你好 or Hello from Hangzhou!

Its true. We're in yet another country, though THIS one has a full four seasons so it is time to dust off the 'ole knitting blog and take on my knitter alter-ego persona. Snidknits is back in business!

China. I never thought I would live here. And I have to say that while I like it now, it would have been a very difficult place to move to six years ago, at the start of our expat adventure. The language is a huge challenge, but after about six months of class is feel like I can communicate. Converse? No. Communication basics only. The larger Chinese cities have a lot of English speakers (well more anyway) but in Hangzhou, where we live, it's far less common. 

But what about the yarn?! So, knitting is definitely more of a "thing" here. At a local mall I regularly see a group of Chinese women sitting around knitting but I haven't had the ability to talk to them much... But, thanks to Ravelry, I found another American knitter in Hangzhou! Last week we met up for lunch and yesterday we and another friend of hers (who is pretty fluent in Chinese!) went to see the yarn stores. 

Dude. Yarn. Wool. Cashmere. Mink (mink?!) yep. Mink. 

And the prices were quite good. 

A cone of Cashmere about the size of a small Watermelon. 

A lot of the yarn is sold by the "Jin", 1 Jin being 500 grams. I bought some yarn for a sweater I'd like to make. It was 50 RMB per jin. I bought two. That's ten 100g skeins and I paid 100 RMB = about $16 USD. I'll keep you posted on how it knits up. 

Here a clerk is winding yarn from one cone to another to get the amount that a customer wants to buy. 

Apparently many knitters here do machine knitting. Their items are, as they describe, "practical, not beautiful". Because of this, much of the yarn available is fingering, or even lace weight. They often combine yarns together when knitting, often times even using thread in the knitted fabric. A couple of the boxes of yarn I bought even had thread included in the same color. 

My partners in yarn, Kimber and MJ. 

After checking out all of the little shops at this "yarn mall" we then headed to the other side of the city to visit the "nice" yarn store. 

The quality of the yarns is a step up (prices a bit higher too) and here they actually had knitting needles and a group of women knitting in the back!

They were quite impressed with our knitted items and want us to come back and hang out with them! 

I can't wait. What a fun day!

New Starts and Finishes

Maya and Bryan watching Obama become president!

By the time you read this, we of the United States will have a new president. This is a very comforting thought in a sense, but is also cause to celebrate. We here in Bangalore will have our own celebration. We need to. We are removed from our home country but are very much aware of how others in the world view US. We need to hope and trust that this view will become more positive. President Obama will have a tough job, but at least I feel and trust that he will do this job to the best of his ability with integrity and courage. Really, you cannot hope for more. So tonight we head to a gathering for the Democrats Abroad of Bangalore and we are going to celebrate.

Now, some weeks back I made a comment about registering for school. Now given that I am the mother of quite a few children, some several of which are still attending school at some level, you may have made the assumption that I was referring to one of them. Not so. See, it all began quite a few years ago. Twenty-Four years as a matter of fact. I had been attending a local community college, puttering along in my education trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I was successful in some of my classes, usually the ones that related to art (I also did well in English writing/composition classes). So somehow I got it into my head to apply to Art School. It was not something that I had seriously considered before that due to financial issues, but a conversation with an informed counselor convinced me that through grants and student loans I could do it. She was right. The next year I was a student at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and had one of the most rewarding academic experiences of my life. I loved every class, got excellent grades, enjoyed spending days in San Francisco and learned much that has continued to be useful to me in life. That year was incredible. But, that year I also got married. While this is not something that I regret (even though I am happily married to someone else now) this change in marital status had a significant impact on my educational life. The grants that I qualified for previously, were no longer accessible to me and so, I never completed my BFA.

Now, some months ago I was looking at accredited online educational opportunities for my 19 yo daughter. I discovered that the school I had attended all those years ago, now known as the Academy of Art University, offered many of their degrees online. So, after a brief but supportive and pleasant conversation with my husband (I really am a lucky woman!) and a bit more research, I decided that I would like to pursue finishing my degree online. So, yes. I am going back to school to finish my BFA in photography!

This is going to mean that I have a bit less free time, maybe even a LOT less, as I will be spending more time like this...


...but it is something that has been unfinished and dangling in my psyche for a long time now. I have completed many things in my life and feel like I have spent the last 20 years raising some pretty fantastic kids, but doing this is a really, really exciting thing for me. I am also very aware that if we were living in the US at present I probably would not be able to do this, I just wouldn't have the space in my life. So, there you go.

Now... how about the knitting department?

Well, I did stock up on sock yarn while I was back in California.


Now please note that I actually gave a way quite a bit of this yarn to some of my Bangalore knitting friends! Still, I do have to keep in mind that Sock Madness is coming up again.... But, I figure that since I had so much more sock yarn that I should perhaps finish a pair that had been on the needles for a while.

Yup, I ran out of yarn. Cute huh?

I also managed to finish a cashmere lace scarf that I have been working on since October.


Still needs to be blocked, but it is going to be pretty lovely! (and really, cashmere? Lace? What's not to love!) This yarn was received as a gift, and my intention is to give the scarf as a gift as well. Sometimes that is just the way to go, you know?

Stitch and Bitch

I know that my offerings have been a bit sparse as of late. I know it isn't so interesting to hear about how busy I have been but I have been

• Busy caring for my family
• Busy trying to care for myself (in needed downtime and even joining a gym...)
• Busy in my new role as photographer for the OWC's Rangoli publication
• Just generally busy

I am long overdue for a knitting update so how about I show you what I have been working on. Yes? Good!


As I think I have mentioned I have been a little concerned about how cold I am going to feel when we return to the States to visit in December. I know that there are probably some of you who assume that California is sunny and warm most of the time, but I am here to tell you... not true! It can get cold, even when you are used to it, and now that I have been living in a tropical climate, where temperatures rarely drop below 70 degrees Fahrenheit and are usually closer to or above 80, those moderate and damp Northern California winter days are going to be cold! Definitely sweater weather. So after much thought and contemplation (always an important part of starting a sweater) I decided to start my Philosopher's Wool sweater. I think I mentioned that before... but here is my progress so far:


I have the two sleeves done, Have started the body and am just sort of changing colors as it seems to make sense at this point. I do have a couple of concerns about this sweater. I think my gauge is a bit tight (I seem to be changing my knitting style a bit) and this is made more difficult because this particular yarn does not have a lot of flexibility to it. It is possible that this is partially due to the fact that I have been storing this sweater kit for almost two years and the yarn has a lot of lanolin in it. I have knit with yarn that has this kind of a stiff hand before, but doing a whole sweater of it feels a bit like I am wrangling with it or something. Not a particularly pleasant knit in a sense. I feel fairly certain that once I block it that it will loosen up a little bit, but this particular form of fair isle gives a fairly heavy weight fabric. It will be warm!

My other concern is that I may not have it done in time to be able to wear it for our trip. That would be a bummer. Particularly when I could have chosen a different pattern that would have been a faster, and probably more pleasant knit. ugh. Well, I will just have to keep my fingers crossed. It is not going to be one of those beautiful flattering sweaters, but I DO hope that it will be one of those beautiful and yet utilitarian sweaters! I had an older Norwegian sweater, obtained at a second hand store 10+ years ago for next to nothing, and when we were packing up for our trip to India I realized that it was getting holes, wearing through and was in need of retirement, or at least a vacation! I think I packed it a way in a box (I really HOPE that I did!) but it was my beautiful utilitarian sweater. I need a new one.

Have I rambled enough? If you are not a knitter and have gotten this far, you have my gratitude! Just for you I will tell you another Bangalore tidbit. Yesterday.... what a day. Ari and I decided to go to the gym. Now, our gym is at most 10-15 minutes away by car. Quite close by Bangalore standards. I had read in the newspaper that there was going to a political rally in town, complete with bussed in villagers who are paid and/or fed in exchange for attending the rally (it's true- I kid you not) and that traffic would be a bit heavy. So with all of that I wasn't surprised that it took us 30 minutes to get there. We passed busloads of people obviously heading back home so I figured by the time we were done at the gym everything would be cleared out. I could not have been more wrong.

"Are we there yet??"

We got into the car to head home at about 4:15 and did not get home until 6:15. I kept thinking that Ari and I should just get out of the car and walk home, but our driver Manju was quick to point out to me that he couldn't do anything but go forward anyway.Hours in the car. Everyone was complaining and comparing notes, talking across divided traffic, grousing and whinging. After dropping us off Manju then went to pick up Bryan who works about 30 minutes away. What time did he get home? 11:00 pm. Almost four hours to get him and bring him home. Unbelievable. Sounds like a really smart political rally, doesn't it? Somehow I have a feeling that they won't be getting many votes from this part of the city!

Closing Ceremonies

Okay- I can't leave a post like the last one up for too long. Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts. I am feeling a lot better today and yesterday my daughter took good care of me and even suggested we watch a mindless, romantic comedy movie (The Holiday) rather then the intellectual thrillers that I tend to choose when left on my own. She was right. I laughed, relaxed and woke up this morning feeling much better. Again, thank you!!!

(and Tigerr- I need your email address! I can never reply to you!!!)

So, as I write I am watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics (it is broadcast live here) and I have my own Olympic, er RAVELYMPIC accomplishment!


Here we have what I have termed The Husband Sweater (Ravelry details here)
A sweater I started for my much loved husband on March 1st, 2007.
But it is finished and I can't wait for him to get home and try it on.
(we will all keep our fingers crossed that it will look stunning on him!)

Toodles!

Swamp(ed) Monster

It has been one heck* of a month.

We had family visiting. We have traveled. We have explored. They have left and since then I have been sick.

I am only now starting to feel as if I am crawling out from under the rock of busy chaos and am staring at the wreckage of my life. Unfinished and In-process surrounds and defines me. I need to make lists. I need to prioritize and I need to get busy. Thankfully I am feeling better and am powered by a massive desire to be on top of things again.

Remember the green yarn? Remember the green blanket for the baby that is due to arrive in about three weeks? Well, that green yarn became this


And I am almost done! Just a nice cast off or crochet border and a good blocking...

But dudes. My lovely knitting friends and those who can empathize with projects gone wrong.
I screwed up.

Blocking.
Lace.
ACRYLIC.

Apparently those three things don't go together so well. I never thought about it. I have never knit with acrylic before, how was I supposed to know! What the heck* am I going to do??!!

I have done a little research and apparently you can KILL acrylic yarn. Yeah, yeah, I know- that's how I feel too, but really that's what they call it. It is a process of steam pressing the yarn and it somehow releases the fibers in some way. But it doesn't always work, or really I should say that it is irreversible. You blow it, you suck. Oh man. This is not good.

So I have an almost finished blanket that needs to be killed, the Ravelympics start in two days (for which I am WIP Wrestling with the ever in-process Husband Sweater) and yeah.

I'm starting to wonder why I decided to crawl out from under that rock.

* no further cursing required

She's Crafty...

100 and counting... That is how many blog posts I have to read in my Google Reader. Down from 200-300. I spent the morning clearing it out a bit and hope to be a little more caught up soon (until the next trip away anyway...) So if you haven't heard from me in a while please don't be offended!

But now it is time for me to make my ongoing contribution to world wide electronic information overload ;)

Well, first I need to share a bit of good news..... (insert drumroll)

I have a FO!
Woot!

The Ribby Pulli that I started in the Spring of 2007 was finally finished at the craft group meeting that we had at my house a few weeks ago.

Ta da!

Crappy pic- but you'll have to deal with it as I want to get this post up!

I can't tell you how nice it is to finish something that has been sitting around for a while!!!

Now I just need to finish the Print o' the Wave, and the husband sweater, and... well, you know. There are a few.

Now, at the last craft group meeting... wait, let's call it by it's proper name. Back home I had Bobaknit (that is now boba-less on Thursdays. What is the world coming to???) and here we have Khelana Bajana which means "playing" in Hindi. The name was suggested by Connie. Connie is dynamic, enthusiastic, cheerful and a lot of fun. Connie's husband came here to Bangalore to learn how to make prosthetics. pretty cool. Except now her husband has received a job offer in Ethiopia that starts in a few weeks. Cool, but dang. I am going to miss Connie!

Anyway... Khelana Bajana met at my house and we knit, stitched and chatted, and chatted, and chatted! Usually we meet for about 2-2 1/2 hours. We went for almost 5 hours! We had a lot of fun, but I think everyone stayed to see me finish the sweater! Anyway, it is a great group and I am glad that Gill got it started. I'll share pics of them all another time...

Now, I have also gotten a lot of yarn recently. My husband has taken to saying that I need to learn to knit faster!

I received a package from Cookie in exchange for the test knitting I did... Wow. Really, really nice and can't wait to knit it!

Mmmmm... Bohus!

I received a package from Jo of some absolutely beautiful cotton-linen. She probably got tired of me complaining about knitting wool items in a tropical country! Jo- muah! These are SO gorgeous!!! (psst... she sells on eBay!)

Luscious colors!

I received a package from Jeni and Hannah (who is apparently no longer a blogger, but I love her anyways)- with some items that they picked up for me at Stitches West. Can I tell you how lovely it is to know people are thinking of me as they are surrounded by all of that yummy distracting fiber and yarn?!

These two will match quite well!!!

And lastly, I picked up some yarn when we were in Singapore. Yes, one of the many lovely things about Singapore is that they have real yarn shops, that carry real yarn made out of real, non-petroleum based fibers. Oh my. I unfortunately (or fortunately from my family's perspective!) only had time to go to one shop, Spotlight in Plaza Singapura (conveniently located near our hotel that was just off of Orchard Road). Truly though, that one shop was enough! I was very quickly on overload as I looked at the yarn and dreamed up possibilities...

One of several aisles filled with yarn

Some of it followed me home...

Now, luckily I did have a yarn "agenda". My real purpose was to get yarn so that I could knit a baby blanket for our driver. I really, really wanted something non-acrylic and his wife is pregnant and due on August 24th. Now apparently in India a "good luck" color for babies and such is green. I never realized how hard it is to find a nice color of green! I did pick up some yarn in Singapore though. Unfortunately they did not have enough of the type I really wanted, so I had to settle for this:

The actual color is a little more olive green

I started knitting it and realized that all of these little fibers sticking out, which looked like a "heather" finish in the yarn when it was inside the packaging, was actually little pieces of plastic! Now, the label on this says "100% wool". Sorry. No way are those little fibers wool! After knitting a swatch and washing, I decided that it was not the best choice for a baby blanket. Argh.

So then I was left with option #2. Find some yarn in India. Well I did have that cotton yarn/thread that I picked up on Avenue Road. So I doubled it (to make it thicker) and knitted a swatch. It looked nice, but when I washed it, by hand, in cold water, it lost a lot of the color. Hmmmm. Maybe not a good idea either. So, I went back to Avenue Road and found this. A nice bright green acrylic.

Okay, it is a bit TOO bright. (and this picture is pretty accurate!)

Next, I went to another craft shop. I ended up picking up a softer green (I think at this point my housekeeper thinks I am going a bit crazy about the green yarn thing!) It will work, but I have to admit that it just isn't a color I am thrilled with.


I am stuck - but hopefully whatever I do will be appreciated. It's just that I know that whatever yarn I choose to use, I will not be completely satisfied with it. I just have to accept it. C'est la vie.


Now, there is something else I wanted to share. While we were in Kuala Lumpur we went to the Craft Complex where they had exhibits, demonstrations and several artisans with shops. The exhibit that they were showing, on Embroidery and Needlework, was amazing. Photos were not allowed though so I have nothing to show you. The artisans actually do their work there in little "huts" on site and you can (if you are interested) do a little workshop and learn how to batik. Now, growing up with a mom who owned a craft store, I already knew the basics of how to batik (as well as do macrame, Tole painting, pot throwing/ceramics, beadwork, Ukrainian egg dying, etc...) but these batik pieces were really beautiful to behold.

I walked into one hut and there was a man reclining in a chair, snoring away. He had a large horizontal stand set up nearby that he had obviously been working on nearby as it was still damp with color. As I was looking around he stirred and woke up and then started chatting. Really interesting fellow. Now, there are apparently several different styles of batik work. He worked with many different styles or batik processes, but the one I liked best is called Cap, Tjap, Chap, Chop or simply Stamped.

He explained the detailed process to us and we soon came to realize that what he did took a lot of time and hard work.


He showed some of the pattern blocks that he uses...

I think this one is made from copper

... and in the end I bought a couple of pieces of fabric because they were so beautiful. Below is one of the pieces that I bought alongside some of the other stamps.

Here is a link to a fairly informative site about Batik.

It is SO easy to fall in love with textiles in this part of the world! I just want to hang them all over the walls.

Next time, either a Bangalore update OR Hampi, OR...

Catch the Bullets

It is inevitable that once in a while it is necessary to do a "catch-up" post.
This is such a post.

1. I bought the Charkha. I told my husband it is art. It is beautiful.
2. With the help of a like minded knitter (really she is spear-heading it!), we have started a craft group. Knitters, crocheters, sewers, scrapbookers... Yippee! We have met twice and are meeting a third time at my house on Friday.
3. I am tired of knitting socks. I'm sure it's just like a short term virus or something. I will get over it.
4. I have too many knitting projects in an "in-between, need to think about the next stage" stage. This leads to me wandering around the house wondering what the heck to do. Not pretty.
5. We celebrated Mother's Day, along with a group of Aussie/Kiwi friends, with a brunch at Leela Palace.
6. I am a little tired of going to fancy expat functions. Can't we just meet for cheap Masala Dosa, idli, and coffee?
7. We were invited to and my husband was introduced (and garlanded) as an honored guest at this ceremonial function.
8. I have realized that I am more familiar with and communicate more with the workers in my area than any of the residents in my neighborhood.
9. I found an organic food store 5 minutes from my house. It is the only ISO certified organic store in India. Had no clue it was there. How cool is that?
10. Speaking of cool, last week it was cooler here in Bangalore than it was back home in Silly-con Valley. Who'd a thunk it?
11. The bombings in Jaipur last week were incredibly sad and senseless.
12. We are planning a trip to Singapore and Malaysia next month.
13. There are yarn stores in Singapore.
14. Monsoon Season is coming soon.

We are close to the "June 5" area

Greener!

Just had to let you know that I have transformed a UFO into a FO!*

Introducing.... Greeners!


These are in honor of my oldest daughter' school, Evergreen State College and yes, that color is pretty accurate.

Sock Madness, round two starts soon -so more sock knitting will be coming up!

* non-knitter translations...

UFO: UnFinished Object
FO: Finished Object

Officially Jealous

So, I have been avoiding doing a blog post for the last few days and have to admit that I have been in a bit of a funk. There may be hormonal reasons contributing to this, but the truth is that I am jealous. Jealous that I am not at Stitches West with all of my knitting friends. I have been avoiding reading blog posts and have tried to pretend that it isn't happening. But today I finally sat down, read said blog posts, and drooled. Even my mom reminded me about Stitches and said that there was a article in the San Jose Mercury News about knitting. (The online version even has pictures of knitting friends Chloe and CJ and features my two favorite shops, Purlescence and Bobbins Nest!) Everyone is getting lovely shwag, Ravelry and otherwise, and I am stuck here in the land of day-glo acrylic. sigh. Oh well.

It hasn't been all knitting related jealousy around here though. We have had our adventures as well. What have I been up to? Well, on Wednesday I joined fellow OWC members on the monthly "road trip". This time it was a visit to a school that is one of the charities that is supported by OWC. Called Shristi Special Academy, it is a school for children who have special needs. From severe mental retardation to Autism and Down's Syndrome, they serve the needs of these children with a smile and much enthusiasm. Now some of you may not know this, but I used to work with kids with special needs, so I was particularly interested in seeing the school. I was very impressed with the is academy, not because they have a lot of special equipment, but because they do their work with a lot of creativity and and with respect for the children. Their aim, when possible is to get the children placed in a regular school. If this is not possible, they train the students for jobs that they might be able to do, either at the onsite vocational center or at outside positions. I felt proud that the OWC completely sponsors the pre-vocational program. After touring the campus and seeing the many facilities and students hard at work we were treated to a delicious lunch and then a performance by some of the students there. They LOVE to dance! The joy and enthusiasm they expressed to the Hindipop (well yes- AND "the Chicken Dance") was -beautiful and heart warming to see. Here are some photos from the visit:


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

One of the ways that the OWC raises money for this and other charities is through its many social events and outings. It really is a win-win situation because it helps us (the "expats") to get to know people and feel comfortable here and the money that we spend goes to support many schools and facilities in the area. Well, Saturday night was one of these events, the OWC Charity Ball and Silent Auction. We went for the social aspect and enjoyed ourselves very much. We got to know people a little better, enjoyed some good food and drink, danced and may have come home with a few things from the silent auction (hey- all items were donated and it is for a good cause!)


Black Pottery from Manipur

Departure: January 2nd, 2008

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here and I would like to share with you some of what has been going on. First I should let you know that we have a departure date! Finally!!! We are leaving on January 2nd. That is a week from tomorrow. Are we ready? Nope -not even. But we are making progress and I am not too stressed out about it - yet. But we have had some lovely gatherings.
Some of my dear Homeschool friends had a going a way party for me and it was really lovely to see all of them, many of whom I do not get the opportunity to see much these days. We also had the Open House/Bon Voyage party during which we were able to catch up with old friends. Here is Conner now as tall as the two Bills!

So we have our passports with visas and are fairly set to go, I think I even have the cat thing figured out, I just need to make sure that all of the paperwork for bringing them with us is done properly. The bureaucracy is killing me. This form, that form, copy this... I really hate this kind of stuff. Somehow I get the feeling that this is good training for dealing with things in India though.

We still don't know for sure about the house. although we are a little suspicious that we don't have it. We keep hearing things like, "Haven't been able to get ahold of the owners", or phone calls not returned, etc... which makes us suspect this is the Indian version of "It is not available" We'll see. I am actually, miraculously, not too worried about it. I would prefer to know where we will be, but I feel fairly confident that we will be able to find something that we like.


We have all been packing and cleaning and have appreciated VERY much all of the help we have received. Really, a large part of the job is getting rid of all of the junk that we collect on a daily basis that makes it impossible for us to see what we actually have! As I have been packing I have found a different sort of stash... chocolate! I didn't realize I had quite so much! I open a drawer and there is a bar of dark chocolate. I clear a bookshelf and hiding behind the books is more dark chocolate. I have been finding it everywhere! Very funny. I hide it from my kids and then can't find it myself..




Now, before I get too far, I also need to send a HUGE, HUGE thank you to Denise!!!!She sent me this lovely yarn and- check out the card! I didn't realize that she makes these!!!! She has a whole line of them. Dang. They are cool! I hope some of my favorite LYS owners will see this and get her cards or something... And the yarn? Well, see for yourself, but it is lovely. The colors are jewel like and some of my favorites. Yum!

Fleece Artist Merino 2/6

Now, on to the knitting. Yes! I have been knitting! It has actually been really nice to have a project that I can turn to when I need to relax and unwind. It is just challenging enough to distract me, but it doesn't contribute to my stresses. So, enter Cookie and her test knitting project. Wanna peek? I knew you would!

Nice, no?

All of the gatherings really remind me of how fortunate I am to
have so many beautiful, wonderful and loving people in my life. I am so grateful that we have things like blogs, Google chat and Skype to keep in touch! It will help me feel like I am still surrounded by all of those that I love.



I am going to miss all of my homeschool friends. I am going to miss all of my knitting friends (how can I replace Bobaknitters?!) I am going to miss all of my favorite yarn stores with their vast palettes of yarns... Rowan, Malabrigo, Blue Moon, Regia, Crystal Palace, Cascade... We are so spoiled here!


I am going to miss having family a close drive away. Family that laugh at jokes that no one else gets. Family that love you regardless of your flaws and weird tendencies (like bringing knitting with you to every family gathering!) I am going to miss watching the younger ones hang out and enjoy each others company and the loving teasing that goes back and forth between us all. I am going to miss the hugs and the love...



This last week is going to be very hard in many ways. There is A LOT of work to do yet, boxes to pack and things to move. There are quite a few things that remain on our to-do list, but hardest of all are the many goodbyes that need to happen. I am hoping to get to see all of you who are close by before I leave, but if I don't... rest assured that you are being thought of and I look forward to our next meeting, whenever and wherever it may be. Thank you to all who have helped, to all who have come by to visit or send a card, an e-mail or leave a kind comment here. It is much appreciated!!!


I guess that is it for now. I'm not sure that I will have a chance to post again before we leave on the 2nd but I do want to wish all of you a Happy Solstice, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!


I'll catch you on the flipside of the world- Bangalore!