Stateside Projects and Experimenting

I’ve received some great pics of work friends/students are doing and I think it should be shared.

Vicki's vest

Vicki has been knitting about a week.  She doesn’t really do scarves or other new knitter projects.  She does sweaters.  And she ignores the patterns most of the time.  This is her latest and she looks wonderful in it.

Debbie's blanket

Debbie shared this blanket.  It is heirloom quality.  The interesting thing to me was the construction.  It’s done with a medallion center, and then the mitered middle section is knit in four pieces and seamed at the miters.  I love this because it allows you to fudge a little if you need to in order to keep it flat.

Border pickup

Finally you pick up and knit the outside border.

Nancy Bush tells us that in Estonia, the women often knit borders of lace and then sew them onto the foundation piece.  Don’t squirm.  The sewing is easy.  In fine yarn it can be a simple whip stitch and work wonderfully.  Again, you have wiggle room when you do this.

I do like to keep my options open.

The Mapstone scrumbling workshop emphasized this.  Prudence reminded us that you can always sew  a new piece over one that isn’t really working.  And if you keep the motifs small, you can fiddle and change a great deal when you assemble your final project.

Australian Scrumbles

Speaking of scrumbling,  it is much like eating potato chips from the bag—you cannot stop.  Here’s what I’ve done with the limited amount of yarn I have here.

And my practical approach to scrumbling—sew it over the food stains on your T-shirts.  This will same me a lot of money.

Backstitching the Brain Stitch

Wrong side after sewing--Note Stain

A bit of pink embroidered on--Finis!

Finally, I’ve been making up lace patterns.  I did buy a lot of laceweight silk at Kaalund and now need to figure out what to do with it.

Cotton 20 thread

Scooped Up Lace in leftover Zephyr

Thanks again to Vicki and Debbie for sharing their work with me.  I love feeling like I got to be part of someone else’s work.  Hint!  Hint!

So much yarn, so little time.  And now I’m interested in sewing again.  Oh, well . . .

More later—

Prudence Mapstone Workshop

Ignore me and look at Prudence’s smile.  That sums up this remarkable woman.  She has such a generous, fun spirit—no wonder she has groupies all over the world.  I’ve been a fan for years and now am even more so.  Sign up for her newsletter for some true artistic inspiration.

http://www.knotjustknitting.com

Here’s how it went down on Saturday.

Took the train to Sherwood and Threads and More.  As we arrived at the station, I saw a woman in a crocheted top with a suitcase  getting off with me.  I asked and she was indeed headed to the workshop.  “How did you know?” she asked.  The top, the crocheted bag, and the suitcase—all a dead giveaway.  Jan, from New South Wales, and I sat together in class.

Before class started we got to play with some of Prudence’s work.

Necklace

This one is all knitting.

Jenni, a new friend, models the red necklace which was stunning.

This vest that Prudence was wearing just rang my bell.  Color is vastly important in this type of knitting; also important is not to overdo or overwhelm.  This vest is perfect.  Prudence quickly pointed out the quality of the yarns.  She used all natural vegetable fiber yards plus some silk.  Cotton and hemp and linen.  I fell in deep lust.

I followed her around all day taking notes about it.  The red and green pieces here Jan named Brain St.

Again, people were so nice.  Several offered to take me places or just meet for tea.  The center knitter is Annabel who is taking me to a quilt shop Wednesday and then back to Threads and More to knit.  I hear rumors of Amy Butler fabric which I have never actually handled, but have loved to look at online.  She and Jenny sat in front of Prudence’s shawls all day.  Annabel has two bags of gorgeous scrumbles in blues, purples, greens.  I almost nicked them.  They are looking at copies of Prudence’s book Coat of Many Scrumbles which she gave to each of us.

I also sat near Geraldine who is the one who first told me about this workshop.  I can’t believe this is the only picture I have of her.

She is an unabashed Prudence groupie and has learned well from the master.

These are some of her pieces.

While Prudence worked with some of the newbies, we picked Geraldine’s brain.

I learned to do bullion stitch and lots of tips and tricks for enhancing my pieces.  Prudence is a marvelous teacher and you know my standards on that are very high.  She easily went from Newbie to Groupie making sure everyone got whatever they needed from the class.

Have to also say a bit of praise about Linda and Alyssa of Threads and More.  They made everyone  feel so welcome to the workshop.  Gave everyone a lovely bamboo crochet hook, ran around and helped find just the perfect yarn when you were stumped, and then cooked a lovely lunch in their café.  It was perfect for learning something new.  Keep in touch with their website and take some courses.

More later–

The Pacific

Thanks to Rian Anderson and a lovely young woman I met in a book shop for the detailed orders about going to Straddie.  North Stradebroke Island was an adventure and showed me the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen.  We trained, bused, ferried, walked and then reversed it all.  Just look at what we found walking the North Gorge path at Point Lookout.

First view

The water color is right on my monitor.  Very turquoise near the shore.

I thought Evan would like the German on the warning sign.  The warning sign which Steve ignored.

I took these pictures to remember him by after the Pacific washed him out to sea or he fell off the rocks.

Turns out Captain Cook named this place.

They use rolls of what appears to be hemp to support the inclines.

I think this is a Coastal Screw Pine.  Look at the mat this tree creates around itself.

And yes, I did sit and knit here.

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If you live in Brisbane and are reading this, I will be knitting at Threads and More Wednesday afternoon and at Tangled Yarns Thursday night.  Come and say hello.

QUT and the walk home

A university bookstore—I’m there.  I love to look at what texts they are using in their literature classes.  I also love to buy spiral notebooks.  Can’t have too many.  Discovered the premier nursing school is located here as is the law school.  Not just a bunch of engineers!!

This is an Australian version of a pickup truck.  Thought you’d be interested.

This is the bike parking area at QUT.  Now you know this can be copied.  I’d love it as a sculpture in the side yard.  Or maybe just an appliqué for a wall hanging for Steve or Paul.  Cat, are you reading?  What can we do with this?  Even the colors are great.  Could it be the front of a sweater?

Could not resist this pic.  I don’t know what these cans contain, but if they had been at Georgia Tech when Steve was there, it would be beer cans.  Totally beer cans.  I so miss good beer.  Everett, have a Copper for me.

Small purple plant that I liked.  I can knit those leaves.  Note the sprinkler device.

A plainer pickup truck just to prove the other one wasn’t a fluke.

This is the bark of the jacaranda tree.  Totally different from the others, so far.  Also that has to be a houseplant of ours.

Leaving the school and walking up by Parliament house again I spotted this fence.  I’d love to cut out a piece to hang on my wall or even just put up in the yard.

This is the side porch area of Parliament House.  So tropical and British Colonial with the mix of stone, metal and palms.  It was built in 1865.

The last blooming jacaranda in the city I do believe.  Love that purple.  The saying here is that when the jacaranda blooms, students are in exams.

“Roses!”  Yes, I shouted that aloud.  I didn’t wait to see if people stared, but I was excited to recognize a flower.

Okay this is hokey.  I took a picture of the Alice St sign because the Gardens are located on Alice St.  I know the street is name for a Princess of England, but I have just walked through a wonderland and had a different connection in my mind.

Walking along Alice St I am taking pictures through the Garden fence.  More bark, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Two textures at once on one tree.  Still this is nothing.

Bamboo?  Why is it yellow?  Dead?  Ripe?  I need Andrew here.

Look at this houseplant.  These leaves are at least 2.5 feet long.  Unreal.

A beautiful tree with golden yellow things on it.  (I know you wish I’d buy a plant book and identify these for you, but even a standard trade paperback of a novel is $30.00 here; I don’t want to know about serious books.  It isn’t happening.)

Finally—the one!  What is this bark? It is so beautifully alien.

It has these berries or something that are the most delicate shade of green.

I could not stop taking pictures.  Yes, Erica, like the 50 some-odd I took of penguins on that island in Scotland.

Respite.  Check out the two color leaves on this plant.  Even Mother Nature wants us to do two-color knitting.

This is a pond which I have not yet visited.  Maybe I’ll go there without the camera, because if I take some pictures, you will have to look at them.  But don’t miss this next pic.

My greatest discovery!!!  Phil0dendrum, the only thing I can really grow in my house, is the Australian Kudzu.  It is everywhere.

It even climbs the trees.  I wonder if you can make baskets out of it.  You can out of kudzu, but you have to boil it first.

I know some really randon stuff.

More later–about other stuff.

Botanical Garden Walk Continued

This is a boardwalk down in the swampy area on the lower level.  Steve has walked it, but I’ll do it—no, We’ll do it—another day.

Just so you know, you can only drink here IF your party has secured a license and has given you an id as a guest.  Just so you know.

This is the entrance to the boardwalk with one lone colorful flower.

Hidden deep in the gardens is the stage.  Just like Freedom Park, sort of.

Behind the state are more huge houseplants.

Found some relatively normal looking flowers that were pretty and summerlike.  It is spring going on summer here.

More houseplants.  These leaves are at least 18 inches long. (Can you tell I am walking around with my mouth open going OMG?)

Poinsettia bushes.  They are quite tall.  Christmas is definitely coming.

There are even white ones.

Another tree with marvelous lines.  Quite a nobel specimum, but . . .

some cultural activities are the same the world over.  This does make a lovely lover’s lane.

Moreton Bay Fig—so unearthly beautiful.

Bird I stumbled on near the swamp

Exiting the path and headed onto the adjoining campus of Queensland University of Technology–the school for the Real world.  Steve loved that.

Hope you enjoyed our little trip.  I’ll tell you a bit more about the walk home later.

My Handmade Dress

Here it is.  Yes, the same fabric I used for the bag demo earlier.  Everyone here wears maxi dresses.  Even the escalators have signs reminding you to lift the hem of your maxi dress.  Honest.  Most of them are halters; all are sleeveless.  I decided to make one.

These are my sewing tools.  Straightening the fabric was not easy, nor was working on a 15″ high coffee table, but “making do” is my motto.  I’m proudest of this–the armhole.  I used the same procedure I use for fitting sweaters and started with the shoulders.  Then I cut and shaped the armhole.  I have an article about armholes in the next Knitcircus, so I knew I had better get this right.

I copied the curve of a favorite Tshirt for the neckline and added some beads just because I had them.  The black fabric is a gauze I found in a remnant pile.  I don’t know how this will launder, but right now I don’t care.  I’m just looking for a bit of detail.

Steve took the pictures.I asked him to take a bunch so I could find some I wasn’t ashamed to post.  He did.  He took about 15 and it wasn’t until I looked at them that I realized neither of us had noticed I was still wearing my MP3 player.  Meghan says men have tunnel vision;  I think she’s right.

This one is for Vicki who asked me to smile more.

I really have a lot to smile about.  The project manager has asked Steve to stay.  He told them he could and would work the project from Charlotte, so they are looking into setting that up.  I just love it here, but it isn’t home.

I wish everyone could have a few months to live somewhere new and different.  Kate and I talked about how when you move to a new place you can reinvent yourself.  I feel I’ve done some of that.  What I’m interested to see now is who I’ll be when I return.  I hope I’ll keep the serenity I feel here.  I know that is what is fueling so much creativity.  Maybe I need to just create and not worry about marketing it.

Charlotte friends, please email me privately your holiday plans so I will know how soon I can catch up with you when I return.  I’m sure I’ll be a jet lagged basket case for a few days after the 20th, but that could be fun for you.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

More later—

The Botanical Gardens, Part One

I finally went down the street about two blocks to the Botanical Gardens.  I’d been saving this for a day when I wanted something special.  Got it!  I took the camera and planned to document the walk as if you were with me.  I wanted to show you what I saw and what attracted me especially.  Hope you won’t be bored.  I will have to post this over a few days as I have finally narrowed it down to only about 50 pictures.  I’ll put some in small and you can just click on them if you want to see them full size.

We enter through a side gate by the marina on the Brisbane River.

We’re walking along a lower path.  The Brisbane River is a tidal river and the tide is high at this time of day (about 2 pm).

There isn’t much public art here, but I liked this really large piece.

Water birds on the river show you the color of the water.  It doesn’t seem dirty, just this color.

There is a path above but . . .

we’re just going to walk here a bit.  Notice there is no fence.  It’s about a 5 foot drop into the river.  OSHA would have a duck.  Australians seem to think people have enough sense to be careful.

Nice steps up to the upper path, so we’ll go that way.

Spotted a “flock” of city ibis on the lawn and thought of sheep.

Red berries.  Well, Christmas comes soon.

Cane.  I love cane, especially bunched like this.  Andrew warns about it but knows some variety that doesn’t spread.

The only other statue I’ve seen.  The guy is Jemmy Morrill, a sailor shipwrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in about 1840.  He lived with the Aboriginals for 17 years.  He’s shown with two Brolgas who are storks often referred to as a native companion.  So says the sign.  It was created by Lindsay Daen to celebrate the centenary of the Pioneer Sugar Mill.  Don’t know what happened to Jeremy after 17 years.  Have to Google that.

The bark of a Bunya Pine.  I apologize now.  I am fascinated by tree bark and trees without leaves.  Line and texture.  Can’t explain it any better.

Low-growing lacy plant.  Reminds me of a salad.

The first of many pictures of things I know of as houseplants growing big and beautiful outside in this climate.

Maybe the best picture I’ve ever taken, except for the small light leak.  Must ask Meghan if it is time for a new camera or can this be fixed.  I took a picture of the label but was so “moved” I moved the camera too much to read it.  I’ll go back.

This is the trunk of that tree.  The word “elephantine” will begin to creep in here and there from now on.

We’ll take a break here.  Liz just called and she is coming over tomorrow afternoon to learn to knit socks on magic loop.  I have to go buy some good tea!!!

More later—

Riding the City Cat to New Farm

We went on an adventure this weekend via the river.  The city transit catamarans are fantastic rides for seeing the sights along the Brisbane River.

If you are a senior citizen, the ride is only $1.44 each way.

We rode up past the Customs House which has a highly touted restaurant.

There are a lot of parks where families and friends gather. They are kept so clean.  In fact, I haven’t seen much litter anywhere.

These are the cliffs which are quite beautiful.  Lots of people climb them.  Speaking of climbing–

We got a great view of the Story Bridge.  People are allowed to climb it and you know Steve plans to do that.

You walk along the top between the wires.  They do make you wear a special jumpsuit and they connect you to a safety line.  Jane ain’t goin’ no where near that, no time.I’ll stay down on the water and take pictures.

Around the point is Dockside where a friend of mine lives.

Her community has a really nice marina .

She recommended the New Farm area, so we got off the City Cat there and immediately found a bicycle picture.

We took off walking and stumbled upon the New Farm Lawn Bowls club which welcomed visitors.  I have read about Lawn Bowls in novels, but didn’t know what the game was.

We sat and watched and Steve decided that lawn bowls was curling without the ice.  I’ve been a  curling fan since the last two Winter Olympics;  lawn bowls may be another game for me.  You can sit and drink beer while you play.

We walked further into the shopping area and I found a store I loved.  Linen dresses.  I just love linen dresses.

I think I can copy these—–if I can find some good linen.  Kate or Beth will know where.

We walked a million more miles down Brunswick St to the next community which is Fortitude Valley.  I took Steve to the James Street Market and showed him Moreton Bay Bugs and art gallery fruit.  We bought asparagus, tomatoes, cheese and bread and headed home for dinner.

More later.

American Yarns

One shop wasn’t enough for Liz and I.  We left Kaalund and headed for American Yarns.  I couldn’t wait to find out what American yarns meant.  Liz had been there before, but we used her Tomtom just in case.

A long time later—-

Tomtom, iPad, and, finally, the iPhone.  It took all three to get us there.  Much laughing as we found out that we were stymied because the council had changed the name of the area where the shop is located.  With directions from Gabrielle, the owner, who agreed to stay open for us, we arrived.

Totally different kind of shop than the others I’ve been to here.  She carries a wide range of yarns, from Bernat and other acrylics to Sweet Georgia handpainted silks.

The Bernat is very popular with her crochet customers who meet to do charity knitting in the large sit and knit area.

I saw Abuelita yarns from S. America which were very similar to Malabrigo.  There were two skeins in the sale bin for only $5.00.  Note the use of the past tense in that sentence.

She is the only person I’ve seen catering to machine knitters or selling wheels—Ashford’s of course.

She had lots of Namaste bags, several I had not seen.  Bags are important here.

No one goes anywhere without bags dripping from their bodies to carry their shopping and stuff.  Witness the picture with the sign.  The bag isn’t flattering draped across me that way, but it’s the only way to carry it and bags of yarn, or sometimes groceries.  Thank you again, Vicki.

I fell in love with this sweater.  It’s the dog thing.

One other comment about this shop owner.   She looks for deals and then passes them on to her customers.  She had found some German yarn had an error on the label.  It only said 75 m when clearly there was more on the ball.  She bought it cheap and sold it cheap to her customers.  I don’t dare tell you how much I paid for some balls of luscious silk/cashmere lace weight from China.  I’m going back to get some more.

She could have so easily just priced these yarns at market value and taken her big profit, but that isn’t her way.

We contributed well to her profits and called it a day.  Rode home listening to music from an Aussie named John Williamson.  A folk and country mix with remarkable wordsmithing skills.

More later–

Guest Blogger — Biker Guy

Guest blogger—Steve

Steve, an ardent cyclist, was off bikes for three weeks here in Australia.  He didn’t even have access to a stationary bike.  He’s such a great writer, that I asked him to let me share the email he sent to the family once he acquired a bicycle.  Enjoy.

Ahhh, the sweet caress of Lycra against one’s nether regions.  After nearly
four weeks of searching, reading ads, and going to bike shops, I now have a
bicycle with which to practice my art upon the paved surfaces of
Queensland.  I didn’t realize that I was such a bike snob…well, maybe I
did; but I was nevertheless able, with a sense of humility, to climb aboard my
well-used Mongoose Double Bison Super Anvil Turbo mountain bike this
morning for a (stay-left-stay-left-look-right-look-right) lap of the city.
I bought it at a bike shop that does a small amount of business in used
bikes, and the owner said he’d give me some money for it at the end of my
stay.  We’ll see how that works.

The shop where I bought it was about 15 km out of town, so riding it back
to Brisbane center city yesterday was an adventure in itself.  But, this
morning was my first real just-after-dawn-with-no-traffic ride.  Very
pleasant; even on the Super Anvil Turbo.

We also this weekend took a motoring trip to the Glasshouse Mountains and I
managed, in our little rented stick-shift Hyundai Getz (named, I think,
because it “getz” you there), to drive on the left side of the road for a
large majority of the time.

Plus, I now have an Australian bank account.  I think if I can discontinue
sounding the consonant “r” as I speak, I believe that I will be able to
vote in the local elections and will qualify for benefits in the Australian
national health care system.

After a week of being back on the bike, Steve’s tolerance of other people on his earth has readjusted to normal, meaning greatly intolerant, but his writing skills are still superb.

This morning as I began my bike ride, I noted that the weather had changed
from “wow-this-is-a-really-nice-day” to “damn–this is a picture postcard
perfect day.”  I guess some Brisbanites have some lofty standards for their
outdoor exercise requirements.  There is usually a pretty large crowd of
cyclists and runners and walkers sharing (and at some narrow passages
between the river and the cliffs, dangerously sharing) the extensive
non-car highways.  The earlier it is; the better the conditions are.  At
05:00 the cyclists are all hammering and obeying the rules; the runners are
all running with purpose and pace and obeying the rules; and the walkers
are all home in bed.  By 06:00, there are morons on bicycles weaving
around, walkers three or four abreast with dogs on long leads, and a few
runners left trying to keep a reasonable pace under these conditions.
Today the weather had brought out the exercise equivalent of Easter
Christians.  Great hordes of people apparently unaccustomed to the early
hour and certainly unacquainted with the rules of the road.

I went on my downstream route today — beginning by heading toward the
ocean on the south side of the river.  By the time I got back into town,
there was great congestion at some of the usually lightly congested points.

At one point I muttered alloud but to myself, “Get out of the damn way, I’m
trying to get some exercise here.  I’m not out here for my health!”

A few pedal strokes went by before the apparent oddness of my complaint
registered.

Had anyone actually heard me, there’s a danger that I might be quoted in
the future in a jocular way like Vic Morton* when he said before an
audience of a hundred or so, “I don’t know why we can’t church at eleven
o’clock like it says in the bible.”  I believe, however, that I can defend
my complaint whereas there is no defence for Vic’s.

*name changed to protect me from lawsuits or hexes