Vacations

I haven't been good at all at writing this semester, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, it was just too busy. But now, all the funding requests are done and submitted, and I'm off for a month. I'm actually writting this from Kuala Lumpur, where my man and I arrived in the middle of the night, after spending 3 days in Shanghai.
This has been a looong trip. We left Monday morning around 9am to take a bus to Montreal, followed by another bus to the airport, then a first plane to Toronto, a second one to Vancouver, and a third one (over 13 hour-long) to Shanghai. Once there, we realised our luggages had not followed, so we just took the high-speed (300km\h) train to town, where we bought a 3-day metro pass, and went to our hotel. We didn't stay in long, because we wanted to get over jetlag quickly. So the first day was spent disovering the Bund and the old town. Here are a few pictures.

Quite the choice of food! 

Tea house

Tea with eggs...

Fish...

Shanghai metro

Our luggages showed up at the hotel as we were about to go to bed, how lucky are we? 

The second day we visited the zoo, and the people's square and around. The zoo was a lot of fun, although I spent the day freezing. 

Wearing the new blouse I finished the day before we left! 

And we still had a little time, so on day 3, we went to the free national museum, and walked around a bit more before we headed back to the airport for our flight to KL. 

About to taste the stinky tofu I got from a street vendor. It tastes better than it smells! 

So, my impression of Shanghai after less than 72 hours spent there? It's cleaner, better organised than I expected of a country with so many people. It's very easy to get around, EVERYTHING is in English. And the food is to die for! On the other hand, people kind of don't talk unless they're trying to get you into the famous tea-scam, they push or almost hit you non-stop in the metro and on the street. Nobody seems to be following any circulation rule, and the weirdest thing is that nobody ever says a word about it, as if it's just normal that you almost get hit by a bike/car/bus/scooter, etc. at every single corner. Also, Shanghai is really, really rich, and I just kept thinking about what happens in order regions of the country, and did not feel comfortable about this opulence. Lastly, Facebook and Bloger did not work while we were there. It was a good reminder that despite all the Starbucks, Gap and other North American ways of living, it's still China. So, I'm happy I saw it, but I would not go back. Next post: Kuala Lumpur!!!

Dark November

Well, it looks like this fall is just going to be crazy until the end. Or at least until December 13, when I finish working for over a month! I haven't been in vacation for more than a month since I was a master's student, over a decade ago. Meanwhile, I am paying for not taking much time off this summer, because I'm just exhausted. But hey, that's one last month to go, and given all the work I have, it should go by very quickly, and I've got lots to look forward to at the end!

Somehow, despite the running around of the past months, I still managed to do things.
I went apple picking and made apple sauce with a LOT of cinnamon. We made candied salmon and we got a slow cooker that we used a few times.

Salmon in the dehydrator. It's sincerely the best thing in the world. 

But that's it, I have not canned tomatoes, nor made jams as I had started to do in the past years.  Too busy, too tired, and still working on our grape jelly and plum and strawberry jams from last year.

On the weaving side, good news. The blankets have both been sent and received by their new owners, Emoke and Aron. After I finished hemming the blue one, the hem frayed when I washed it, so I had to do it a second time. I decided to hopefully solidify it by adding and extra blanket stitch. The final result looks like this (not super nice, but I was learning):

Picture taken in the car, because that's where I finished the hem, while my friends were waiting for me to drop it at Aron's place. I like the red with the blue. 

I had taken the blankets off the loom before the whole warp was completely woven (I hope to have 2 more blankets on it). I used the 2-stick heading tip from Peggy Osterkamp's weaving blog.  I re-attached the warp last week, and it looks good, although I have a few things to fix.

Sticks attached to the apron rod. 

Another thing I did was this (see picture below) with knitting markers, to keep the treads in the right sections as I re-warped the loom. It worked pretty well, and I'm happy I found a use for those markers I never use!

Knitting is also pretty good. After the last booties, I had time to knit another pair, this time red, for a future baby named Florence.

This pattern was so easy...but so cute! I knit it in about a week and gave them to the mama this morning.

Tomorrow is our weekly knitting meeting at the local coffee place. My heart is bursting with pride when I see people who started knitting a few weeks ago finishing scarves (and not any scarf, this one!), and starting baby sweaters. As much as I am proud of all these girls who are learning and running with their needles and yarn, as much as I am realizing that I am a bad knitter! It took me so long to finish my first few pieces, and even now, I can't make anything without having to knit it at least twice, if we consider all the mistakes I have to fix as I go...Anyway, I try not to get to depressed by that though, and try to feel better by telling myself that I must be a not-so-bad teacher:-)

Also in the knitting news, last week I went to Montreal with 2 friends for a yarn shopping day. We visited 3 stores, dropped the blue blanket, and stopped at my favourite Indian restaurant for a yummy lunch. I had just received a new book I ordered with baby patterns, and I bought yarn for a few projects. I'm ready for any other friend who is planning to procreate! I also bought yarn for this project. I can't wait to start it!

So this is it for now, have a great week!

Fall

Hello,
I think that October is my favourite month of the year.  I love the colours, I love the weather that is warm one day, and cooler the next, so we can enjoy long walks outside as well as cozy, homey activities, such as making soups. I didn't realize how much I love October until last year, we were in Transylvania for 2 weeks in October, and it was a chock for me to be away from here.
I missed this:

Not that Transylvania is not full of trees in the fall, but they become yellow. Not orange, and not red. And I missed that a lot last year.

However, this year is a busy October, and I'm not taking advantage of it as much as I should. Today is Thanksgiving in Canada, and I've been so busy that I didn't plan anything outside of home for the weekend. I mean, I had plans, but they were not well thought out, and didn't happen. With the big trip coming, I don't mind that much, but for sure next year I want to rent a cottage and spend some time in the forest!

So, besides my busy work (sending funding proposals and bursary applications all over the place), I've been busy with the wine class (I love it, but I realize how much more there is to learn...), trying to to make it to all my yoga, zumba and pilates classes (not as successful I I would have wished when the semester started), trying to make things (not to bad, considering the little time I have to invest) and cooking things.

In the making things, I managed to finish these for little Victor, born in the Nederlands last week (a few days early, I must say, so for once, it's not my fault he didn't get them before he arrived!)

I now need to start a few more baby items (everybody is having babies around me. EVERYBODY!). I also want to start Fuse , a pattern I bought last year and didn't get around to start yet. This morning, I went to our weekly coffee gathering, and I did the swatch. I think I will like it a lot! And I love the yarn I bought for it.

Talking about our coffee gathering, I'm very proud to report that we got a few regular knitters joining almost every week, and that 2 of the new learners have completed, or are very near completion of their first F.O.! I'm just so proud...

The other thing I finished is the hem of this woven baby blanket. (to see the pattern, it's the picture above).

I've decided not to add a crochet edge on the blanket. The main reason is that I still don't know how to crochet. The 2nd reason is that I washed the 1st blanket, which shrank significantly. I knew it would, so it's not a problem, but I forgot to do the lace and attach it before I washed the blanket. Bad idea. I feel that by the time I try to figure out how to crochet, and calculate how much of the lace would shrink, etc. I will never send out the blanket. My dilemma was then: do I wait, and potentially never send those thing to the babies, or do I take a big breath, decide that the blankets are already quite nice, and send them so they can actually be used?
I chose option 2, and the 2nd blanket is currently being washed so I can send it out tomorrow.

I guess I'll be perfect in another life...or with another baby. Meanwhile, I will try to start my next blanket this afternoon, to get back into the weaving mood.

More news soon! Have a good week!

Back to school

Although I'm not a student anymore, the "back to school" season is in full swing for me!

It started with yet another change at work: my supervisor moved from the chiropractic department to the kinetics one and I followed him. My 4th move (and 5th office) in 2½ years...

Then I started going back to the gym more regularly. Yoga twice a week, pilates and zumba once a week. I don't see any change yet, except that I'm always hungry!
Then I went back to my sewing classes. I'm starting with a pain of pants this year.
Then, with a few friends, we started meeting at a coffee place over the weekend to knit and chat. Fun!
Then I started a wine tasting class with a friend from one of my labs. I like wine, but I don't even know how to express what I like, so hopefully this will change me into a social wine drinker. I really liked my 1st class.

Meanwhile, some stuff also gets done!

Like this vest:

Ok, still missing the buttons, but I'm almost there

It's warm, it's red, and it's lacy. Love. 

And like these blankets, finally off the loom:

I also started this, which may travel across the ocean if everything goes according to plans:

And these soups:

I bought a big bag of carrots, because they were on special, but of course, being 2, there is absolutely no way we can eat them all. So this morning, I took out my big canning pot and made soup. I started with onions, carrots and broth, and then divided the soup and 2 and made a batch of tarragon-cumin-carrot, and another batch of curry-ginger-cumin-carrot. I put them in mason jars, and will freeze them, this way I will have easy lunches to bring with me. I think that making 19 jars cost me less than $10, thanks to the super sales on onions and carrots!

Otherwise, life is busy but good. I keep celebrating my 40th birthday over and over. Thursday, my man and I went to a local spa for dinner and baths. I used a gift certificate I received from one of my labs last June. It was a wonderful evening, and I finally discovered which is my favourite restaurant in 3R!
Then, on Saturday, we went to Magasin general Lebrun , an old fashion general store that doubles as a museum and concert hall. I had received tickets for the traditional male a cappella band Les Charbonniers de l'enfer (Hell' charcoal-makers). It was wonderful, and as you can see, we couldn't have been closer to the band! 

The other thing that keeps reminding me of my big 4-0 is that we are busy organizing our big trip! Montreal-Vancouver-Shanghai-Kuala Lumpur-Borneo-Singapour and back! All our planes tickets are bought, and most of our hotels are booked. We are getting our vaccines this week, and then all we'll have to do is to wait for December to arrive! 

Have a good week! 

End of summer

The last few weeks have been all about enjoying the end of the summer. I know summer only ends in a 2 weeks, but there is a frost warning tonight in 3R, and I have been sleeping with my fleece nightgown and socks for the past few nights (that's the price to pay to sleep with open windows as late as possible!)

So, first, Santa Fe. 

Wow. 

It was awesome, and weird, because so...exotic. I travel quite regularly, but this was not a place I expected to go one day. That's probably why I just said yes enthusiastically when my friend invited me to join her and a few other ladies to spend a week there; my past experience taught me that I always enjoy going to places that were not on my bucket list, since I have no expectation whatsoever. 

And I was not disappointed. I spent week in the desert, staying in a charming adobe, visiting Navajo pueblos, drinking margaritas, enjoying the most wonderful food and shopping for silver and turquoise jewelries. I felt very far from my dear Transylvania and all its trees! The colours, the smells, the landscape, everything was so different, while being so North American. 

Oh the food...

Chilis and jewelry, that's quite representative...

Picture for my man, who would really like to decorate our house with this

Indian museum

Our adobe

Taos pueblo (http://www.taospueblo.com/)

The annual Indian market (http://www.swaia.org/)

Bandelier national monument

http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm

at the Indian market

Since I came back, we got to go a nice baptism, and then this weekend was the moment I wait for all year long: camping at Lac Clair. 

Lac Clair holds a very special place in my heart. Five years ago, I was invited to spend a weekend there by one of my good friends, the same guy who, a few months later, became my man. We have been going back every year since, and each single time, the magic of that place calms me down as soon as we get there. This is one of the only place on earth where my billion lists don't follow me...as much. 

This year we rented a freshly renovated tiny cabin. We went to bed at around 8:30 pm, and I slept like a baby until my man woke up at 4am to restart the fire. I decided to go out and spent about 15 minutes just staring at the moon and the stars, before I went back to bed. 

Somehow, I haven't had insomnia for the first time since Christmas since. I'm crossing my fingers it will last, and I'm hoping we can go back before the end of the season...

Emergency camping blocking

making jam with the plums from our trees! 

final yummy result

Young ducks resting next to our place

yes, we got that close to them...

In other news, I have 5 inches left on the woven blanket, the greylina you see being blocked on the picture is only missing its button band, and awesome news, a few students from one of my research lab decided they needed something to do during their break at the hospital (they're nurses), so they decided to learn how to knit. We got together last Monday in a coffee shop, with a few other friends, and spent a few very pleasant hours together. We are doing it again this Saturday morning, I can't wait! 

Talk to you soon! 

Another thing to cross off my list(s)!

Short post to say that 26 months after starting it, I finally wore my funky skirt at work today.

It looks like a skirt!

What I really like about this skirt (besides the fact that I was able to save it from a terrible disaster) is that because I cut it all wrong over 2 years ago, I didn't have enough fabric to redo the lining of the belt, so I bought some green fabric, which I had enough of to also line the hem. It adds a cute touch, I find, and even better, in a town that is so windy, I didn't have to hold my skirt down once all day! The Hungarian dancer in me can't wait to wear it to dance and spin!

My man is not at all convinced by that fabric, but I really find it funny. And it matches with everything! A perfect travel skirt for next week!

Talking about travels, I better go and start packing. Talk to you soon!

Lazy, busy summer

Almost a month since I wrote last. I didn't have much to write about anything crafty, now that my blouse is done. I actually wore it for the first time yesterday, because we've had heatwaves that prevented me from wearing anything with sleeves before that. I'm still amazed that it fits so well, although I noticed it is a bit big on me...I don't think I lost any weight, I think the fabric stretches easily. oh well.

I've been busy in the past few weeks enjoying summer and going places.

Early July, I went to a family reunion, where I saw a few of my many, many cousins. My mother was the youngest of 10 kids, and they all had several kids themselves. My mum being over 70, it means that at 40, I'm one of the youngest of my cousins, and it also means that many of them are already grand-parents. There was a lot of people, at least 4 generations, if not more, at that family gathering. AND it was only a small portion of the entire family.

To be honest, I didn't recognize half of the people, but it was nice to meet them all once again! Some I had not seen in many, many years. And thanks to Facebook, I hope we will stay in touch this time.

We've also been enjoying summer by going out a lot.

Day at the farm with a lot of babies

Local concerts and festivals

And I've been enjoying rediscovering Montreal with some friends...

Montreal ice cream. I had lime-mint and Earl Grey ice creams. OMG. 

Montreal, cool city

 

All kinds of dips at Rumi's, Montreal

I've also had a little bit of time for sewing.

You may recall that I had started this skirt a few years ago:(http://genyin3r.blogspot.ca/2011/06/sewing.html) I had bought fabric and the pattern thinking I could figure it out. I cut the pieces (without measuring anything nor thinking that maybe, the sizes on patterns have nothing to do with the clothes sold in stores). Resulted a major panic and an almost depression, and everything went back in a bag and was almost forgotten until it was moved into the new house. I decided to take a look at it, wondering if my sewing courses could help save this catastrophe. Well...I had re-cut the belt, and had to buy extra fabric for the lining, but I think that it will be wearable once the hem is done. I will not show it to my sewing teacher, because I did not do things very well, but again, it will be wearable, which is a lot more than what I expected when I took it out of the bag a few weeks ago.

I also knitted a bit, although it doesn't show much. I actually frogged (rip-it, rip-it) what I had done for the front, and started it again, because there was a very visible mistake right at the beginning. It looks much better now, so I'm happy I did that. I'll be flying across America next week, so I'm hoping I can maybe finish it by the time I come back!

I am not able to weave right now, because I ran out of blue yarn, and that's where I'm at in the baby blanket. I ordered some more, but the place I buy it from is closed for a few weeks for vacations. Hopefully it means that I will have received it when I come back from my own vacations. That will leave me 5 days to finish it if I want to give it to Emöke, the baby it is intended for, on her baptism. I don't think that would be too difficult, except that I have to learn to cut it off from my warp, and learn to crochet to make a border. I really want to be positive, but I'm having doubts...the only thing that can save me is that the baptism is about 4 hours away from 3R, so if I get to learn on time, I'll have an extra few hours in the car for the borders. The smart thing to do would be to learn to crochet while I wait for the yarn to be delivered...hum, that could work...Since I'm not 100% sure of the final size of the blanket once it is going to be washed, I can't actually crochet the lase and hope to sew it later. But I still can learn. Pinterest, save me!!!

And despite the heavy rains, and crazy heatwave, we have a little bit of a garden:

Next week, I'm leaving for Santa Fe. I'll be there for a week. There is a big Indian market, and I'm going to meet my friend from Lillooet who I haven't seen in over a year. That's going to be fun! I don't have any plans, except for resting and shopping, so I should not be disappointed!

We also started to plan our big trip to Malaysia. It looks like we will stop for 3 days in Shanghai on our way there, and we will also probably spend much of our time in Borneo. It's starting to be really, really exciting!

Have a good week, I'll take a lot of pictures in Santa Fe! And hopefully, there will be lot of weaving happening!