Kuwait

So, I've been in Kuwait 2 days short of a month.  How much have I done you ask?  Um well, not much.  I think I've lost a bit of my knitting groove.  What happened?
Maybe it was the moving, or the realization of how little yarn I have with me here in Kuwait,  or feeling dissatisfied with my progress on my never-ending project and the project I really want to work on I left in NM because my friend was/is planning on coming in the fall to visit.

I has a sad.

Anyway, if you are looking for yarn in Kuwait.... go no further than Bakarat in Salmiya.  They have cotton, wool, acrylics, and blends thereof. They also have supplies for needle point, cross-stitch, embroidery (which I am teaching myself), sewing, wood-working, jewlery making, and the list goes on and on.  It is an honest to goodness craft store.

I went there with another new teacher a coupe of weeks ago to get ribbon for my jellyfish which hangs so proudly in my classroom, and right below the shop, because Barakat's is on the Mezzanine level and when you're trying to find the entrance you end up walking around the place the first time, we say Lambourginis and Jags and Porsches being cleaned.  Apparently that's where some of the Kuwaiti elite take their cars to be cleaned.  We also saw this sign.

Part of me thinks this is hysterical, part of me thinks it is so sad that this is what someone is reduced to in order to find a kidney for themselves or a loved one.  

We also went to the Salmiya co-op where we found this fantastic aisle sign.

I didn't know there was a need for obesity. 

Unplanned Yarn Acquisition

I mean, honestly, I didn't go to Spain with the plan to get more yarn.  I didn't even actually go to a yarn store. Shocking, I know. But I still ended up with 3 bags of yarn.

Okay, so the story is that when we go to Spain we always rent a house for a week or two.  This time we rented a house owned by a Belgian couple who relocated to Spain about 20 years ago. They were both very sweet.  Turns out the lady, Mieke,  used to be a knitter.  She showed me just a few of the sweaters she had made over the years... holy crap. She was a prolific knitter and her seaming was invisible, amazing.  *Swoon* And for every sweater she had a matching shawl/scarf. They looked a bit like scarves but much larger.  For you who caught the usage of past tense, yes she WAS a knitter.  I didn't know that there was a way back once we entered this life. But she had to stop knitting because of a racing heart and apparently she would stress herself out when knitting and go very quickly.  (This was gathered from the English/Dutch mix that we were using, so I'm almost sure that's what she meant.) She is now back into painting, and again is a prolific painter.

So, she gave me a whole bunch of yarn that she had just sitting in Spain.  About 40 balls of yarn. And a cone of yarn, I've always wanted one of these.  The coned yarn (which she had a whole bunch more of in Belgium) she got when a factory (I think it was clothing, but again... language barriers and all that) in  Brugge closed.

I'm still going through the yarn. So much yarn. Mostly lace and fingering weights.

Spring Break = Knitting Time

So, doing my student teaching has left me very little time for knitting. Isn't that sad? I am usually working on lesson plans, grading, or writing papers/reading for my other class when I get home and then I go to bed.  I don't have a real lunch break during the day because  there are usually students in the classroom doing make-up work (that's a whole different topic I won't get into here).
So this past week has been Spring Break and I have been knitting up a storm.  I actually got to go to my knitting group this week and saw all those lovely ladies. It was wonderful.

Okay, knitting. Currently on the needles is Viajante by Martina Behm and I am using Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace yarn in Garnet Heather.  This is a deep red color that I think will be great for traveling.  It seems functional and fashionable, and the color will go with my travel clothe.

I hope that your Easter weekend is relaxing and full of candy.  It is lesson planning and cleaning for me. Alright, and a bit of knitting.

Black Yarn and the Mayans

Why did I think using black yarn, on the shortest day of the year, in the darkest part of the world I would have a reason to go to, would be a good idea?
I will blame the jet lag and say that it was so important for me to sleep today and read the Yarn Harlot's blog, that knitting was simply impossible. Or maybe because I can't see the freakin' thing made it impossible.
I hope that the darkest day of the year is bringing your family closer together. My family is all off doing their own things. Papa is at an MVV game, Mom is celebrating the last day of the semester with teacher friends, the boys are off... somewhere, and I'm here. Relaxing and sleeping.

Happy End of a Mayan Cycle Day, today officially ends the period of the 13th Baktun. After learning about Pre-Columbian MesoAmerican Art during my BA in Art History, I've been watching the build up to this big, Earth-ending apocalypse or some people's interpretation of the event.  I love the images that the Mayans produce, and the fact that they have cycles, or ages, that last 5,125 years. Because to me and my way of thinking, that is such a random number, even though it has 5's going on all over the place.
So happy end of the cycle and let's hope that in the new cycle humanity reaches enlightenment so as to end all wars, brutality, and general stupid stuff.

Christmas is 5 days away.

Hahahaha hahahahaha. ROFL. I can't believe that it is almost here.
I was cruising along on the thrummed mittens I am making for my Mom, when I hit a big snag.  Nearly finished with the first one and boom. Do not continue, do not collect a gold star for completing one mitten. I am having issues because of the way the pattern decreases, which results there are places on the sides of the fingers without thrumming and therefore susceptible to coldness. What's the point in that? Her fingers are cold, not her palms.

Honestly, this is the most important present of the season and must be ready for Christmas morning. So, it is time to go to the drawing board and figure out my own pattern. Those seem to work out fine in the end. Sometimes.

Sung to the tune of "Little Drummer Boy"
Come on mittens, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum
Why can't you just work out, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum
I've worked so hard on you, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum
A gift just for my mum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum
thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum, thrum

The hat that I made, was mostly made for stress relief. As such, it didn't turn out the way I hoped and must be frogged back to the beginning of the decreases. Gorgeous color, what the freak was I doing?

With your yarn, awesome knitter, do you see what I see?

I see Christmas coming. With jolly music and yuletide laughter. I see it coming without hand knits as well. 8 days and my finals will be over, then I must crank out the wool goods or leave my family to freeze in the cold German winter. A thought too sad indeed.
But what am I working on? oh, a hat with BellaDulce yarn for me.  O.o yeah it confuses me too. I say it is comfort knitting, and its not like it is flying off the needles.

By the way, BellaDulce yarns has a website. Well, almost. It is coming soon. Hooray! And it is beautiful and LaDonna has done it all on her own. Impressive! Knitter and web designer. That means I need to block things and take pictures so they have more examples of their yarns in FOs.  Yeah, that won't happen for at least 9 days. But I've thought about it.

Now I must go and get dressed. Apparently I have to have clothes on to teach. What? Why? oh, alright.

Thanksgiving Already!?!?

I can't believe it is already Thanksgiving. That means November, but not just November, the END of November. What happened? I'll tell you what happened in relation to this blog (I can't account for your lives but I'm sure it has been wonderful) Grad school happened. The final semester before student teaching happened. A job, 18 graduate hours, and 17 practicum hours per week in the classroom happened. In short, life happened.  Knitting, not so much.  I did finally finish Travel in Pink but I haven't blocked it (still done in my opinion), and since then I have been working on my Hex'n the Blanket project. It has only been two years in the making. 0.o
I had so many plans for Christmas projects for all my family. Hats and cowls and socks, on my.  Where am I on that count? Um... I'm not. And that is sad. Apparently, I don't knit for deadlines.  They make me not want to knit. That's my excuse.