On the Needles: Grapevine Socks!

Great start with using two circulars and beautiful colors (Lagoon and Falcon's Eye) from Blue Moon Fiber Socks That Rock.

 

 

Grapevine socks

 

I bugged Irie for months to publish the pattern for her Grapevine socks and now it's taken me months to get up the courage to get off the dpns and try this circular sock knitting method.

OK: I've washed the dog's bedding, make a couple of phone calls local and on Skype, filled the dishwasher, taken a shower, had coffee, opened and closed the windows, emptied wastepaper baskets, and now ....

it's time to get out the circular needles and cast on! Considering I'm not a spatial person, this is going to be interesting.

Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Lagoon -- for tops and toes and Falcon's Eye for the body of the socks. 

Color ....

I have many books (still unread) about Color.

I'm enjoying reading about "Mauve" and bought another great book in London

Colors Demonic & Divine: Shades of Meaning in the Middle Ages & After by Herman Pleij and Dianne Webb

Splash!

Splash! is the concept organized by our Public Affairs section to celebrate the moving of the US Embassy from Almaty to the capital, Astana.

We've had Peter Kalivas, the choreographer, Walter Dean discussing Goodnight, and Good Luck and
Emily Freeman Brown conducting with the Academy of Soloists chamber orchestra and the Symphonic Orchestra of Astana State Philharmony at the resplendant National Music Academy of Kazakhstan in Astana including a guest solo with Aiman Musakhodjaeva.

Afternoon Tea -- what EXACTLY is it? and ... raincoats

One of the nice things I did in London was rest my sore tourist feet twice at the nice cafe at Selfridges on Oxford Street in London.

They have a fabulous smoky and dark tasting "Afternoon Tea" blend they serve, but of course ... don't sell.

Must find some time on the internet to research what an "afternoon tea" blend really is -- even Twinings sells it.

Selfridges was a bust along with the whole rest of London, it seems, in finding a raincoast that wasn't Burberry costs. Tried all the major department stores, including some of the "younger" places like Zara and Top Shop. Only rain jackets, and one kelly green raincoat. What happened to the old fashioned "macintosh"?

Have forgotten that I also went to Harrods and they have a great Earl Grey blend. The place is huge, very busy and noisy -- I ended up prefering Selfridges more.

Early Fall in Astana

 

 

 

Knitting ... what's that?

Haven't been knitting much for a month but hope to make use of this long weekend.

I've been knitting a few rows of the Hedera socks while fiddling with the internet all day today. I may start the Grapevine socks tomorrow as I was able to get a 1.5mm circular needle locally -- Pony Brand (Chinese?).

Took my knitting to London but didn't take it out of the suitcase. Medical issues turned out fine and then I got to be a tourist.

I watched the changing of the guard and then went inside Buckingham Palace for the "Last Day of the Year" tour. So wonderful. Then spent the rest of the day into the early evening on the Big Bus City tour which is worth every penny. Other sites I went to were the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert (the textile section there was closed for remodeling boo hoo!). Both those museums have had a makeover since I was last there ?? years ago. Then a final trip to Westminster Abbey -- always moving to see history before your eyes.

There were no knitting stores in the Oxford street area where I was staying. But the John Lewis department store was there, and they had a decent haberdashery (must look up the spelling) section with drop dead gorgeous Rowan yarns ... that no American can afford. Disappointed with the needle section though -- no "small" needles and no fancy wooden ones or anything like Lantern Moon goodies.

Liberty of London likewise had beautiful Rowan items and even less in the extras department. And they've even stopped the little charm square packets of Liberty fabrics they used to do for quilters ... too bad.

One of the best parts of being in London was the high-speed internet in the hotel, so I have up-to-date knitting podcasts to listen to this weekend!

September - October

The Embassy had a flag raising ceremony Sept. 28 and a sad day at half mast a week later to honor a colleague who died in a car accident on the way up here.

We are still in a temporary house but there is light at the end of the tunnel at the other house -- maybe 2 weeks?

The weather has drastically gotten colder here and I had to break down and fish my coat out of the packing box -- the rest of our winter things are still in Almaty.

The leaves are turning a beautiful orange and yellow all over town.

I went to London for a week -- but of course forgot to take my camera. A new small camera that will fit in ANY purse is on its way to me in the mail! And I'll also get John's IPOD when he upgrades.

Life with slow internet ....

(POST SCRIPT later in the day: actually got a better connection and was able to have a scratchy but successful happy birthday phone call with my mother.)

When you have a slow internet connection you can't:
use Skype to call your husband, your children or your mother on her birthday

cruise knitting blogs

look for errata on knitting mag sites

read the news online

order things from Amazon.com and look for items for the new house (fingertip towels, silk flowers, trivets and more)

download pictures to my blog

so frustrating! Let's see if this get loaded!

But I see Irie got her pincushion doll -- fabulous!