Ravelry is determined to keep me busy. I have kept my needles very busy since we’ve been back.
I’ve been sucked into the dishcloth vortex and now belong to two Yahoo groups. I made the December snowflake from Monthly dishcloth and 2 Hip 2B Square from Cloth of the Week. Of course I HAD to order lots of Peaches and Crème so I’m ready for any possible patterns that may come.
I gave Claire the snowflake one but I think she was expecting something else for her birthday. She wound a center pull ball from the yarn I received in the Holiday Swap using a method she picked up from “The Happy Hooker” but this is an old technique Ron used when computers ran on paper tape. Don’t think there many of us left that programmed computers even before IBM cards! I don’t think I’ll be able to convince him to show off his skills in yarn, though.
I used that yarn to make the wristlets in the accompanying pattern. This soft boucle has changed my mind about my vow never to work with this type of yarn again. I quickly made up the two pieces – simple garter stitch rectangles – but they came out HUGE. I decided wristlets might not look their best if they went over the elbow so I frogged one piece and will be able to get 2 pairs from the same amount of yarn. Yeah! I don’t have to choose which daughter will get them now! The pattern suggests decorating them with buttons so I need to hunt up appropriate ones. (yes, I’m going to use this as an excuse to go to craft stores) My postcard is already in the mail so I made the deadline for the Monthly Swap.
Then I also made a baby hat for the KCL group. Found an old Spinnerin baby book – 1966 copyright. It came out cute but my pompom skills are very rusty. I just tried it on a doll for a picture and it’s HUGE! Sigh – I’m not frogging – I hope they will find an older child who might need a hat. I’ll get this in the mail next week.
I’m glad we have a long weekend – the Secret of the Stole II published the first clue on Friday and I found a tat-along. This is going to be so much fun!
I am determined that stuff I make should fit from now on. I know my mother always said to leave room so they can grow into it, but even the dishcloths are too big. I have only made Ron one sweater in 38 years, and vowed never to try again after all the comments of how his arms don’t really drag on the ground. Unless someone knows a family of cold giants, this will be my year to swatch carefully and frog if necessary so things might actually fit.
Please don’t plague me for pictures. I started to take some but the camera battery died. It will take awhile to charge so you just have to be patient.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Distractions...
And this is why I haven't had a chance to do too much crafting lately. Meet the newest member of the family - Spyro von Mittendorf.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Photos!
I finally figured some things out and started to upload some photos to Flikr. Several hundred more need editing, so please be patient
Monday, January 7, 2008
Home afgain
It’s 4 AM and I can’t sleep. Guess it’s going to take some time to adjust to the 8 hour time difference.
I’ll try to remember the highlight of the past few days.
They found a place to get air in the tire and we thankfully didn’t have any further problems. They did get to do the food shopping, and then we all piled into the car and went to Molly Gwynn’s – Moscow’s version of a British pub - very cozy – standard pub food. We had a tasty assortment of appetizers. The girls devoured the chicken fingers – cut in strips resembling French fries. For our farewell dinner at home we had – pelimi ( Russian ravioli) and chicken shashlik. Don’t think I’ll easily find them here so I’m going to search for recipes.
We were all up early Sunday for us to get to the airport. It was hard not to cry while waving goodbye to those little faces in the window. I’m going to miss them.
There were some extra lines at this airport. Luckily Mike stayed as long as he could to help with the Russian. First line was to check your passport then another where they go thru your bags – they opened looked through everything! Had a problem with one thing that needed to be shown to a supervisor – don’t want to spoil a surprise but luckily it was still sealed and allowed. After struggling to get the bags closed again it was on to another line to check in and check our bags. We decided to have something to eat but we had to leave the secured area. Found a TGI Fridays! We don’t go there enough to know if the menu was similar – we had omelets. Then we had to go back thru the secured area – more people were on line now so it took awhile. Finally got to the official passport screening – Mike couldn’t go thru so we had to say goodbye. It was a long walk then to the gate. Many Duty Free shops but they only took euros – so I didn’t get anything. Did look at the booze – the only vodka I saw was Stolly – probably at inflated prices. You had the usual security check at the gate – take off shoes, metal detector and they hand searched the carry ons. We only had to wait about a half hour before they started boarding – our last line in Russia.
The plane ride was smooth – and we came in early! Finished my second book of the trip and almost knitted a complete Quant headband. I was too groggy at the confusing end part of the pattern and decided to put it away. More lines to get out of the airport, of course. Ron was annoyed that I put down we had plant materials on the customs form. I had picked a bag of pinecones from the tree outside their door. After digging them out, the inspector just said, “Going to make Christmas decorations?” then just handed them back to me – nice to know some people in uniform understand an urge to craft! Found the limo driver and was glad to get in the house. Dumped the bags, made church and went to bed right after having wonton soup for dinner
The house seems fine – looks like the plants survived. Just took a shower – don’t need Ron’s assistance any more. The rim of the tub in Russia was higher than my knees and the bottom was almost 10” from the floor – so you’re really stepping down getting out. I didn’t trust my balance especially since a third of the tub was slanted. I really missed this little independence but haven’t decided on the cold floor. I missed the sensation of stepping on cold tiles while I was in Russia but it’s going to take a few days to make a decision.
Going to take things slow today. Just thinking about the unpacking, laundry, picking up the mail, and uploading the camera makes me want to take a nap.
I’ll try to remember the highlight of the past few days.
They found a place to get air in the tire and we thankfully didn’t have any further problems. They did get to do the food shopping, and then we all piled into the car and went to Molly Gwynn’s – Moscow’s version of a British pub - very cozy – standard pub food. We had a tasty assortment of appetizers. The girls devoured the chicken fingers – cut in strips resembling French fries. For our farewell dinner at home we had – pelimi ( Russian ravioli) and chicken shashlik. Don’t think I’ll easily find them here so I’m going to search for recipes.
We were all up early Sunday for us to get to the airport. It was hard not to cry while waving goodbye to those little faces in the window. I’m going to miss them.
There were some extra lines at this airport. Luckily Mike stayed as long as he could to help with the Russian. First line was to check your passport then another where they go thru your bags – they opened looked through everything! Had a problem with one thing that needed to be shown to a supervisor – don’t want to spoil a surprise but luckily it was still sealed and allowed. After struggling to get the bags closed again it was on to another line to check in and check our bags. We decided to have something to eat but we had to leave the secured area. Found a TGI Fridays! We don’t go there enough to know if the menu was similar – we had omelets. Then we had to go back thru the secured area – more people were on line now so it took awhile. Finally got to the official passport screening – Mike couldn’t go thru so we had to say goodbye. It was a long walk then to the gate. Many Duty Free shops but they only took euros – so I didn’t get anything. Did look at the booze – the only vodka I saw was Stolly – probably at inflated prices. You had the usual security check at the gate – take off shoes, metal detector and they hand searched the carry ons. We only had to wait about a half hour before they started boarding – our last line in Russia.
The plane ride was smooth – and we came in early! Finished my second book of the trip and almost knitted a complete Quant headband. I was too groggy at the confusing end part of the pattern and decided to put it away. More lines to get out of the airport, of course. Ron was annoyed that I put down we had plant materials on the customs form. I had picked a bag of pinecones from the tree outside their door. After digging them out, the inspector just said, “Going to make Christmas decorations?” then just handed them back to me – nice to know some people in uniform understand an urge to craft! Found the limo driver and was glad to get in the house. Dumped the bags, made church and went to bed right after having wonton soup for dinner
The house seems fine – looks like the plants survived. Just took a shower – don’t need Ron’s assistance any more. The rim of the tub in Russia was higher than my knees and the bottom was almost 10” from the floor – so you’re really stepping down getting out. I didn’t trust my balance especially since a third of the tub was slanted. I really missed this little independence but haven’t decided on the cold floor. I missed the sensation of stepping on cold tiles while I was in Russia but it’s going to take a few days to make a decision.
Going to take things slow today. Just thinking about the unpacking, laundry, picking up the mail, and uploading the camera makes me want to take a nap.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
THE Nutcracker!
Dreams do come true! We went to see the Nutcracker last night! I first saw the Nutcracker a century ago – well actually half a century. I’ve seen many versions over the years – including many local dancing school adaptations – but my dream was always to see the REAL one – meaning one in Russia. The Bolshoy is closed for renovations and their tickets would have been 5,000 ru (gulp!) so we attended the “Grand Moscow Classical Ballet”. It lived up to all my expectations.
There were some differences to the one we see in Lincoln Center. Clara – called Masha here - danced thru her dream which made more sense to me – obviously a Prima ballerina not a teenager. The only children were some adorable little girls at the party and some tiny mice. Luckily there was an English synopsis to help me understand the plot changes. There was a Mouse QUEEN! Another wonderful ballerina – so we enjoyed the talents of 2 fantastic women. There was very little sword fighting – something that keeps our little boys entertained. This was a very gentle interpretation – I hope the girls will see it next year.
We had an early lunch at a coffee café - just soup and quiche. It was the first time I saw decaf on the menu. It was a nice change from the Folger coffee bags. On the way home we picked up MacDonald’s! This one has a drive-thru so we didn’t have to stand in the usual long lines. Same menu – we had Big Macs with fries and picked up Happy Meals for the girls. Everything tasted the same.
We’re babysitting this morning so Mike and Lisa can do some food shopping in peace – only problem one of the tires was very low. Don’t know if it’s a leak or the cold – it’s 1’F and snowing lightly. They called around asking if anyone knew of a place that has an air pump. They bundled up and went on a search – hope they call to keep me from worrying too much. I’m starting to pack – hard to believe our dream trip ends tomorrow.
There were some differences to the one we see in Lincoln Center. Clara – called Masha here - danced thru her dream which made more sense to me – obviously a Prima ballerina not a teenager. The only children were some adorable little girls at the party and some tiny mice. Luckily there was an English synopsis to help me understand the plot changes. There was a Mouse QUEEN! Another wonderful ballerina – so we enjoyed the talents of 2 fantastic women. There was very little sword fighting – something that keeps our little boys entertained. This was a very gentle interpretation – I hope the girls will see it next year.
We had an early lunch at a coffee café - just soup and quiche. It was the first time I saw decaf on the menu. It was a nice change from the Folger coffee bags. On the way home we picked up MacDonald’s! This one has a drive-thru so we didn’t have to stand in the usual long lines. Same menu – we had Big Macs with fries and picked up Happy Meals for the girls. Everything tasted the same.
We’re babysitting this morning so Mike and Lisa can do some food shopping in peace – only problem one of the tires was very low. Don’t know if it’s a leak or the cold – it’s 1’F and snowing lightly. They called around asking if anyone knew of a place that has an air pump. They bundled up and went on a search – hope they call to keep me from worrying too much. I’m starting to pack – hard to believe our dream trip ends tomorrow.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Baby it’s cold outside
It was the coldest day since we’ve been here – 5’F according to Michael’s car. Of course it tried to fool us by being sunny. We bundled up and Mike took us on a bus tour. We have been sticking to this section of the city, so this was an opportunity for us to see more.
The first stop was Christ the Savior Cathedral. It’s the big white one with gold domes in many pictures. Our tour guide was obviously religious and anticommunist, so she provided many side comments to the standard script. This cathedral was destroyed in 1931 and rebuilt in 1991. It is magnificent and glad to know there were still craftsmen with the skills to duplicate all the intricacies of the original. The only thing I noticed different from the old ones was the brightness – guess it needs a few centuries of candle burning to provide the usual patina.
One of the details I found fascinating was an 8 pointed star any quilter would recognize. The guide said it is a traditional design in the marble mosaic floors of a church as it represents eternity. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, so I’ll have to trust my memory.
She also pointed out the lists of names on the walls of the foyer. These were the men who defended Moscow from Napoleon. As you can imagine, it takes walls several stories high just to name the units lost in that war. The destruction of the church then not only harmed religion but part of their military history. Some of the marble was stripped before the building was blown up and used in subway stations so not everything was lost to the people. That thought seemed very important to the guide.
The bus was parked across the street, so we got to practice crossing a main road without a traffic light again.
We drove down a road dedicated to medicine – a soviet design with a maternity hospital on one end and the mortuary on the other. Most of the buildings in this part are old – stucco of various pastels with white ornate decorations. I didn’t think Moscow would have as many soft colors as a tropical location. We passed many concrete apartment houses of the Stalin era. I knew they had communal kitchens and bathrooms but I didn’t know they don’t have elevators. Some of them are 10 or 12 stories high. I feel like a wimp complaining about the climb to the third floor for Claire! We also passed some new expensive condos – would be a great addition in any city.
We then stopped at ‘the convent”. I don’t remember the name but it is on the opposite side of the river from the Kremlin where many of the photos we see are taken. It is now a cemetery for many dignitaries but we didn’t have time to pay our respects.
We then rode past Moscow University. It’s better than the pictures. A great building with expansive grounds including a stretch to the river that reminded me of the Mall in DC.
We passed the ski jump constructed for the 1980 Olympics – too bad there isn’t enough snow. We saw the arch commemorating the triumph over Napoleon and drove passed a large park that has monuments for all the towns that fought in WWII. Mike loves it, of course, - he eyes still sparkle talking about getting to climb on tanks and stuff. Think I know where the girls will be playing this summer.
Then it was back to Red Square. Our first guide had told us the entrance arches had been removed by the soviets to allow the large military equipment to enter for the parades. This guide noted the small chapel between the arches was also restored to maintain the tradition of thanking God before entering the Kremlin. She told us Lenin’s tomb is always closed during the holidays so he can’t be offended I wasn’t able to pay my respects.
We stopped in GUM again mainly for the bathrooms. There aren’t many public restrooms and I didn’t think the many port-a-potties all over the city would be warm enough. The food emporium was open and we enjoyed looking at everything. There was a wide variety of all sorts of goodies – including some caviar that was tagged 128,750ru. We picked up some cookies but I regret not getting something from the huge tea assortment. I was leery as I couldn’t figure out if anything was “no caffeine”.
We then had lunch at an Azerbaijani restaurant. We had a soup that was so delicious that Ron immediately searched the web for the recipe. I had Chicken Kiev – so I have completed my gastronomic list for this visit. Tomorrow we are going to the ballet – so my wish list of things to do will also be fulfilled.
The first stop was Christ the Savior Cathedral. It’s the big white one with gold domes in many pictures. Our tour guide was obviously religious and anticommunist, so she provided many side comments to the standard script. This cathedral was destroyed in 1931 and rebuilt in 1991. It is magnificent and glad to know there were still craftsmen with the skills to duplicate all the intricacies of the original. The only thing I noticed different from the old ones was the brightness – guess it needs a few centuries of candle burning to provide the usual patina.
One of the details I found fascinating was an 8 pointed star any quilter would recognize. The guide said it is a traditional design in the marble mosaic floors of a church as it represents eternity. We weren’t allowed to take any pictures, so I’ll have to trust my memory.
She also pointed out the lists of names on the walls of the foyer. These were the men who defended Moscow from Napoleon. As you can imagine, it takes walls several stories high just to name the units lost in that war. The destruction of the church then not only harmed religion but part of their military history. Some of the marble was stripped before the building was blown up and used in subway stations so not everything was lost to the people. That thought seemed very important to the guide.
The bus was parked across the street, so we got to practice crossing a main road without a traffic light again.
We drove down a road dedicated to medicine – a soviet design with a maternity hospital on one end and the mortuary on the other. Most of the buildings in this part are old – stucco of various pastels with white ornate decorations. I didn’t think Moscow would have as many soft colors as a tropical location. We passed many concrete apartment houses of the Stalin era. I knew they had communal kitchens and bathrooms but I didn’t know they don’t have elevators. Some of them are 10 or 12 stories high. I feel like a wimp complaining about the climb to the third floor for Claire! We also passed some new expensive condos – would be a great addition in any city.
We then stopped at ‘the convent”. I don’t remember the name but it is on the opposite side of the river from the Kremlin where many of the photos we see are taken. It is now a cemetery for many dignitaries but we didn’t have time to pay our respects.
We then rode past Moscow University. It’s better than the pictures. A great building with expansive grounds including a stretch to the river that reminded me of the Mall in DC.
We passed the ski jump constructed for the 1980 Olympics – too bad there isn’t enough snow. We saw the arch commemorating the triumph over Napoleon and drove passed a large park that has monuments for all the towns that fought in WWII. Mike loves it, of course, - he eyes still sparkle talking about getting to climb on tanks and stuff. Think I know where the girls will be playing this summer.
Then it was back to Red Square. Our first guide had told us the entrance arches had been removed by the soviets to allow the large military equipment to enter for the parades. This guide noted the small chapel between the arches was also restored to maintain the tradition of thanking God before entering the Kremlin. She told us Lenin’s tomb is always closed during the holidays so he can’t be offended I wasn’t able to pay my respects.
We stopped in GUM again mainly for the bathrooms. There aren’t many public restrooms and I didn’t think the many port-a-potties all over the city would be warm enough. The food emporium was open and we enjoyed looking at everything. There was a wide variety of all sorts of goodies – including some caviar that was tagged 128,750ru. We picked up some cookies but I regret not getting something from the huge tea assortment. I was leery as I couldn’t figure out if anything was “no caffeine”.
We then had lunch at an Azerbaijani restaurant. We had a soup that was so delicious that Ron immediately searched the web for the recipe. I had Chicken Kiev – so I have completed my gastronomic list for this visit. Tomorrow we are going to the ballet – so my wish list of things to do will also be fulfilled.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Good Morning
It’s 8:30 AM and we’re the only ones up! It snowed a little last night so everything looks pretty. They are only just starting to clear the road. It is a holiday week so I don’t know if this is normal. The maintenance men are pushing something that looks like a lawnmower and using brooms – not shovels. I have seen people using snow brooms made out of twigs - hope to get to see one up close.
The sky is only just starting to lighten but my mind thinks it’s only around 6 AM.
Forgot to talk about television here – they have cable with the 4 armed forces channels. There is also BBC World News, Sky News, and a channel in Japanese, one from India, another in German and of course lots of Russian ones. There is a Russian one in English called Russia Today - mostly news. A nice assortment – I’ve even caught some craft shows but I miss my Create.
We’re all supposed to go to Mega Mall today – the one with Starbucks. The girls call it the Barbie Mall. We saw 2 toy stores there so I expect to be hustled. I didn’t know it also has an IKEA! So it is REALLY big! We might have lunch there – it’s going to be a fun day.
The sky is only just starting to lighten but my mind thinks it’s only around 6 AM.
Forgot to talk about television here – they have cable with the 4 armed forces channels. There is also BBC World News, Sky News, and a channel in Japanese, one from India, another in German and of course lots of Russian ones. There is a Russian one in English called Russia Today - mostly news. A nice assortment – I’ve even caught some craft shows but I miss my Create.
We’re all supposed to go to Mega Mall today – the one with Starbucks. The girls call it the Barbie Mall. We saw 2 toy stores there so I expect to be hustled. I didn’t know it also has an IKEA! So it is REALLY big! We might have lunch there – it’s going to be a fun day.
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