaeger Zephyr (in shades of black or white) which I wasn't sure how I was going to find. That is until we were on the highway from Kansas City to St. Louis and Nathan saw the sign on outside Columbia for Hillcreek Yarns. (What a great husband) When I walked in the door, there it was - a little display with cones & cones of Zephyr in so many colors to choose from! With Nathan's help (relaxing in the cozy husband's chair) I finally settled on Blueberry, a sort of steelish denim-y blue that hopefully I'll be able to work into the theme somehow (I can always just pretend it's a type of grey I guess!) After swatching the sample lace pattern I've decided to work it on US3's (the upper swatch) which is a smaller but I think a nicer lace. I've even found some beads in a light blue, which look like sparkles of ice or dew on the knitted fabric, even though I'm still not certain if I'm going to use them yet or not. I'll guess I'll know by Friday once the first clue comes out!

By the way, I cannot say enough good things about Hill Creek yarns. The staff were great, Nathan really enjoyed the chair (and the fact they helped him find an outlet to charge his phone) and I even found a copy of the elusive Interweave Favorite Socks book for myself. If only I lived in Columbia, MO, I'd be in there all the time!

Of course, with all the new projects I cannot forget my lovely Eveleen that I am still plugging away at row by row. The pattern calls for 9 repeats of the lace pattern before I get to start the flower panel on the chest, but when I got there I decided it was still just a bit too short. So here I am now on repeat #10. Since it's short sleeved and the temperatures here have dropped, I'm not that worried that it's taken some time to work through this. I think that with the overall look & tone it will be just perfect for fall - luckily just when the weather gets warm enough here to wear short sleeves again!

Happy knitting to you,

Megan

Travel Tales, Part 1 - Tokyo

Hi Mom, I'm back!

After a month of travel and general hecticness (including a wicked cold and finding out we had a diabetic dog - what a mind spin) I finally feel like I'm starting to get my bearings back and process all that has been going on. Somehow along the way the month of May just slipped right by and I cannot believe that it is already almost-the-end of June. Where did it all go? Oh yes, onto airplanes and into doctor's offices. At least I have some photos to share of some of the highlights of the past 4 weeks...

I can't believe it was just over a month ago that I found myself so improbably on a plane to Tokyo hoping that once I landed I'd be able to find my way to Dana's house and not end up lost in translation in the middle of Japan. Once I landed, though, all my fears evaporated - Japan (and later Hong Kong) were both so easy to navigate that I was soon able to relax and just revel in the strange twisted almost-familiarity of it all (how is it that both Dana in Tokyo and Rachael in Hong Kong live closer to both a McDonald's and a 7-Eleven than I do here in California?)

I have to start off, though, with what might just be the best photo of all - Dana's three kiddos, having fun. (L to R: Cian, Kate & Sophie - hopefully Dana will let me know if I've got that wrong!)

While most of my time was spent relaxing with Dana and the babies in Komaba, we did manage to get out and see some sights. Of course we couldn't pass up a visit to Shibuya crossing (including my first ever izikaya experience) to view the crowds from the vantage made famous in part by Lost in Translation:

(Really, it's from the window of a Starbucks - and the lights are so bright I didn't even need a flash)

We also spent a day exploring the high-end shops of Omotesando (thanks to Sophie's appointment at the nearby Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic), including a wonderful lunch with Dana's husband Olivier followed by a relaxing walk through the grounds of the Meiji temple.

Sophie & I by the outer gates.

Sake offerings to the temple.

Raking the pathway; temple doors & lanterns.

And the highlight of our time at Meiji - preparing prayers to be burnt in offering by the priests:

It was a great visit, but much too short! I am already making plans to go back. In case you couldn't tell, Dana is expecting again, a second set of twins due in September. And Nathan generally has meetings in Japan in the fall....

Travel Tales Part 2 - Hong Kong

Hong Kong harbor by night and by day....

After two short days in Tokyo, it was up early in the morning to be escorted by Olivier through the maze of Shibuya, onto the train to Narita and then the flight to Hong Kong. Once I finally connected with Rachael (when are flights ever early?) it was a quick drop-off of the bags before we were out to dinner, across the harbor on the Star Ferry and then to the ballet. What can I say, I was ready to take Hong Kong by storm!

The next morning, a public holiday in honor of Buddha's birthday, we struck a much more relaxed pace and headed out for a hike through Victoria Peak and Pok Fu Lam Country parks. We were climbing up to the Peak to visit Rachael's school and bake some cakes for two of her students who were leaving. (Buddha's birthday is celebrated by the bun cake festival, after all - I hope he approves of angel food and carrot cakes too).

The vertical city as viewed through the trees on our way up the peak...

Hong Kong business district and harbor - the shot of the cargo ships is in honor of Nathan!


View from the peak - I can't believe I made it all the way up - and that my sweaty shirt looks so neat...


Rachael's classroom.

The view from Rachael's flat. Bonus: the building in the center background 'dances' at night as part of the Harbor light show!

In addition to touring the city with Rachael, I also had two days to explore on my own while she was at work. Here are some quick shots of the sights I discovered along the way....

Trees growing upwards anyway they can (here from a rock wall on Peel Street) across from Hong Kong street art.

The vertical heights of the double-decker trams (!) cruising through Wan Chai and Causeway bay; the internationalism of Stanley (including Australian Beer, a British Pub, and the Main Street USA restaruant) on Hong Kong island's southern peninsula.

Temple doors and burning incense coils of prayer at Man Mo Temple, down the hill from Rachael on Hollywood Road.

Over what was Memorial Day weekend in the US and Victoria Day in Canada, Rachael and I took two trips off of Hong Kong island. On Sunday this meant an excursion to Lantau where we hiked a section of the island trail leading to the Lantau Buddha (the largest seated bronze Buddha in the world - they had to make sure they had all the qualifiers there!). Although the day was warm we had the pleasure of hiking through the clouds, which broke here and there to give us a glimpse of the path ahead (although it was so vertical for the first half, I'm glad these views were rare!) and the Buddha in the distance.

And yes, that's me in my WWMDK t-shirt, courtesy of CraftLit!

Finally we made it to the Buddha, whose serenity and calm in the midst of the tourist throngs seemed both to enhance and wipe away my feeling of sticky sweatiness as we climbed the long staircase to the base of the statue.

After relaxing in the Buddha's glow, we headed back down the mountain (and barely escaped the cloudburst of rain) to enjoy a wonderful Namibian/South African meal (really!) on the beach with a jug of white sangria. The perfect end to a great day of what was a wonderful trip!

Before I left, though, I couldn't resist a photo of a Rotary sculpture that we passed by on Nathan Road in TST. This one is for you & Tina!

Travel Tales Part 3 - Macau

For our Memorial/Victoria Day expeditions off of Hong Kong island, Rachael and I were able to include a day trip to the former Portuguese colony and current Chinese SEZ of Macau. I must admit, thanks to my love of Mozambique gained while in Africa I am just a sucker for anything Portuguese. I can't explain it, it just is. So when I realized that my travel guide for Hong Kong, picked up at Narita on my way out of Japan, was a guide for Hong Kong and Macau, there was no way I was going to pass up any chance I could get to add this stop to my journey!

So on the Saturday morning we headed down to the harbor for the hour-long ferry that would take us there across the South China Sea. Here is our first view of Macau - and the casinos that line the waterfront - as we headed into port:

The tower is just a tower, an adventure destination those sporty types who like to rappel off of tall buildings, i.e. neither Rachael nor myself. As were are also less than enthusiastic gambler, we headed instead down to the southern tip of Macau to the village of Coloane for a feast of a Portuguese lunch in a small local cafe.

Rachael in the plaza;
Coloane architecture and a local shop (I haven't seen dried fish like this since I was in Africa)

After lunch we headed back to Macau proper to explore the Largo de Senado (the town square) and the ruins of the Church of St. Paul

From the ruins we headed up to the Fort, passing by this scene on the way. Not only is this an 'official' dog W.C. but also a place for people to 'walk' their birds - since songbirds learn songs from one another, owners will bring their birds to public places like this so that they can expand their repertoires. I would love to have a spot like this in San Francisco!

In between the square and the ruins we passed through a maze of shops where the old and new came together in a big way. In among the Hang Ten and H2O shops were sellers enticing customers with two of Macau's favorite delicacies - a type of butter biscuit and dried meat, strips of which were cut on request off for taste-tests. While we gave these two a pass, we did fall for egg tarts, the other famous macanese sweet treat. Yum!

We also got to ogle at some of the, well, unique stores and advertising banners. Feel like buying your next best party outfit at a store called Ick? You can do it in Macau. How about some Tough Gear for the tough life of today? Make sure you're prepared!

One of the most fascinating parts of Macau, though, was right at our feet - the decorated mosaic paving stones found throughout the territory, in Coloane (like this boat) and around the Largo de Senado. I was able to snap pictures of only a tiny sample of all the different shapes and designs. I could go back just for these!






What can I say, our day in Macau was too short - an adjective that describes my whole time in both Japan & Hong Kong. I'm already looking forward to my next trip over! While it was great to travel by myself - I think I really needed to stretch my wings again by hitting the road on my own - next time I would like to go with Nathan by my side. Not only so that I can see his Tokyo (and introduce him to Dana's babies) but so that I can show off what I have discovered of Hong Kong and Macau. And so we can discover whole new places of our own together too!

By the time I got back, I was wiped out to say the least. At least I wasn't the only one - after I picked the lady up from Pet Camp, we both crashed out mightily when we got home!


Of course, I've been up to plenty of knitting too, but I think that can wait for my next update...

Megan