As you all know we recently moved to a smaller townhome condo in the NYC area and we’re needing the space. So this Jensen Ashley Spinning Wheel is up for sale. It comes with many accessories all in matching gorgeous Black Walnut wood. If anyone is interested please contact me at arianiek [at] gmail [dot] com for more details. Can Deliver @ Rhinebeck Sheep & Wool. Thanks!
Yes been a very lo-ooooong time! We recently moved across the Hudson River to Port Imperial just across from mid-town. Time has been spent on work and recently unpacking boxes in between work and juggling the family life
Our boxes lined the hallways easily and then there were some that made their way into storage
Even Nadya our oldest reminded us of how fast time flies by. Here she is with Petra on her first day of the new school year.
Little Baby Lola is not quite little anymore. She is now almost 9 months old. Can you believe it?
So unpacking started a couple weeks ago. Looking at this box we reminisce the moment when we first packed it for the move. Very nostalgic! And it felt like an early Christmas; only this time it’s more of a surprise, “Gee huney, do we really own all this stuff?” OK so let’s talk about the new place…
It’s a condominum along the NJ waterfront, new construction, complete with new roads. Lime Stone exterior and Masonry. Very peaceful and quiet here and neighbors are really super nice. Shopping is just right around the corner and there’s a huge waterfront park next door for recreation.
Freshly baked from the oven…
And here’s a closeup of the facade
Signature alcove windows in living area, dining space and all the bedrooms. Tall huge windows as you can see it is very bright and airy
The kitchen is an open space concept. It is quite spacious in there and it features a gas range which we really prefer over electric. It also has an under sink trash disposal system just like our previous home.
Here’s a view of the dining area from the kitchen
More living space pix
All the bathrooms are spacious – there are 3 of them and the master bath in this pix is actually set in marble
There is a tub and also a stand up shower
On to the second floor, the stairs are now the children’s favorite playground. They love walking up and down and sometimes just sitting down and reading a book there.
More living area pix. We really love the greenery although it won’t be for long as we move along towards the Fall season.
So, there it is folks – a snapshot of our current life. Till later, we hope to recover from all this transition. soon!
We’re doing fine and still alive, and kicking in case some of you have been wondering. It’s summer in full swing so time is left spending with the kids. After all it’s the big time of the year to calm hyper growing kids! I thought I’d update everyone with new photos of Lola Christiane. She turned 5 months about two weeks ago which makes her a little over 5 1/2 months now. She is very well aware of her surroundings and loves her solids. Still a very happy baby, loves to smile most of the time.
Yes and she’s getting chubbier as well, her cheeks are just packing pounds!
This one shows her pretty usual self. You’ll catch her smiling almost every minute on a very good day!
We spent Mother’s Day at the Larchmont Manor Beach in Westchester. I had wanted nothing more than a relaxing moment by the water, salt ocean water that is and some fresh air. I’ve been feeling quite lethargic lately and needed some quiet time. Larchmont Manor Beach is on the east side of Westchester County by the Long Island Sound. Other than that I spent the rest of the day reading Lexi Boeger’s new book, Intertwined which I won on Craft Sanity recently and some spinning on the Lendrum.
My entry won the Craft Sanity contest for Lexi Boeger’s new book. Lexi started the Plucky Pluff handspinning revolution. Yes, I am a very BIG fan!
The Lendrum which has been seating for months, errr, recently had some some joint exercise. And a luscious beeswax conditioning. Schwoon!
Petra Ava, Nadya Anne and Lola Christiane with mommy on Mother’s Day 2008
I have waited too long to put the descriptions/ captions to these photographs; sorry! but time is taking me away from everything – as usual! Anyways, these were taken a few weeks a month ago when we went out walking in the city. Coincidentally it was Tartan Day so we had the opportunity to celebrate the Scottish bag pipes and celtic dance parade with merriment!
Petra Ava on daddy’s shoulder showing off her pride and joy Scottish flag – yes she’s a quarter Scottish and a quarter Irish thanks to David
And Nadya Anne didn’t miss her chance either.
A picture of the paraders in their kilts!
They were throwing Scottish shortbread cookies from these double deckers.
We had some yummy Gyro Sandwich; I swear this guy had the best gyro stand in town
Mmmmmmn yummy, can you just smell it?
You can find him here 6th Ave and C Hendy’s street
We later went to Central Park for a picnic with our food. We really had a great time!
Here’s a series of photos I took while at the park just observing and absorbing everything around me, trees, people, architecture, sights and smell…
And of course the horseman and his carriage
We walked by the garment district and I wanted to capture Calvin Klein
Or at least a sculpture of him with my loved ones posing by
David and the girls on our way to Rockefeller Plaza
And more pics at Times Square
We haven’t had any chance to take photos of the children during the move. We were busy putting up our previous home for sale, packing up, relocation paperwork as well as travel for house hunting trips.
These photos however were taken last week after the children’s daily bath; we were actually getting ready to go grocery shopping.
Petra Ava who recently turned 3 trailing behind big sister 4 year old Nadya Anne and playing with 3 month old Baby Lola.
I have to say this is one of the more blissful moments we have in between juggling attention seeking tots. There is always something to cater to every 5 minutes or so. Since blissful moments are rare, I tend to cherish them more than other times although I try my very best to cherish every moment I can especially when I get a break and after some much needed sleep!
In another 2 weeks Lola Christiane will turn 4 months old. Meanwhile, she’s learning how to smile and giggle. She’s very good at expressing herself especially when we talk to her about her day. Of course she doesn’t talk back but she acknowledges that we’re giving her the attention and gets quite excited about it.
It’s been hard to take photos of a baby that sleeps most of the day, now that she’s a little older we get to snap photos more often than before.
And then she starts rubbing her eyes, yawn and indicate to us with a fussy cry that she wants her nap back! OK, little Princess go beddy bye now. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.
More waterfront photos and updates — Our weekend haunts – The Park!
The best NYC Skyline view actually is from Maxwell Place, it is also one of my favorite routes to go for a run; very scenic and peaceful.
Another great angle shot from the park across from Maxwell’s
And another skyline view from the edge of the water
On the North side, is a wide angle view of Maxwell Place and next up is the Shipyard community
A closer look at Maxwell Place, some still under construction
A view of the playground in front of Maxwell Place, great place for kids’ playdates
Nadya Anne posing in front of the slide
She had a really great time the weekend we took her to the park
Petra Ava in one of the play tunnels
Calling out to daddy while he snapped a photo of the girls
This is the southeast view of NYC from the playground
Further South is the NY Waterway Ferry Terminal at the Lackawanna
And a historical statue of Sir C. Sloan
From the Ferry, a shot of buildings leading to our place
And a shot of our building from the Northeast corner.
This is what we used to see out of our living room window…
And this is the view that we see from our new home… a stark contrast!
I used to hear voices that say Welcome to Texas, that was 8 years ago; now I hear neighbors say Welcome to New York City or New Jersey. We have been very busy lately uprooted from home and have so many things to do but hopefully we will feel at home soon. For those who have emailed and been emailing we apologize for the lack of response, we’re still recovering from the big move and every single day there is something that keeps us really busy. Trust me on top of the new addition, how much more busy can life get? Very! So hopefully, I can post more soon. Thank you everyone for your well-wishes and for keeping us in your thoughts. xoxo arianie…
We had a very peaceful and quiet Christmas morning. We were all trying to recover from the delivery. It was nice; just us, the girls, the baby, and some Christmas lullabies.
Lola Christiane Keeney 6 days old
Nadya and Petra had a great time unwrapping presents from Santa – Dr. Seuss books!
Opening the box of Leap Frog Fridge Phonics & Word Whammer
Yes and as you may notice all the boxes and packages on the back; we’re actually getting ready for the move up north as well – remodelling the house, moving things here and there, unloading stuff we don’t need – just getting ready to sell the house before the big move
And the girls get the stocking stuffings from their dad; they were as happy as can be!
Petra and big sister Nadya showing off their loot
Merry Christmas everyone, happy holidays and new year from the Keeney Family
These are nursery photos of Baby Lola the day she was born on Thursday the 20th. The birth happened hard and fast and the doctors wanted to make sure that my IV antibiotics for Strep which was administered less than 4 hours before Lola made her debut worked its way to keep her away from it so they put her on the monitor. They were being extra cautious. Otherwise, she was as happy and healthy as she can be!
Oooi what am I doing in here? Where’s my mama?
Feels like an incubator in here!
Getting impatient; need the milk now! … and some love, warmth and bonding!
Happy News! On Thursday, December 20, 2007 Arianie labored 9 hours and gave birth to a healthy 19.5 inches; 7 lb 3oz baby girl at 9:04 AM. Meet Lola Christiane Keeney.
Arianie and baby are doing great. Big sisters Nadya (4), Petra (2) and proud daddy David are excited about the new baby in the family. We love Lola; she is spunky, says her pediatrician! More photos to come soon as we rejuvenate!
You hardly see me posting photos of myself cuz I’m the one who’s always taking the photos. Then again I guess I owe a photo of the great big belly since I’m pregnant again and while I have many latest ultrasound scans, they won’t be making their way on this blog cuz I have no way of scanning them since dear hubby upgraded my computer with the latest Windows Vista and they don’t have compatible drivers for my existing scanner (let’s just blame my ole man and the Windows Vista team 😉 ha! Anyway, I thought you all might enjoy this shot taken about 4 years ago when little Nadya was conceived. There were a collection but then you’ll see my face on all of them; let’s keep things under suspense! We didn’t get any prenatal shots the second time around cuz Petra was born 6 weeks early and we were due for a photo sitting the weekend she was born. For this time around, I seriously doubt we will be taking any as well, even though we had initially plan to do so; especially with so many things happening around here, remodelling, hibernating, nesting, packing, unpacking… So for many of you wanting a belly pic, enjoy! Thanks to dear hubby for being such a sporting model!
Rosemary Roasted Turkey; spices (Rosemary, Basil, Italian Seasoning, Garlic, Olive Oil & Salt) courtesy of Arianie & all the Roasting done by dear hubby. We did inject the bird with Broth and inserted butter slices between the thighs and breasts of the 13 lb bird.
Crunchy Gourmet Japanese Sweet Potatoes and Earthy Yam harvest with pecans and butter crunch; my specialty every Thanksgiving
Cheesy Cheddar Creamy Organic Green Bean, Peas, Carrots & Corn Casserole with bacon, french fried onions and green onions
Baked Corn, moist and flavorful!
Classic Watergate Salad in pistachio pudding with Marshamallows!
Yummy Pumpkin Pie
Yum yum & yummm! Strawberry Cheesecake Pie; Enjoy!
My birthday preceeded dear hubby’s by 10 days so we started the celebration with mine; he was so sweet he told me the morning of my birthday that he was going to the junk yard to get parts for my car that needed some work but came home with a bouquet of flowers instead. I had a few Twinkies for a birthday cake believe it or not cuz I’ve never had or seen a twinkie so dear hubby did me the favor; hey! what do I know I wasn’t born here but really that twinkie thingy was just so bad, dear hubby had it instead. It was supposed to be funny. Eeeew! that was just bad bad junk don’t even know what I would call it; I doubt we would cross paths again. We spent the day having lunch at California Pizza Kitchen; I had a Crunchy Thai Salad with Peanut Sauce – it was heavenly healthy and so savoury flavorful and addictive. We didn’t take photos cuz it was one of my down days, just blah with fatigue and we spent the day occupying the girls at the indoor park.
Hubby’s birthday came 10 days after and he had a Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake and a 6 pack artisan Anchor Porter beer; sorry the photo is still sitting in my Contax i4r camera (I’ve yet to empty the memory card). We had Thai food at Thai Spice
Lots of spicy seafood dishes… including House Special Fried Rice
Spicy Pad Thai, yummm! & Good quality time!
Sweet Nadya Anne turned 4 about a month ago! Here is a photo of her at the playground on her big day.
We did however organized a party for her a few days earlier at school. It was a Dora themed party complete with a Dora birthday cake, hats, balloons and favors. She was a happy camper and she gifted her class with a beautiful pop up book. As usual all the great photographs lay dormant in my other camera; I do really need to empty it but I’m always pressing for time so the photos continue to sit.
There she is coming down the slide as happy as a lark, how time really flies, she really has grown… and blossomed
We had cupcakes for her after play; these came from Wholefoods Bake House
That is her a week earlier at Sophia Ordaz’s Birthday Party having her face painted.
She was really excited as it was her first first painting!
This shot was taken with little sister Petra at school; they had photo picture day and were all dressed up for it.
And Nadya’s second field trip
Looking back, it’s hard to believe how much she has blossomed and we’re very thankful for all the learning milestones. Happy Birthday Nadya; we love you very much!
Haaaaaa, sigh…. I’m still a month and a half behind from the last blog update but better late than never, so let’s start with some Halloween pics…
The girls had a great time that evening!
We went to a Halloween Party and then trick-a-treating.
Nadya had a great ball at the Broussards; they played in the backyard, had games and prizes.
And so did Petra unloading her loot of candy treats and enjoying them!
I’ve been preoccupied with pregnancy, family, work and never-ending fiber projects. This is a custom project for a designer that had wanted to showcase some fair isle designs for Fall/ Winter season, and I’m still spinning… I’m under the spell and getting slower each day as the baby grows bigger and heavier in my 3rd trimester. But I will have to finish this soon… and for the most part I’m having fun with this project.
Singles; above
and
Plied; below….
And now for your eyes… My squirrel cage swift is experiencing some technical down days so I came up with another option. Thank you, Jennifer for hooking me up with this beautiful tool. Now I’m back winding and unwinding. By the way, that’s an artisan swift made by Terry Lavallee of Bluster Bay. It’s Black Walnut with Maple Trimmings.
I love Wholefoods Bake House. Very pregnant and craving badly for cupcakes. What would I do without this!
Mmmmm… Can you see the smudge touch on the petals? Visualize me, I’m on cloud 9
Here is what’s in it… Ok, not 100% healthy but on some days I do deserve some…
And now for something healthier, steamed snap peas with favorite love dip…
We have way too many parties this Fall. Every weekend has been birthdays, splash parties etc… too many kids born in the Fall I guess… This was Max & Isabella’s B-day party
Petra Ava having waaaay toooo much fun…
Nadya Anne as well
This is a cute shot, it’s a sprinkler maze
And then it was time for the cupcakes
Petra smudging her nose with cupcake
And the big happy contented look
After cake off they went again in the water…. Splash, splash!
Queing up for the toddler slide
And climbing up the big slide for another big splash there was never a time they got tired of.
I love cooking, especially Asian dishes; after all I am a true blue Asian mutt, although I’ve never really attempted to blog about my cooking. And now that I’m deep into my 3rd trimester, it’s even weirder to cook, cuz I don’t like to eat my own cooking. I’ll cook for the hubby and family but I’ll eat maybe 10% and the other 90% I eat prepared foods.
This is the Balinese spice I used for this dish
This is what it looks like out of the packaging; a chili paste gravy with lots of other Asian condiments and spices. If you have a Asian market in your area, chances are you will be able to find this authentic paste. Beats all the blending, chopping, grinding and pounding of fresh chillies etc.
This is 100% Organic Premium Sirloin Beef/ Angus Beef, for me it’s an excellent source of premium quality lean meat.
I had organic mixed vegetables; they were frozen; sorry I don’t partake in too much chopping during prego days. The tip is to blanche these veggies before you drain them and pour into the paste and meat stir fry. Notice there are some sliced onions and cilantro in there as well. I use organic sweet onions and organic fresh cilantro in this case. Stir fry everything for about 15 minutes before serving on steamed Jasmine rice. (Of course you will have to cook the meat beforehand; stir fry on high heat for about 10 minutes or so to your preference rare, medium or well done; I love well done but hubby loves rare/ medium so we find a compromise halfway)
Close up of the serving
And a little wide angle view so you can see how pretty it is as well
This dish is best complemented with a yummy egg omelette. I only use brown eggs, a dash of salt and some sliced onions. Very simple! Enjoy!
Helen’s Birthday Party at Pump It Up
Dave and the girls, obviously having so much fun!
They had pizza and fresh fruits & veggies and then it was cake time
Here is a shot of the birthday girl
Not sure where to start, almost 3 months and no post. Frankly, I don’t know how other bloggers do that; assuming that they have a full-time job, a family with kids and another on the way and not forgetting a fiber business on the side. My pregnant body is exhausted, almost stopping to a halt and needing re-energizement despite our summer trip to my in-laws.
So, maybe that’s where I should start to catch up on my MIA… and I promise there will be more photo-intensive posts to follow in the coming weeks as I empty my memory stick.
For Summer, we took a sneak trip up north to my in-laws, so that David’s parents can spend more time with the girls and I could have a short calm-me-down trip away from work and fiber (well, not exactly)
This is downtown where David’s parents reside, small town upstate but we’re really out in the sticks, hardly any internet access or cable channels to keep up with news.
One reason for this trip is to pay a visit to Granny Ann’s grave; we missed her funeral when she passed. We were out of the country for a work assignment.
Granny Ann was born Anna Julia Garofalo of Italian descent and grew up in Brooklyn, NY; she later married Grampy James Seymour. She watched David a lot when he was a child so she is very close and dear to our hearts; many wonderful memories of her. I first met her in March of 2000 seven years ago, but she was so impressive, it’s like as though we’ve met and known each other very long. She was one wonderful Granny.
While we were there we visited Grandpa’s Sansom’s grave as well…
He married our Granny Christine (David’s paternal side) and was in the Marines… thus the patriotic star in front of his tombstone. He also spent a lot of his time with David in his growing years. David says he like to go fishing at the lake. I’ve never met him but I’m sure he’s met me, watching over his loved ones.
A trip to my in-laws would not be complete without a trip to Kirchoff’s Deli & Bakery. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a trip each pregnancy. Of course I was stocking on the desserts and pastries, shortbreads and cakes…
I don’t know if you notice but I love to take shots of David getting his orders at the counter. I’ve done this before many times and I’m now just noticing it.
I had a Roast Beef sandwich with Portabello Mushroom Soup… Yumm! Don’t look at me, ask the little one down there.
Of course the girls, David and my in-laws were excited about their food too!
Nadya and Petra had an overdose of the park and playground this summer, especially at Grandma and Grandpa’s.
Other stops, we went to the farmer’s market downtown…
My mother-in-law Edith Mae buying some squash for casserole for a church potluck.
Have been really busy on the work front, the fiber front and the family front. But first things first, let me give you an update of how Baby Keeney #3 is doing. Not bad, huh? Growing, Growing! Scroll down as I talk about my morning sickness and cravings!
3 months before I discovered I am pregnant I was still on my Vegan diet. I’m not really Vegan but I detox myself a few times a year just to get rid of toxins, and it makes me feel brand new and energized so I make it a practice. Well, I’m not kidding. I was at the time subconsciously craving for nothing except for the Seeduction loaf at Wholefoods, Field Roast – a Veggie Pattie with cranberries and oat, Sunflower sprouts, Cucumber, Jalapeno, and Vegenaise spread. Nothing else mattered and I ate that all the time. Just a week after I stumbled upon the revelation, I was already feeling bad, and strangely had a relapse for meat products. It was out of the ordinary. The cleansing part has never done this to me before and this list of foods strangely enough were the only ones I was interested in consuming:
1. Grilled Sirloin/ Angus Beef
2. Hot Green Creamy Salsa
3. Raw Sweet Bi Color Corn
4. Vanilla Ice-Cream
5. Mango
6. Orange Juice
7. Indian Curry/ Tikka Masala/ Chicken Khorma
Nothing else mattered.
I love fish, seafood, especially shrimp and calamari, but not this time – In fact being Asian and raised traditionally Asian, I found advice on avoiding fish during pregnancy a very big myth. As long as you eat in moderation, and either buy quality clean fish or go to a reputable sushi chef, nothing can go wrong. My 2 girls are living proof of that including myself, my siblings and relatives. We do quite well physically, psychologically and intellectually.
I did experience some discomfort though this time around like Acne, I don’t get bad Acne ever! Not during a pregnancy. I also have bad headaches and the doctor says my placenta is very low this time around. I was getting quite concerned but I got great news today – the placenta has moved up so there’s a great chance I’ll be doing a VBAC again instead of the nasty cesaerean the first time around. I was also advised not to run as I usually do for this pregnancy so that left me walking the whole 5 miles each morning, no pilates anymore but I substitute that for prenatal yoga and lately I’ve been knitting a lot.
On the fiber front, I’m finally getting to finish that last batch of dye-ing project and then I get to update the shoppe hopefully. I haven’t had time to do so; sorry folks to send you all scurrying via email asking for the latest deals. But I do have some stuff up for auction on ebay this week if you’re interested, a couple of spindles, fiber, books, etc. Click here for the link. And I’ll try to put more up as I find time and as I get around to all the daily needs, errands and work around here.
Our Vermont trip started with a 4-hour layover at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. it was quite a long time in transit especially with 2 active and chatty lil’ ones.
The girls and their dad upon arrival all cheery and looking forward to the trip
We proceeded to the cafeteria for lunch. had some pulled BBQ meat at the sub store
Time to board the airplane and get to our gates
The plane arrived and off we were to Burlington, VT.
The highlight of the trip was spent at Robin and Patrick Russo’s place. Total inpromptu trip; I had their number in my organizer and gave them a call. They invited us over. Pat Russo was working on a Vermont Spinning wheel and a few other projects. Apparently he is busy working with FEMA and was home at his workshop on Sundays only, thus it was a treat to start with…
The road to Bradford, Vermont; lots of pretty scenic hills and winding roads.
As many of you know Robin Russo is a combing guru cuz I always hear all these great things about y’all attending her fiber prep classes. She travels to Convergence, SOAR guild festivals and many other events to teach. Pat goes to Maryland every year with 12 Vermont wheels in tow. Most of them are snapped up like hot cakes at the festival.
Petra Ava with Robin’s Kumihimo stand
Robin mentioned she’s trying to get a Kumihimo class to teach at one of the fiber events in the near future.
Robin’s Dyed Silk hankies gracing her balcony window.
A large walking wheel and a Canadian antique grace her spinning studio.
A wide angle shot from another room; yes that’s an Ashford traditional in the corner. She mentioned it was her very first wheel.
The famous Vermont Heirloom Spinning Wheel based on a Canadian tilt-tension
Side profile
Robin demo-ing on the Vermont wheel.
Close-up of the flyer and more spinning in action
A shot of Pat Russo’s workshop
He makes traditional musical string instruments as well. They’re very decorative
Did anyone tell ya that he makes experimental jet planes as well? Such a talented man. It made my hubby’s day since he’s an aircraft turbine engineer. I thought it would be a great Father’s Day gift just to have Dave visit Patrick’s workshop.
Side view of the plane
A wide angle view with the engine in sight.
Nadya in Robin’s pretty garden
The girls enjoyed the Russo’s pool
Robin playing ball with the girls
And there is Pat in the background with Nadya Anne
One last photo for the memories; we had a great time with the Russos; they are very nice folks.
After visiting the Russos, we spent the afternoon at Ben & Jerry’s Ice-Cream Factory. it was Father’s day and I wanted to spend the day with Dave and the girls as I have a long week ahead at the University.
Petra enjoying her ice-cream sampler; she’s really allergic to milk but we thought we ‘d let her have her treat and deal with the rashes later. After all she hardly gets ice-cream.
Both girls enjoying their sampler.
Cute shot; this is outside by the ice-cream stand.
Dave & the girls posing by the cow.
We went to Montpelier for the afternoon cuz I was craving for Indian food. Well, we ended up at a Thai Restaurant instead. It was one of the most delicious Thai fare I’ve ever had, really. Mind you, I’m part Thai so as you can see I know my cuisines real well. Amazing what you can find in a small tiny New England town.
The Royal Orchid by Elm Street
After food, we proceeded to do the touristy thing, walked downtown Montpelier and snapped some interesting architecture…
An interesting building down State Street
Another interesting government building; it had lovely moldings.
The State building by the Park
Nadya met a Vermonter with a lovely Lab-Chow puppy dog and had a great time. Vermonters in our opinion and short experience there are very friendly, warm and welcoming people. It was a lovely trip.
They had lovely music at the Park; it was just a magical time for the girls and for us as well. We wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Can you see the knitters in action; they were enjoying the evening as well.
Nadya & Petra by the Canon
Our final days were spent wrapping up at the University. These photos were taken at the Taste of Vermont reception on the evening of the presentation by the Assistant Secretary General of Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations.
Petra Ava outside of Plumley Armory
Nadya and Petra outside of Plumley Armory
Both girls chuckling; we thought this was a great candid shot
The next day we had the big day where Vermont Masters Diplomacy Degree scholars were recognized for that arduous week long presentation and Residency.
Keeney Family Photo: One for the pictures
Bye Bye Vermont: Nadya & Petra watching the airplanes as we waited for our ride.
This came in the mail yesterday, a total surprise from the Jenkins. It seems just about yesterday that I mentioned I miss my hairpin lace frame/ loom and pronto there it is among my mail packages. Exquisite woodworking. Wanda and Ed are so nice, they even had my initials on the wood lest it went missing to another fiber lover’s hands (ahem! you know who you are if you’re reading this) Oh by the way this one is made out of special myrtle wood, my favorite!
I don’t know if I ever mentioned but our kitty cat Binge-ing went missing a few weeks after Granny’s passing. It’s very unlikely that he just decided to find another home so we came to the conclusion that he went off to die in solitude where the Texas wildflowers and bluebonnets grew by the White Oak Bayou. He will be missed. He is one of the greatest things that have happened to us and poured us with love since we came to Houston. Binge-ing is a Russian Blue X breed. More on cravings and morning sickness later …
It’s been over 2 months since this blog was updated. And so many things have happened since then. Firstly, Granny Anne passed away in March. Some of you will remember her from the Xmas post on this blog. Very sad news and the girls and I will always miss her. I know David will because he spent a great deal of his childhood with her. And she’s the greatest granny ever, she was neither judgemental nor over opinionated and she was always happy and put others first.
What’s been happening around here lately? Well, work, work and more work… but wait there is something else baking in the oven. We are into the second trimester of Baby No. 3 Yes, very hard to believe. I’ve always said 2 is enough and there will be no more, thank you. But I guess I spoke too soon… I can’t believe I will be having another little bundle of joy, the tiny fingers and toes to caress and the coos and chuckles.
To remind myself of reality, I dug up a newborn photo of Petra Ava (who’s now a little over 2 years) held by David’s mom.
OK folks here are the proofs to reality. Tiny baby, it’s for real and it’s coming, uh, buh bye sleep …
On the domestic front, the girls had their last day of the Spring session at the end of May. So school is out for the whole of Summer. They had Splash Party on their last day, so here’re a few photos:
that’s Petra Ava blowing soapy bubbles
Nadya Anne painting with shaving cream
And a snapshot of Nadya with her friends
On the same note, what is it about toddlers that as they age, they just make difficult photo ops. Both girls trying to outsmart their mother, “Nope uh uh no picture for ya,”
These sequences were really as best as I can snap of them. They were just not coordinated and I gave up after 3 shots.
On the spinning and fiber front, more later on that …
Spring is here, at least where we’re at. All the caterpillars were busy last week cocooning and this week there are butterflies and moths everywhere. I remembered running at the park with caterpillars hanging down everywhere from the trees and everytime I make my rounds, my lil’ ones in the jogger went eeew! mommy, worms, snakes, caterpillars, eeeew! But flowers bloom everywhere this week especially in our backyard; they make pretty inspirations, thanks to the caterpillars at work…
Anyways, Petra Ava turned 2 last week (yeah it just shows how often I update this blog; her treat started at the park on her favorite slide and in the evening after dinner, we gave the girls a vegan muffin treat. Petra is allergic to milk, so we just found out from the ped. The girls had Cranberry Vegan muffins and Dave and I had Banana Flaxseed Vegan muffins.
So Petra has the chance to blow her candle after we sang her birthday song.
And big sister Nadya helped her as well. She huffs and she puffs…
And they were both extremely proud they blew the flames out. It was a simple evening but we were very contented. Happy Birthday, Petra! We love you sweetie.
Before I start posting updates, let me post this pix that I promised last Xmas. Never got around to post it on my blog due to busy-ness around here. They’re my Jenkins mini boat shuttles in Figured Maple and Oregon Myrtle, the top most is my low profiled Bluster Bay by Terry. Enjoy you fiber fans of Edward and Wanda Jenkin’s exquisite woodworking, (NAYY!)
So here, my insomniac spinning saga continues… some Superwash Corriedale and California Red wool
No photos of Chinese New Year in action although we did go for our traditional CNY dinner, eat noodles of longevity and get to see the lion and dragon dance. It’s the Year of the Golden Pig so it is a lucky year to bear offsprings now…go go go make some babies, it is supposed to bring you bountiful of health and wealth! Meanwhile these are the Kasugai Japanese gummy goodies I had over CNY. I love them they’re just so juicy and yummy especially on Chinese New Year.
President’s Day was spent at the Fabric Store to peruse new designs. I wanted to sew some things for myself and the girls. It’s been a really long time, really since I touched my sewing machine. Dear hubby made me sleep the whole weekend because I have been working too hard at work and on top of that he’s so concerned about my insomnia albeit being tired…something’s keeping me awake all the time. On President’s Day we went to Cafe Adobe and got some yumm Mexican food. I had a Taco Salad and he had Seafood Enchiladas, sorry no photo of the food – I was too hungry to take any but here’s some photos of the girls. Nadya Anne across the table and as you can see Dave reveling in the tortilla chips and dip!
Nadya decides she wants to smile and asked me to snap another photo.
The girls had lots of rice, and some meat off our plates, as you can see Petra is real happy with her meal.
So cute …she’s just learning to eat rice with her fork.
Then off we were to the park. That’s Dave and Petra Ava
I love this shot the most; she’s too sweet…
Dave, multitasking swinging Nadya and carrying Petra on the back
Petra in the baby swing
She later got tired of it and wanted to be on the big sister swing, there she looks quite nervous as Nadya attempts to help her.
Yay, I did it she says …still in baby language as Nadya watches from afar
Nadya and her new found friend. It was a hard time to let go.
Wow! It’s been quite a long while since I seriously post any fibery news on my blog, but hey life especially on the work front has been crazy as usual. However on the fiber front it’s been spinning long nights and early mornings. Thanks to my bouts of insomnia lately. Just finished another gigantic bobbin full on my production wheel. It is a lovely superwash corriedale in a lovely hand dyed berry colorway.
So, what did everyone get for Valentines? This lovely bouquet came over our house eve of Valentines Day. So sweet! Of course it is from none other than the love of my life.
It came in this super chic super mod red box delivered by the DHL man. Got to love him as well… took such great care of the box.
Meanwhile here are a couple recent photos of the little ones – 3 year old sweet Nadya Anne…
and daddy’s little girl 22 month old Petra Ava (napping on daddy’s lap) and of course the not-so-little love of my life, Dave! Aaaw so very cute!
Visiting great granny at the nursing home.
Gramma Chris helps Petra with a gift
Uncle Jim and Nadya; he is the woodworker in the family
Uncle Charles and the girls
Nadya in action with her new pink shoes
Ta da! The furry pink princess shoes…
Our 8th wedding anniversary falls on Thanksgiving this year so it was a double celebration. The usual routine is to go out for a nice evening out child-less but since it’s Thanksgiving we celebrated it as a family. So here’s the story; warning! as usual it may get very photo-intensive!
The day started off with this; a peacefully sleeping baby that didn’t want to get up even after a bath!
Aaawww! Being cute can sometimes have its virtues!
Morning Thanksgiving Feast at the Montessori; the girls warmed up playing in the classroom and at the playground
This is really Petra’s favorite; the slide and the other pastime is the swing
We later went to dinner having some Thanksgiving meal of our own version…Battered Onions w/ Jalapenos & Pickles
Plus Apricot Glazed Cornish Hen with green beans and stuffing and cranberry sauce…sorry forgot the pumpkin dessert which is really pretty but all ate up
Then the girls had a ball at the amusement park
And of course the train ride; no kid would miss that one
The train ride actually leads up to a shark voyage; first the girls went through an underwater aquarium filled with sharks from all over the world and this sighting!
Yes, that is of course the train; Nadya couldn’t miss the picture- it actually goes choo-choo!
Nadya, daddy and the big ole owl
And a closeup of the owl and its trainer
So yesterday was hubby’s birthday. If you would like to know how old he is, well he is 12 years older than me and I turned 3 decades old just the other day. I know, I know; he doesn’t look that old; perhaps you might want to ask him what his secret is …ahemm! thank the Mrs. for being such a good cook! Ha! Anyways, the chef surprised us with this birthday ice-cream treat. He had Mango flavor and I had Ginger Yumm!
That is him letting out his sheepish grin. On the work front we’re still considering where we will end up either Manhattan or Atlanta. Still up in the air. Busy busy researching taxes, and cost of living also where the good schools are for the girls. If it’s a nice blue-ribbon school suburb area, we’ll go public but if it’s urban we will unfortunately stick with private schools – just to be safe than sorry.
There – one of the low-tabled rooms at Osaka; feels just like we’re in Japan; very romantic and intimate atmosphere.
This was a house special, sort of like a free appetizer an equivalent of chips/ rolls you get at your normal restaurant. This is the Octopus-Calamari; and the fried tofu below are what we got on the house.
Sorry, didn’t quite make a good picture does it. Hubby already ate the other half only to realize I wanted to take a photo of the pretty dish.
Yumm…Sushi Sushi Sushi… this should inspire to go get some sushi tonight or tomorrow night that is if you are a sushi affecionado.
Our chef busy sprucing up the dishes.
My favorite handrolls; the Salmon and the Spider Roll made of Fresh Salmon and Soft Shell Crab.
Oh more handrolls for me! I know I was such a hungry woman, but don’t worry this time I’m not pregnant just hungry! I hope you have enjoyed the photos. Now, go, go out and get some FISH!
Hello everyone! I apologize for the delayed post but really the end of the year is a real busy time – too many festivities lined up in the family. Almost everyone except little Petra is a Scorpio baby and today is hubby’s birthday and we’re about to head out for a nice Sushi treat at Osaka (more photos later) and guess what our anniversary is at the end of this month as well. Talk about Thanksgiving, Xmas and all other great holidays!
On top of that, work has just swamped me like crazy, this is the time of the year where they try to squeeze out every inch of my usefulness before we head for Xmas… yeah really.
Anyways, since I’ve been really sinfully busy between work and home, I haven’t had the chance to post anything fibery, but I thought this would make up for some thoughts. So last week I was as usual at work and around lunch time I was crossing 34th and Broadway in Manhattan when I saw these lovely knit chic and fibery holiday wear in the display store window. I was too mesmerized by the designs, I thought it was a very great idea of infusing knitting and fiber onto clothes. They’re just so awesome I decided I had to have them… well not for myself but for my little ones at home.
I really love Xmas and the fall/winter season because of the festivities, ambience and weather. Plus it really is the end of the year which means more time to be with the family; not that we don’t spend much time but it’s family time absent work; which means just family time. I really can’t wait for the week of Dec 25th!
Here is the shot of the whole outfit. I think they’re just AWESOME!
This is the pair I bought for Petra; really CUTE!
This is the back of the fibery cuffed jeans.
For those of you that have been waiting so patiently for the winning entries, I have them here; I spent the whole day today organizing my fiber inventory and getting ready for Xmas Specials. Congrats again to the winners! I will contact you after I’m back from treating hubby to a Sushi dinner or if you would please email me, that would be great as I need your physical address so that I can get the fibers expediently off to you!
Not in any special order; the winners are:
Cheryl of cherylefrancis at yahoo dot com;
Anne of hanson at knitspot dot com;
Aija of oscillate at gmail dot com
Congratulations everyone. For those that were not picked, you were not so unlucky either. Please take advantage of my Free Shipping offer (only for contest participants) on regular priced fibers and products at www.MatahariSpinnery.com
Til later…
Work work work and more work; this year I had a real quiet birthday…
My husband slipped a 2 gig memory card into my Pentax camera the other day after he returned from a trip to Fry’s Electronics. I had always used a 1 gig card that I share and swop with my Contax (been too busy to get a separate one and always forgetting to) but now I don’t need to do that anymore, Yay!
After a full week’s work, we spent a nice quiet evening having dinner made of Southwest Homemade Tortilla Wraps with Chicken Breast, fresh veggies, cilantro dressing, fresh fruits and not forgetting my favorite British Stilton Mango-Ginger Cheese and Tiramisu treat from Central Market. Yummm!
It was a simple no frills evening, just what I needed after a long week. Despite the simplicity it was a perfect evening. After that I headed for some peace and quiet time being with the girls and a long restful sleep. This morning I woke up to this; a nice quiet stroll down the street with gorgeous trees. It is a nice day.
Now on to the birthday fiber sampler contest. For those of you enjoying the advantage of our November Specials BFL fiber and the Kromski wheels special promotions in our online store, I’d like to thank you for your purchases and support in our endeavor. For that and also to extend the birthday spirits, I am giving away a fiber sampler gift to 3 lucky winners. Why 3? Simply because I had to blow 3 candles on my birthday, and so did Nadya my little girl who had her birthday a week ago. Well, I am not 3 but if you guess right I am 3 decades old 🙂
Anyways, each gift to this contest will consist of 8 oz variety of prepared fibers. (go to www.mataharispinnery.com for a visual teaser.
To enter, just leave me a comment to this post on what it means to you to be a year older/younger (however you see it) in your life, include your email address so that I can get in touch with you if you’re one of the lucky 3 winners. The winners will be drawn randomly and will be contacted at the end of the contest. Contest ends on November 12 at midnight Central time. Good luck!
Nadya rings the bell or knocks on the door, Petra awaits looking out for the ghouls of the night. It is chocolate candy time, and they were proud of it.
Here is a close-up over the shoulders. The girls continue carrying on with their candy spree…
Originally uploaded by arianiekeeney.
Look at her face; she was so happy greeting everyone on her rounds until she came to this house. O my god, she was just stricken. Should I get the candy? she thought.
This shot was taken with a slow suppressed flash. It gave a glowy super soft effect on the edges. We thought this was a pretty cool shot.
I love this shot. Ringing the bell to get candies. After the night is over, Nadya had some idea of the different kinds of ways to ring the bell, the different sounds to a door bell and the different heights to them. When she can’t reach the bell, she turned around and said “open open it open the door!”
The girls, in a profile shot. Eager to get more candies despite having two bags full
Yes they all had a lot of fun despite a cheesy birthday party going on in the background. Really if you organize one at Chucky Cheese, they’ll have the Chucky Cheese mouse and friends in mascots singing and dancing for the children. What we really found extra cheesy is when the servers started to dance cheesy in front of the kids and they don’t know what to make out of it. Some just stared in awe. It’s really much preferred to have the kids in the play area where they can construct their own version of fun! There is Nadya in the middle among the kids.
Both girls on the horses. As you can see Nadya is in the back and the foreground is Petra. This is their first round. It was hard to take a good photo because they were moving when we tried to take the shot.
She was so happy. We can’t remember or count how many tokens we used for the Merry Go Round. It made her day as you can tell by the smile in the photo.
At the end of the day we had the blowing of candles. It is pretty challenging to find something in replace of the usual cake and icing. Every year we try to be as innovative and adventurous as we can be. Stuffing a chockful of sugar and cream isn’t our idea of a healthy birthday for the kids. In fact they hardly get sugar or juice on an everyday basis so we had to compromise between fresh cream for icing and chocolate for flavor – just to be decadent for once and make up for the rest of the year. Happy birthday sweetie, we all love you.
Crossing over the George Washington Bridge to Fort Lee, New Jersey. We took a drive down from Poughkeepsie to New York City in the Bronx area and cut over the bridge to go house hunting.
The girls settling down after we landed at Albany International Airport. They did fine on the plane and are just warming up.
We didn’t take many photographs of our house hunting tour. This is the only photograph I remember David took of us while we were in New York the first time around. Gorgeous scenic birdseye view. I don’t mind moving here for the rest of our lives and raising the girls in this community.
This is a perfect shot to start our tour at Rhinebeck. Colorful autumn leaves and foliage. A pretty sight, you’ll feel as though you were just there yourself. Enjoy the virtual tour!
This was for sale for $68.75. A small charming child size antique French wheel with ivory accents and turnings.
One of a kind with swan carvings as posts on each side of the loom. I believe they do have a matching design in the swan theme in the Golding spinning wheel.
The much hyped about Golding wheel with ornate carvings. This costs at $4000 a pop.
This is where I acquired my Olivewood spindles at Toni’s booth. All the pretty spindles were all lined up hanging pretty waiting for its new owner. Toni is also well known for the Socks That Rock collection of yarns that she carries in her booth.
While waiting for my boat shuttle at the Bosworth’s booth I snapped a few pics. Here Jonathan Bosworth is helping a customer get to know the mechanics of the Journey wheel.
The famous Bosworth attache charkha in gorgeous cherry. No it’s not mine just a model showcased at the booth.
This was taken by the spindle rack where a customer was picking her spindle choice for the day.
I’ve always loved Cotswold because their locks are just amazingly springy curly. This is my most favorite shot that I took of the bunch.
I believe these are the Romney leicester? breed from the sheep exhibits. On another note, these must be bluefaced or border leicester. Someone pointed out to me in the comments. Thank You. I had so many photos that day and between tending to the kids and all else that is happening, it is difficult to keep track of every single thing. Really I don’t think 2 days were enough to peruse through all the festivities.
Okay! This seldom happens except in the grocery store by the shopping cart. She was really adamant to get into the sheep’s pen. I couldn’t stop her and she wasn’t interested in quitting her affair despite me calling her name umpteen times.
Petra Ava getting to know a couple of Tunis sheep that are up for sale. Of my two girls Petra is the one with the most interest for furry critters. Nadya was happy to be there and watch but she wasn’t into touching them or anything.
I walked past by Building 31 at the very end of the entrance and saw a commotion flocking on towards a tent where there was a sheep shearing demo going on.
Of all the booths this was the one that had the greatest variety of silk. They were all glorious colors and reflect the autumn/ fall season. A real feast for the eyes.
Gilbert Gonsalves folding wheel invention in figured cherry. Very compact and cute. This version costs a wee bit more than the larger classic Robin wheels. He priced them according to the complexity put in the work of each of these wheels. He did however talk about a 27 inch in the making if you’re interested in a larger drive wheel.
This is a close-up of the Robin Special edition wheel in birdseye and spalted maple. Gorgeous wheel, with attention to detail and a bobbin lead brake system. If you like figured wood and the Schacht Matchlesss design, this may just be the wheel for you. It’s a shame that these wheels aren’t double drive.
Our day 2 at Rhinebeck is spent at the Sheep Show and Competitions. Since we spent Day 1 shopping, and perusing products, Day 2 was aimed at capturing more animal photographs and actions as well as visiting with vendors and friends. This photograph was taken of the Leaping Llama show which is highly recommended if you plan to come to Rhinebeck in the future. It is very entertaining and humorous. Llamas really do have unique personalities.
Lambs being groomed and getting ready for the sheep show and competition
Shetland-icelandic sheep parked temporarily while waiting for its owner to get back from a chore. Look at those thick warm woolies. They’re lovely to watch. Quite the stocky creature but nevertheless gorgeous looking!
These angora goats belong to Indian Springs Farm of Missouri. Very inquisitive bunch. They’re friendly and would chew against my coat whenever I get near them. Gorgeous kids and one of a kind.
More Lincoln sheep in the pen area. Some waiting for their turn to enter the sheep competition. Others are just there as exhibits. They’re all very pretty to look at. Love the dark and moorit shades.
The singing Lincoln lamb getting ready for the Colored Category in the Sheep show. He was the most vocal lamb during the groom. Although I must say he had lots of personality.
Carolina Homespun also brought their wide array of spindle offerings. Although I must say that the pretty ones may have been snapped up real good in the first day of the festival. They carry spindles from Greensleeves to Charis and Magpie among others in the flock.
Carolina Homespun also had the Schacht and Louet at the festival. They were sitting quietly and pretty by the window on the back. I took the opportunity to snap a silhouette profile against the morning rays.
The winsome Timbers Special 30 inch Patience spinning wheel. Gorgeous workmanship. The spokes remind me of my Jensen wheel. Of course the Lennoxs had learnt a thing or two from the Jensens so there is some influence here and there. But no the two wheels are not the same. They’re two different animals by different makers.
Before we proceeded to visit Toni and Shelia at their booths we took another round of Building A. I’ve been wanting to take a shot of these. The booth was crowded on the first day but day 2 allowed me to take a photograph of these eye candies without having people in my way.
Petra didn’t get to enjoy the hay maze yesterday because she was taking a nap about the time Nadya and David went to have some fun. But we managed to bring both kids to the Halloween Haunted House Building and the hay maze on Day 2. Here is a photo of David and Petra. She wasn’t in the best mood for the picture but she had a great time in the maze even though she didn’t know what to think of it.
Oblivious to my pastime. At least out here I am not being told off for wanting to take a shot. I stopped by and he graciously smiled while continuing with his activity.
Day 2 was not as congested as Day 1 but there was still quite a crowd. The stall selling French Artichokes especially was still attracting lines. But overall this is your normal homey classic fair. You have a cotton candy stand, french fries, pretzels and one-man shows.
We went by Building 31 for the last time because I wanted to stop by Tongue River Farm’s booth. They were having spinning angora fiber demo at the same time. Dear husband was just bemused by the whole affair. No, he still hasn’t approved of an angora in the house. He said he’s not having any bunnies tearing apart our fine furniture and extra maintenance is out of the question. But he enjoyed the demo. While I shopped he was preoccupied by the whole bunny thing.
This was our last shot at Rhinebeck 2006. As we exited the festival area, we passed by a couple of pet alpacas. Of course Petra got to pet the two lovely cuddly creatures but I didn’t get to take a shot of that. Bummer. Regardless, we had a lovely time at the festival. It was a great trip!
Dear hubby wanted to visit the home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt Mansion historic sites, so we went at the end of our Day 2 of Rhinebeck. This is a shot of the entranceway/ driveway of the Vanderbilt Compounds.
Here is the wide angle shot of the Vanderbilt Mansion.
Gorgeous architecture. You will notice in the subsequent photos that the Vanderbilts really have a great view in their backyard. We didn’t take any photos when we were at the FDR historic home down the road but let me tell you, Roosevelt didn’t have that kind of a scenic view as the Vanderbilts had.
Just enjoying the cool chilly air. If you notice Petra was already in nursing mode. She just wouldn’t get down and didn’t even care to look at the camera or anything else for that matter surrounding her. David turned around and took a shot. See how happy Nadya is, she was in her own world, raring to burn off all that energy in the huge Vanderbilt compounds.
David took this shot of Nadya on the steps of the Vanderbilt mansion on the rear end. She was in active mode and just wanted to run around. Petra was with me in the crabby mood and wanting to nurse and nothing else. She went “look at me daddy, I like a camera!”
This was taken by a Japanese couple whom we had also returned the favor of taking their family shot. We were all so very tired but managed to squeeze a smile. Love the colors of the foliage in the background. Just awesome!
This was a really good shot. David was just walking around and I called out to Petra to look at mommy and she was just observing me and my camera. I wanted her to smile but David liked it this way, just candid and in the spur of the moment.
Petra Ava let out a chuckle amidst the chilly air. She wasn’t really ready to go and wanted to run about more in the Vanderbilt compounds but we had to call it a day.
This beautiful bloom is what greets us this morning after a late night return from Albany New York. As some of you know we were in Rhinebeck for the Wool Festival, a little bit of work and play in NYC, New Jersey and in Albany. Will try to upload as many photos as I can but really I’m back at work so please be patient as I peruse and upload photos that I can afford the time.
Landed at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport where dear hubby has to return to work the next morning to Jacintoport. Apparently someone wanted him to come in for another interview for work opportunity in Atlanta, Georgia which is not bad for me either since CNN is in the neighborhood so I can coughup some kind of assignment but as of now NYC/ New Jersey is what we have in our hands with regard to future opportunity. The lights were from the runway hangar and you get the effect when you combine light and motion on a lense.
We used to live in high rise-condos in Singapore so we’re kind of used to the high-rise living thingy. But now that we have kids, gotta think twice about living in NYC. It’s just extremely fast-paced, congested and too yuppie a life. We both have too much yuppie life already at work so no need to drag it into the home aspect of life. But penthouses overlooking the city is a tempting opportunity. Not a picket fence but certainly an extraordinary childhood for both kids if we go that route.
Tired, and hungry and needing to go pee. Every single one of us. This is actually day two of us doing this house hunting thingy in NYC. It was quite a chilly morning and after all the adventure in Rhinebeck we just wanted to goof off and just relax, and not do any house-hunting. I snapped this photo of the trio when I turned around and told them to cheer up.
So we ended up going to the toy shop to use its restroom after all that walking and looking at NYC apartment homes. And we end up with this giraffe. Notice how glee Nadya is. She is actually wearing a giraffe print fleece. She was so happy she went “look mommy i like a giraffe!” The three love of my life in the toy store. So adorable. What would I do without them.
After looking at apartments in NYC and the trip to the toy store, we went walking down Park Avenue. I am really a fan of reflective photography so this has to be the shot. I love this, so much character and the guy was just so shy behind the glass windows. He must be wondering why I am aiming at him. It wasn’t like my camera was obvious but he realized later I was really taking a shot of photograph that is.
Remember the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz. This was the exact street they were on in that film. We drove by Times Square after the toy shop and the bakery. The news station is just a few blocks away where Rockerfeller Plaza is. We seldom are in New York City for play usually for work only but since we are got to take some touristy pics right?
Crossing over Lincoln Tunnel to Weehawken, NJ. Got to do this photo. My Contax i4r is very good at taking photos like this. Lights do really make a great effect on camera. The tunnel entertained the kids while we were in there. Must be the motion and light thing that they have for.
Pretty houses on Boulevard East in Weehawken/ Edgewater area. The thing is they’re all by the road where all the traffic are. Hubby wasn’t interested in any of these looking at the cars and trucks pass by. So we proceeded to hunt for more in the area.
This one is up the hill from the waterfront homes. Lovely skyline and riverview still about 2 minute walk to the riverfront. It’s in front of the darn road. And hubby was eyeing the house on top of the secluded hill across from it. This is going for 2.2 million a pop and the houses around here range from 800 000 to the millions. phee wee. Not sure if we’re willing to pay that kind of money for a house next to a road! Too much traffic noise. Still looking at the house on the hill 🙂
More photos in my Flickr album
This is across from Weehawken. New Jersey. Pretty eye candy and asking about $1M-$3M a pop for a 3 bedroom. Pretty and by the waterfront. Not sure about that unless we get a boat or something. The houses are all stacked up side by side and hubby loves privacy. Although I must say you’ll still get the New York City skyline view and it’s only 15 minutes to NYC.
Now on to Rhinebeck Sneakpeak. I will write more later – I have many photos for everyone. I saw these while I was at the Bosworth’s booth across from them. Being the nosey parker armed with my little spy camera, I was always snapping photos. They were very prickly about taking pictures of their booths. They keep saying it’s against the law but I did pick up a couple of these things for my girls. If you look closely at the little sheep he seems to have a mullet hairdo. But again these were adorable and worth getting compared to some of the prices I saw of other soft toys there. My children love them and my hubby and I are happy. It kept them occupied the whole time on the plane. Oh by the way one thing I like about the sheep is that the handspun wool really smell sheepish and lanoliny, no not pungent sheep smell but really fresh, clean crisped meadow hmmmm…
If you think that you can get away with bringing these on the plane, think again, at least not at Albany International Airport. I saw one lady crying because some of her treasures could not make the trip. Hmmn let me count how many are there 5 total and not including the other tools and accessories I got from Rhinebeck and if I had not done these that’ll be like throwing a lot of $$$ for nothing. So the second day of the festival I went back to the vendor’s booth and bought some lovely Coopworth from Pam Child. That evenning after we got home I started wrapping them up like candies and tucked them away in our kiddos luggage. Lots of diaper padding and baby clothes and I was good to go.
Voila! These are what were wrapped behind those soft lovely rovings. No, wasn’t intending to spend that much as this was supposed to be a sightseeing trip but I really couldn’t help it. Olivewood, which is one of my favorites – it is just too hard to pass it up. Not sure what I am going to to with these as of yet, maybe I’ll set them up next to my lovely Bosworth Shadow spindles in the living room in a glass case or something.
This was a long awaited surprise. Something I had wanted for myself a long time ago. However the Bosworths were bogged down with orders for this year so it finally arrived in my hands last week. Sheila had promised to bring it down to Rhinebeck since I was coming in town. It is lovely. As always a first class workmanship from Jonathan and Sheila Bosworth. She has impeccable service too and knows what I want out of my tools. Not sure if I am going to start weaving with it since it is so pretty but these also work well as lazy kates for plying silk, cashmere and those precious fine fibers! Well, this is it for now. I’ll be back later with more photographs when I get hold of my laptop and more time!
Arianie & babies at Bell Park
Some of you emailed me the other day about being a generous mom to my little ones and leaving them wheels as heirloom/ inheritance gifts. Thank you, I am flattered by your compliments but really deep down I wanted to leave a memoir to my children in a special way and that is to include them in my passion for fiber. Then some of you also asked me what if the children don’t take a liking to fiber. I’ve thought about that and really I don’t have an issue with that either; I’m sure tangible things can always transform themselves into positive ways that benefit the recipient, be it monetary or memory. Whether they spin and keep the wheels as remembrance of their mother or whether they feel a need to sell the wheels and get monetary comfort out of it, I’m sure the memoirs will still be intact. I look at it this way. Way back when I first learnt to spin, I own this little simple NZ wheel that I have kept for many many years; it bore me sweet memories, bittersweet ones, funny ones, heart wrenching ones; you name it. I clung on it like a leech for sentimentality reasons until a lady wanting to learn how to spin came and bought my old wheel. I sold the wheel and put the money into buying some special silk that I spun so that I can smock little heirloom dresses for my children. That way, the wheel transforms itself into another meaningful memoir. The journey to remembering is endless and it is the same wherever and whenever be it with your children, husband, mother, family or friends. Life is too short; Cherish is the word.
No, I’m not about to get rid of all of my wheels just because my wrist has gone decrepit. As a matter of fact this lovely super powerful production wheel is making its way to our other home. Anyways, I’m sort of making some changes around here due to my decrepit wrist. The Van Eaton is a large heavy wheel and since I’m not in such an urgent need of large wheels that are not easily mobile around the house, (already have quite a few around here) it’s making its way to our other home where I can spin leisurely in my free time when I’m overseas. Plus I’ve got two Magnus Drudik wheels that need companionship since I’m bringing home one Drudik to exchange with the spare Lendrum, I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Meanwhile here is the gorgeous Van Eaton production in Quilted & Figured Beeswing Satine Maple.
Close up of Van Eaton Production Drive Wheel
I’m a double treadle gal through and through, can you tell? 🙂
Ok now here’s the story to the Lendrum DT, our folks both have the Lendrum Walnut Anniversary wheel. I told them the other day, I wanted a full-size no frills wheel that is possibly mobile unlike my production wheels which I said can withstand being ‘beat up.’ (sorry Lendrum owners, no pun intended) Not that I beat up my wheels, as some of you already know I obsessively keep my wheels in immaculate condition away in my studio. My idea of a beat up wheel is one where I can transport carefully to the kitchen, balcony, living room, study, just about any room in the house where I can spin in my leisure hours, use for teaching (I just acquired a new student who has a Lendrum DT) and plus my wrist is just giving up on me, the Schacht is finally retiring full-time into the studio. While compact, that wheel weighs a ton of bricks and I don’t want to scratch it whatsoever. So here’s the deal, they say I can have the new spare Walnut parts to dress up a new Lendrum maple just to match my furniture in the house; yeah talk about being vain…everything has to be coordinated, in exchange for a long-term loan on one of my Drudiks which I am bringing home. And thus the decision to replace the Drudik with the huge Van Eaton Production. By the way, did you notice that the Van Eaton Production has a flyer on the right. See – that was not supposed to be so because at the time I spin on the left. However, I did ask for a right hand flyer: the way the wheel was built, I had prefered the flyer to be on the right because the upright maiden support on the left appealed to me more than if the flyer were to be on the left and having the maiden support on the right. It’s a visual thing.
Here is the new Potpourri Lendrum accented with the Walnut maiden head and knobs courtesy of my folks. I like it; it does look different and not so blah no more; plus I already have all Walnut and all Maple wheels so this will look pretty in the kitchen or anywhere else in the house just to balance everything out.
On another note, my left wrist/ hand is being treated with supplements that I am currently taking – Flex Companion capsules with chondroitin/ glucosamine/MSM/ Ester-C/ bromelain/ vitamins/ minerals and Vita Flex MSM in its pure form. So hopefully, it’ll help me regenerate. Thank you, those of you who emailed to ask about my wrist.
I finally came to terms to sending my AA heirloom Banjo Charkha to its new home this past weekend. I got it as a mother’s day gift this year from my dear hubby but have not gotten any chance to spin on it whatsoever. Alas, my decrepit left wrist is letting go and its condition has worsen. Everytime I look at the beautiful sucker I feel excruciatingly disappointed on not being able to spin on it and I also feel that this bittersweet feeling I get from the disappointment also has to do with my incrementing hurt. So it went last Saturday to a nice lady spinner whom I know will make full use of the charkha. Here it is one last time in all its glory! By the way, those of you coveting my Louet S90 will be happy to know I listed it on eBay yesterday evening to find its new home. Good Luck!
Now a closeup of my ex-spinning hand. Is that wrist bone jutting out or what? I can’t fully hold anything heavy with this hand. On my flyer wheels , I’ve begun to long draw all the time these days and short draw with my right hand. Yes; I’m one of those ambidextrous chicks that can do things with both hands; it runs in my family, although my elder sister is exclusively left-handed.
On the fiber front, my husband and I went out this past Saturday to get some equipment for my dye-studio. Check this out, my new dye-pot! Holds a ton of roving and tops and so shiny, it is almost funky. Nope, I’m not a funky person, too realist and traditionalist, but it works like a dream and kinder to my unusable wrist. I’ll write more later… Kim Jong Il has gone berserk this morning with nuke tests and as a result my work is piling on the desk. Korea is my forte, can you already tell?
I really can’t wait for Rhinebeck. Soooo exciting. Rhinebeck organizers should have a countdown to Rhinebeck to help me cope with anxiety. Ha! Meanwhile, my husband and I will be vacationing in Albany as well along with our two toddlers. (Think crisped Fall apples, autumn foliage. cool air hmmm!) But can you imagine going to Rhinebeck with kids? I hope we cope well, it’s not as bad as Maryland I hear but still.
Here is a recent photo of Petra Ava in all her glee. Yes she’s well-known for her signature cream puff do being the curly-haired. That’s her about last fall the same time. She really has grown. Her recent photo taken with the Contax i4r turns out pretty great so I think we’re set! I don’t do very well in crowded places and am planning to bring only light accessories and that includes my camera equipment. Got to go as light and compact as possible, need to make room for all the goodies and of course juggling the babies and their accessories too, everyone’s got their own set of crap, like sippy cup, snacks, diapers yeah sounds like a pilgrimage!
On the fiber front I really have not been as productive as I can be, just housecleaning and making room for more stuff to buy in the Fall, like new fibers, and that Dyson Animal you all recommended. I did manage to whip up some shine to my lovely collection of Greensleeves, Forresters and Cascabeles that have been sitting pretty on the shelves. About time to add some wood food.
And as some of you know my addiction for fine spinning wheels comes with a purpose and that is to bestow them as heirloom gifts to my children. So I thought I’ll post a recent picture of them. That is Nadya and Petra in the photo, myself and my husband Dave. It’s been a long time since I post any pictures of them. They’ve grown like a weed. Chatty, precocious and just joyful to be around. Also many of you emailed to request more photos of the Ashley wheel so I did take a couple more photos for your viewing pleasure.
Scandinavian Ashley next to her little sister Debbie Gossip
Recent family photo. Jensen wheels will eventually be gifted to the babies as heirlooms.
Close-up of Ashley
Our labor day was ruined by the flu virus. Well, not totally; in between being sick all members of the family, me, my two baby girls and my dear hubby, we managed to squeeze a short lunch treat at Olive Garden. We were supposed to go sushi binge-ing but we were too lazy and opted for the nearest decent restaurant. Apart from that, all day labor day was spent being sick and consoling our illness with this.
Yes that is our 30-inch Scandinavian Jensen Ashley wheel. Alas between all our travels, move, work, family responsibilities, Ashley is one of the wheels in hiding. I have to admit that the reality of having quite a number of wheels in our studio means only having a certain amount of time to play with them. Labor day weekend was Ashley’s turn; just perfect; make me forget all the pain, headaches and gloom. Plus my habit is always to sit and work on a wheel before I vanish out of town for a work trip. A habit I developed as a wheel addict. Ha ha! at least I’m a wheel addict so it’s not such a crime!
That weekend, Ashley was given the routine maintenance, lots of Howard Feed n Wax and exercise! So dear hubby was in the other room next to my little craftroom and watching through the connecting glass door observing my indulgence, feeling sorry for himself and the lack of attention. But I bet he enjoyed every bit of action when the wheel spins. Whoosh whoosh whoosh! She was a breeze and ultimate delight to spin on. Dusk came by and she was left by herself to enjoy her quiet evening. Quite apt for a majestic yet unassumingly sweet wheel. Like her little sister, she is a total joy to spin on.
Here is the verdict for Ashley:
Nutrition Facts
Serv. Size 30″ (20 lbs/ about 9+ kg)
Servings About 1
Calories 0
Fat Cal. 0
Total Love 100%
Total Fun 100%
Sat. Joy 100%
Affection 100%
Sweetness 100%
Eye Candy. Sweet sweet Suzie Professional Special edition wheel
Today starts out really nice. Although it’s a short vacation I was up late yesterday reading, for some reason I could not sleep and I didn’t spin as I did not want to wake up dear hubby; my spinning wheels are as quiet as a mouse but hubby is a light sleeper, anything will wake him up even the drop of a pin! This morning I started skeining the Mongolian Lambswool Muga Silk blend that I had purchased from Japan. It’s still soaking so I’ll post photos later. Then I went to my studio and worked on some wheels; meaning clean them up, pet them ha ha! 🙂 give them good wood food and of course warm their feet; um, treadles. Spin spin spin! I have not touched the Louet S90 in a long long time. It is one of my set of first wheels, yeah no kidding set of first wheels; people usually say my first, but this one is my first set! Anyway the S90 is a single treadle but I have loved the wheel for a very long time, and don’t get me wrong I still do. I am a double treadle girl now but for some reason I still hang on to some of my single treadle wheels. I do not know if it’s sentiment or what.
Louet S90 Ultimate Collector’s wheel
Last Xmas, when dear hubby got word we’re going overseas for a job posting, he said we had to let go of some stuff in the house. Between our collection of Jade elephant sculptures and dragons there was a debate about wheels because they do take up space, no kidding the debate was a long one. Of course being a reasonable gal, I relented and said sure we can let go of some wheels, while some went into storage and the others don our present spaces. First to go was the beautiful Rick Reeves Frame wheel, a single treadle, a wedding present! Good grief, my closest friends asked why! in the world would you do that?! it went on eBay and went to a great home, dear Martha is the new owner and we could not feel happier; she is in great hands.
Rick Reeves Frame Collector’s wheel
Second went the Pipy Saxony, a gorgeous fine Rimu wheel that also went to a very nice lady who promised she’ll be in a great home
Pipy Saxony Collector’s wheel
and her sister the Pipy Wendy an upright gorgeous wheel, uniquely engineered,
Pipy Wendy Collector’s wheel
they’re all collectors’ wheels and yes the Pipys are both single treadles as well.
We had a couple more to let go but didn’t have the time to list them with all that’s been going on in our lives, work, family, holidays, work again, babies the list is endless. The single treadle wheels sit in our present spaces handsomely looking as heirloom fine furniture. Martha did ask me if I was going to put them up for sale, I said yes, eventually but eventually never came. Today I gave them the routine maintenance in my studio where they have been lovingly cared for and adored. The S90 I mentioned before and the other one is the 30″ Rick Reeves. Both single treadles.
I am hanging onto the wheels like a leech but I know eventually they’ll have to go, a promise I made to dear hubby on a de-stashing deal, his precious hobby in the garage and my beautiful wheelies. I need some motivation but it’s not coming, not even close. My love for double treadles (my Jensen, Van Eaton, Drudik, Majacraft wheels) have indeed brought out my love for single treadle wheels. When I first graduated to double treadles, my reaction was that double treadles are da-bomb. That is true because I feel that they make for a much pleasurable treadling experience and consequently spinning experience. But in retrospect that is not quite so true because there are single treadle wheels out there that are immensely a joy to spin on! The S90 is one of them and Rick Reeves wheels of course. I miss the Reeves Frame Wheel but I know it went to a good woman. And I feel happy to have enabled her joys in life. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep the Saxony nor the Louet S90 but I am hoping if they ever got sold in the near future, that another awesome owner/s will love and cherish them as much as we did. By then I will only be left in the company of double treadles that will remind me of wonderful single treadles first love.
Phew! What great pleasure! I told you I’d be back with a vengeance after all the work I did the past few weeks. So I did handpaint more batches of superwash merino yarn in the pot. And came out with more lovely, yummy colors. More colorways can be seen at my online shoppe. Please feel free to look and browse around. No I haven’t had the chance to list or handpaint any of the Mongolian Lambswool-Silk blend that I had purchased from Japan. But hopefully I will find time to do so soon. Meanwhile here’s a sneak pix from my fiber dye-ing and painting studio.
I’m back! From my working trip hiatus. So it’s 5 days earlier than the contest deadline. Be patient I will announce the winners to the Alaskan mamalute and Suri Alpaca give-aways soon. On another note I hear about a new wheel out by the Kromskis and found a great deal at the woolery. Hmmmn the $120 bag free, quite a great deal don’t you think? Oh ho ho the new Louet S95 has a rival indeed.
Anyways, to get rid of work toxic I dyed some yarns today and presto what do you think, pretty yummy huh? I love the variegated lilacs amongst the summery yellows. Very therapeutic. What can I tell ya, fiber does really do some good to the body. OK will be back and write more soon. Gotta take some more rest and catching up to do.
Yes I am missing fiber like crazy! The Mideast war has taken toll on my creative side! Give me 3 more weeks and I promise you, I’ll be back with a vengeance. Meanwhile here are some photos that were left on my camera just before the war.
Top-Bottom: My most precious Mjolinor spindle in the most beautiful Masur Birch rendition; the Louet S90 which I was working on before I left for more work! Next to it is my sweet sweet sunshine Majacraft Suzie Pro working on some superwash merino; the Debbie Gossip up close and personal sitting pretty; and those alluring mix of lusciously soft, Rambouillet, Targhee and Merino Mix interrupted by Israel-Lebanon conflict. What can I say I miss them all!
No we did not celebrate much on the 4th of July. And we stayed indoors and bought barbecue. Not so very fun. Plus Kim Jong Il’s Taepodong II missile brought more work on my table. It’s been loading this whole week and with the dream of the 6 party talks among the big nations, it is going to stay busy for a while. So today after picking up the kids from Montessori, I decided it was time to heal and detox myself. I did some yoga in between soaking fiber and yarn in the dyepot. Both activities are known to have very healing qualities for me. I love how it turned out. Very pretty! Amidst all the ugliness and dreariness this week. Tomorrow will be another day but at least some good cheered me up and prepared me for another challenging day. Dye on!
Lovely, soft Targhee, Rambouillet and Merino Wool Top
photo courtesy of www.louet.nl
Go read all about it at the Louet Dutch website or just gaze and marvel if you can’t understand Dutch. Be elated, be happy, be excited, enthusiastic, eager.
New Specs:Wheel Diameter: 36 cm approximately 14 inches
Dimensions when folded: 55 x 36 x 14 cm
Weight including bag, bobbins and lazy kate: 5.2 kg
Ratios: 1:6 to 1:14
Price: € 441 you do the Math in USD
My new Forrester linum fancies, beautiful and lots of character. Got to love the newly designed Scotch Thistle fancy turned shafts, as Mr. Forrester had called them. The newest one in the photo below is the one in the middle. It has a Pau Ferro button and an African Mahogany shaft.
Forrester spindles are speaking out to me again! Yesterday came this amazing package from my folks and inside were three pretty Forrester spindles, two linum fancies and one top whorl. Got to be happy because Forrester spindles are my favorite and they’re charming excellent spinning tools. They came from TNNA event where my folks had been. I wasn’t sure what they were talking about when they said “We got you some things that you like.” Hmmm, what was it more Egyptian cotton floss so that I can overdye them in variegated colors? Perhaps a set of rosewood and ebony knitting needles? Don’t know but when I opened the package I was beaming with joy. Felt like a little girl falling in love for the first time! Again!
Look what came in the mail! The ever superlicious kona superwash merino yarn from Henry’s Attic. Believe me, I’ve done all kinds of things with the yarn including weaving with it. Lovely, soft and best yet it’s superwash! This yarn beats all other superwash. It is soft, squishy and has a lovely sheen to it. It is more expensive than regular 100% merino but for its super amazing qualities it is well worth the price.
I haven’t decided what colorways to go with this time. I have some natural dyes and some Landscape Dyes from Woodland Woolworks which IMHO give the most vibrant colors for acid dyes, and that the new hues just came in. How exciting it will be in the dye studio for all of us. Well, whatever the outcome I will have to say that Henry’s Attic is the best love a knitter can get and for the dyer as well. It feels like Christmas all year round.
These have been brewing in the pot the last few days. In between the cold, sinus and headache, today culminates a productive effort at skeining. Finally! It could have been later than anticipated but it had to be done. This would have been it. The coming week will be spent finishing the usual load work waiting in huge gigantic piles. Lovely colors, don’t you think? My favorite batch so far. I love how the lilacs and pinks turn out amidst all the other variegated strands.
My yarn blocker is overworked and feeling tired and heavy, where else could we squeeze all the extra yarns except for on the other super gigantic warping mill. Of course when it is all said and done, there was cleaning up time. Dear husband was impressed with my creativity and productivity early this morning. What a fulfilling weekend. I hope all you fiber artists out there are having the same. Keep on dye-ing and skein-ing.
Memorial Day is a short vacation. Nothing done around here except for a day at the pool and some relaxing spinning. Apart from that, work is swamping like crazy. All kinds of forms and paperwork to fill up. The wheels in the studio are getting their feet wet entertaining some pink Rambouillet roving from last year’s indulgence. The dyepot is brewing but that is about it in the kitchen and the loom has become the kitty spot while we were away. He has been playing with the idea that it may be his permanent spot, yes only when there’s no warp that is. Meanwhile, I’ve updated the sidebar offering lovely handpainted merino sock yarn. Spin on.
Binge-ing, our Russian Blue hiding in the loom
My latest addition of Forrester spindles is a Forrester Blossom Fancy. It is the one with a large cherry blossom pyrography the second from the right. This is courtesy of my folks who purchased it directly from Canada. They knew that apart from Cascabeles spindles, Forrester spindles are my favorites as well. The Forresters have a long spin and for some very unique reason are very easy on the hands. I also love the fact that they are beautifully sculpted and the woods are also retrieved from biodiversified forests. I see a larger collection of Forresters among my Cascabeles in my future. And I also like the fact that the maker of these works of art is very nice, thoughtful and kind-hearted. A rarity amongst artisans these days.
I have been swamped with work lately and have not had much time playing with fiber prep. But I did manage to reel some silk skeins that I dyed naturally last week. The idea of silk worms, cocoons and caterpillars playing in my husband’s garage just did not make it so I had some degummed silk coccons to reel silk threads out of. And I am having a ball! Usually I just buy prepared silk tops already handpainted and spin them into singles but I have always been intrigued by how Michael Cook of wormspit does his silk prep so I just had to try. It came out beautiful and later I plied the silky strands onto itself did a dye job in the pot and reeled them into 60 yard skeins. Now I am seriously thinking about getting a custom made silk reel to indulge in more of this fascinating activity. Wasn’t sure how my husband is going to react to that but as long as I am not messy and throw pupas and cocoons all over his garage, I think it’ll be just fine.
photo by Nicholas Leong of Green Edible Tomatoes, Singapore
1. I’m a Singaporean-born ethnic of Sumatran Chinese, Thai, Balinese, Javanese lineage
2. I was born in the month of November
3. I am a great fan of calamari, yes that edible sea creature
4. I have traveled and lived in 5 different continents of the world; 22 different countries
5. I used to dream of settling down in Nepal and build a house among the mountains
6. I windsurfed and swam a great deal of my youth in Southeast Asia
7. My mom used to say that if I do not know how to spin, knit or weave that no man will want to marry me
8. I beach bummed in Bali most of my youth
9. I have exhibited fine art photography and performed body movement in 7 different countries
10. My favorite subject in high school is World History
11. I taught in a Singapore-British high school education system for 3 years
12. I speak 6 different languages
13. I am 12 years younger than my dear husband but he behaves 12 years younger than me
14. I have worked for the top 20 news market in the USA
15. My husband is Irish-Italian American with a full-blown matriarchal Italian mom and a softspoken Irish dad
16. I am the proud mother of 2 lovely baby girls each of them is named after their maternal and paternal great grandmothers
17. My favorite Chinese cuisine is Singaporean Char Kuay Tiao and Hokkien Mee. Yum!
18. My favorite Indian cuisine is Singaporean Roti Prata with Fish curry Yum!
19. My favorite Indonesian cuisine is Gado-Gado and Satay Ayam More Yumm!
20. My favorite dessert is Ice Avocado; OK I probably need to get a plane ticket to Bali
21. I like my meat medium-rare. I used to like it well-done
22. My wedding band is a mokume-gane with a fusion of rose gold, titanium and yellow gold
23. I love Japanese people; I think they’re awesome. I have worked a lot with Japanese artists and dancers; I almost married one
24. I went through 16 years of Singapore-British education, 7 years of American tertiary and I have 4 different degrees
25. My favorite color is yellow because it’s cheery and makes me happy
26. I make a point to have a haircut whenever I am feeling unlucky
27. I crave and eat sushi when I was pregnant, both times
28. I have a Nikon F3, aBronica medium format, a Mamiya medium format and a large format Hassleblad…
29. I love shooting on an Ilford Pan50 and a Fuji Pan X 25 – rare and discontinued
30. I really think the best sandwiches are made in Singapore and sold by the Olio Dome cafe
31. As a true blue Singaporean I took great pride in being a citizen (however I am now a full-pledged American citizen); Singapore is top 1 in the Globalization Index and has the world’s best port and airline
32. Ok seriously I would love to one day own a farm I can call my own; which is kinda ironic because before I moved to the States I have been forewarned by my Singaporean gal friends that I may turn into a Dutch Lady, Amish or something
33. My father was a teacher with the Singapore-British education board and my mom owns a business
34. I used to date a US Marine and I have a lot of respect for the military
35. I grew up learning Balinese traditional dance and later trained with contemporary Japanese Butoh performers and contemporary dancers
36. Oh I love mushrooms in general, all kinds and shiitake especially except for the magic ones
37. I am drug free, alcohol free and smoke free and proud of it too
38. I never understand why chewing gum is so fun; probably because I originally came from a nation that bans them
39. I don’t like to label myself a liberal or a conservative in the American sense but rather enjoy the entertainment of seeing both groups insult each other
40. I would ask for spinning fiber as opposed to a diamond for a Valentine’s Day gift
41. My husband thinks I have the most quirkiest sense of humor; you can’t blame me for being exposed to British Black comedy for most of my life
42. I would like to go back in time to unravel the thoughts of British colonizers; I mean what were they thinking? The exotic east?
43. Oooh I haven’t mention this but I love Edward Said; I am a great fan of him; I would love to meet him in person one day; That would be such an honor!
44. My skin is naturally tanned after my Indonesian father, my mom thinks only fair-skinned girls like her are pretty
45. I love Siamese and Kucinta Singaporean drain cats; they have the most interesting personality
46. I have a 56 gallon freshwater aquarium filled with Severums and Parrot fishes; I think they’re awesome
47. One day I’d love to own a French or German Angora Rabbit; they are gorgeous and make great fiber source
48. My favorite drink is Sweet Port at Xmas
49. I hardly wear make-up except when I’m working.
50. I’d rather have no religious preference but I’d go to the Balinese temple in a heartbeat. They’re the most beautiful and cosmic.
51. I yearn to metamorphose like a butterfly all the time; I think there is always an ongoing expectation in myself that strives for positive changes in life
52. I am self-sufficient and am a low maintenance gal although when it comes to fiber I beg to differ; I think all fiber enthusiasts share the same thing
53. I never make it a habit to eat American Fast Food when I am in Asia but I revel in yummy burgers in the States; my favorite burger is Japanese though; you can find chains in Japan, Singapore and New York City called Mos Burger; instead of buns, they use rice cakes to sandwich the darn meat
54. My husband thinks I worry too much about life possibly because I am meticulous about everything under the sun
55. When overseas I partake in running hashes; no they’re not a drug activity; they’re an international phenomenon where people meet to work out an 8 mile run and then later drink beer; the beer part I leave it all to my dear husband to enjoy
56. In 2000 3 weeks after moving to Texas from overseas I had encountered an incident where I was cornered at gunpoint by some darn redneck woman and her 15 year old daughter. Guns are illegal in Singapore.
57. A month later I went up north to my in-laws, borrowed their MKs and learned how to shoot.
58. Interesting enough, I made and exhibited a series of digital art where the theme is the Gun and I.
59. Do not fear. I do not keep guns and I will not hurt anyone irresponsibly ha!
60. I am kind-hearted and in real life soft-spoken but give me a bad attitude and I will honestly let you know upfront what I’m really made of ; Thai chillies complete in a package
61. I appreciate true talent and artists who do their work out of a sincere thirst for expression
62. I also believe that everyone needs to appreciate art at least one form of art in their lifetime even if they can’t find a reason to
63. My favorite idea of a vacation is to fly to the island of Bali and enjoy the dance, art and local festivities at the temples
64. I don’t mind going to the beaches in Bali to enjoy the surfs during an off-peak tourist season
65. The most beautiful sceneries I enjoy about Bali are the rice fields, the mountains and the rivers
66. Yes I think everyone should make it a point to experience Bali at least once in their lifetime; it will change your life!
67. The other places in the world that intrigue me is Scandinavia. I have met Norwegians, Danish, Finnish, Swedish people in my travels and I think they have the most interesting personality
68. I also like collecting spinning wheels that are Scandinavian inspired
69. Scandinavian looms have also been the most beautiful and the most interesting equipment I have ever woven on
70. The seacapes in Norway especially are just gorgeous and definitely a tranquil scene to enjoy
71. If I have a chance at a property in Norway, I would set up a spinning and weaving studio overlooking the seascapes
72. I am a very organized person and I appreciate others who are ardently fans of the neat and proper
73. I have reason to believe that neat and proper people can appreciate their life, family and friends better than if they weren’t
74. That said, need and proper people also have a better consideration for others and their spaces
75. I love wearing chaco sandals because they’re comfy and clean looking but unfortunately heels are what I have to put on when I’m at work
76. Yes I own several pairs of those chaco sandals mainly in very pretty berry and pink-mauve colors and if I have the choice of trading my heels, I ‘d go for a wardrobe full of chacos
77. The best and nicest things in life aren’t free; and unfortunately some people think they are
78. I enjoy watching my toddler identify the objects on her flashcards; the joy of learning is endless
79. Little ones need all the encouraging and support when it comes to learning and adults around them are the ones they take to and emulate
80. Apples and Oranges are the best healing foods one can have in their diet but lately pom juice is what we drink around here
81. I love shopping at the wholesfood market because it carries a variety of foods from all over the world
82. Interestingly enough a wide array of global foods in one’s diet can make up for a more healthier life. Imagine adding tofu and green tea instead of sodas to your meals
83. While some people say the chiropractor is a neccessity, I’d opt for an excellent Balinese massage and a feel good haircut
84. Hot springs are a good way to rejuvenate yourself as well
85. Ultimately a good swim workout and a few rounds in the park will perk your senses
86. While I have collections of spinning wheels, my husband revels in his 2 wheeler mountain bikes; yes there seems to be a pattern for things that spin in this house
87. We have done the MS 150 Bike Rides and mountain bike trails is what my husband enjoys
88. While having enjoyed tropical weather most of my youth due to all the beach and windsurfing activities, I now yearn for a much cooler weather
89. Possibly because much cooler climates can attest for my woolly leisures and be the perfect environment for woolly critters
90. My favorite woods are figured myrtle, figured maple and box elder and I have a collection of fiber tools and spinning wheels made out of these; I keep them as heirlooms for my children
91. I appreciate a pretty dress on a nice occasion but my favorites are a pair of nice J Crew jeans and a pretty sweater
92. My favorite airlines are Singapore Air Business Class and Japan Airlines; they’re top notch in service
93. The best layover I had was at Narita Airport in Tokyo, just because it is one of the most tranquil yet mellow atmosphere I’ve ever experienced
94. Plus the best gadgets and people and calamari you can find are in Japan
95. Kinokuniya is my favorite bookstore in Singapore and Japan
96. I love Japanese silk Kimonos and Korean silk Hanboks; they’re the traditional dresses in these countries
97. I also revel in Indian Sari silks andThai silks
98. In Bahasa language silk is called Sutera
99. Yes all this talk about silk you must be wondering why
100. Because currently I am spinning the most silkiest and most exquisite silk top from Mongolia
I am frantically spinning away all my Fall colors so that I can make way for Summer spinning. With all that’s been going on in our lives right now, Spring color fibers have to take a back seat. I have kept some Silks in pretty spring pink and some Targhee pastels waiting for some spinning action but I think I will go ahead and start spinning Summer inspirations. With all the fiber festivals going on right now, perhaps it is time to get more fiber! How exciting don’t you think? I’m planning to go to Rhinebeck; Maryland was a no-show due to last minute law work I had to attend to so I’m planning Rhinebeck for the Fall, it’ll be nice to see autumn settings with all the leaves and foliage changing colors. My husband has arranged mile redemption for the flights and possibly I’ll bring the babies along so we can all have a sightseeing adventure.
The fuschia merino top was spun on the Debbie wheel. It is a nice wheel and indeed a dream to spin on. It will do whatever you want it to do by a gentle touch of your toes and heels. I have a background in dance and body movement; Balinese traditional and contemporary as well and with the Debbie it’s like performing on stage all over again. I won’t trade the Debbie for the world. I will post a photo of my Ashley wheel, Debbie’s bigger 30 inch Scandinavian sister when I have the chance.
The Schacht in the corner, I use for teaching, because I have realized in my experience lately that most students these days want to learn on a Schacht. It is a nice wheel but has its quirks; I say so because I have spun on many other wheels and while the Schacht is an overall nice wheel I have spun on many others that are equal to it or have performed better. Still, I am happy to say I have found my comfort zone with it. I used to be so reluctant to teach anyone who come to me armed with a Schacht in hand. But nowadays anything goes.
This is a photo of Elaine Eskesen’s Pollock yarn from her book Dyeing to Knit. For those of you wondering; this was the book I mentioned in my previous post below. So far this is my most favorite of Eskesen’s dyeing techniques; Eskesen invented this technique/ design for her friend who wanted a partcular yarn look. Her book will tell you the full recipe to the technique so if you want to get the same effect, you may want to get a copy of her fabulous book. All her secret recipes are inside. Knitters, Spinners dyers alike, my 2 cents is the book is worth your money.
Along with the loom I received these books courtesy of my sweetie hubby, Dave. The first one is titled Spinning in the Old Way by a favorite author ~ Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Oyyy all you spindlers out there, hear this; this is a must have keeper book! It’s very informative and the illustrations are very clear. It talks about everything you need to know about spindling from how much twist to managing your skeins. It is great for everyone from those who want to learn and those who’re experienced. I personally think for those who already have the basics will appreciate spindling much more after you read this book. The spindle that you see next to the book is last year’s mother’s day gift by my sweetie hubby. It is my most precious Thomas Forrester custom made Linum Fancy made to specifications by Mr. Forrester himself.
The second one is titled Dyeing to Knit by Elaine Eskesen of Pine Tree Yarns fame. It is an excellent book and one that I have always been looking for in terms of a Dye book. The photos are colorful and beautiful; although they are more educational and illustrative not like a coffee table book sorts. I’d say Plucky Fluff is a Coffee Table Book although I love that book to death. Eskesen’s book is more informative. She shares many dyeing techniques of which I already have a favorite!
This sweet carding machine made by Patrick Green & Paula Simmons of Canada will produce pretty batts like these woolly blends I made for my spinning projects. Lately I’ve been busy with my papers and warping for a new weaving project on the Louet Loom. So instead of spending time at the carder, the Supercard has been sitting idly and crying its heart out as the loom competes for attention. I love the Supercard. It is an excellent carding machine, well made and an engineering marvel. Unfortunately because of so little time, I’ve lately been spinning prepared fibers instead of custom blending them myself on the carder.
These are my new Bosworth shadow spindles, so called by Sheila Bosworth when we had the conversation the other day. They’re made by Jonathan Bosworth of Journey Wheel. The name shadow spindle came up when I mentioned these would look so good displayed in a glass case among my Balinese and Javanese artefacts. Shadow is after the Art of Indonesian Shadow Puppet called Wayang Kulit. Below I have included an excerpt of my meanderings and writing on Ruminating Java (an Indonesian island close and dear to my heart) to add the spice to the evolution of these spindles.
My husband took this picture of me in Bali, Indonesia in December of 1999 at the Mother Temple in Besakih; I was 23 then
I looked into the glass, peeking curiously like an innocent little girl. I was given a beautiful flower, which I cherish every single day. When the sun rises and I open my sleepy eyes, I see my flower blooming.
I hold on to vivid beautiful childhood dreams. I was in a sarong[1], with the hibiscus resting on top of my ear adding the beauty and sweetness to my exotic soft tanned-skin face. I carved a smile, one that would remind you of fresh yellow chrysanthemums and pure white water lilies. My eyes stared at you with a touch of innocence yet telling you I want to go out and play in the garden with the birds and the butterflies. You would be imagining me in a lush green paddy field in the terraces of Java[2] but in true fact I was sitting right in the middle of Shenton Way, a part of Singapore, where financial business transactions come busy everyday.
My feet sent me on a journey, undaunted by the hot sun, stepping firmly onto the ground in an assuming manner – very delicate yet strong. My bones followed the rhythm, my flesh was intact, and my muscles worked through it. It was like walking through the rice fields stepping onto the muddy earth, floating yet firmly planted onto the lucid ground. My eyes shifted from left to right, and right to left. My feet were performing with my eyes, in conversation with my limbs and bones, and flesh and muscles and skin. Something moved inside me, oozing through every pore of my skin. It breathes.
Everything was shining – transparent and clear but still sane. This is Singapore. Everywhere it was moving, shifting, uncertain but controlled, chaotic but calm, messy yet serene. Nothing, not even the echoes of the boisterous laughter from the group of colonial-looking white expatriates complete with their formal ties and suits could mess up my strong movements, echoing, overlapping their very authentic hoarse deep voices. My nerves laughed at them in return for vengeance for trying to overpower my rumination, sentiment and reverie of my surroundings within myself. Why did my feet walk away? Why did my eyes postulate? Inside, my guts were churning and my intestines scampering in turmoil yet not in anarchy. I was at the crossroads, wanting to leave yet lingering with hate and longing. Contradicting you say, but actually in harmony, as harmonious as those rice fields.
Breathtaking Terraced Rice Fields in Ubud, Bali
I stopped at the junction between Saint Andrew’s Cathedral and City Hall. I looked around in bereavement. My feet were still walking. That movement continued leaving my body, the image spinning in my intestines, my heart, my lungs, and my esophagus, to my throat. I was at the crossroads, left with a picture of fast moving people of different colors. I could still see my feet walking off away from me, wanting to disappear but was still in sight.
I left – Singapore and Java, the skyscrapers and the paddy fields.
Small town hardly polished tall buildings, very concrete, nothing like Singapore – definitely far from Java. But inside me, Singapore is near and Java relentlessly dear. My dreams traveled to Los Angeles passing through Del Mar to Point Loma, La Jolla then it stopped at Imperial Beach.
I played like a nymph in the Garden of Eden, clasping my palms together and making butterfly movements with it as I beheld the image of the shadow of my fingers against the wall. The moonlight shone to give the wayang[3] its life. I fell in love with Java in San Diego, in a cozy apartment at Imperial Beach. I was as happy as a lark. I wished the moon would not go away and the night stay ever so young accompanying my romance with the light and darkness of mystic Java.
The gypsy lady in front of the Museum of Man at Balboa Park reminded me of the shaman in Solo[4]. Geared with her tarot cards under a pretty looking umbrella, I observed her stealthily from a distance. She seemed to have that power of sense, yet not as powerful and sacred like that of the shaman back in the entrancing villages in Indonesia. She turned and caught me unaware and gave me a smile I could never forget – charismatic, bewitching and to some extent enticing.
I met a ‘shaman’ in San Diego. The one not quite like the Asian long-haired, long finger-nailed men in primitive villages deep in Solo, but the fairy-godmother version like in those fairy tales that I was fed with before I rest to sleep when I was only about four. I gave her a shy glance, a girlish tender look, as I shunned away from her in apprehension. I walked away and felt the East wind stroking my cheeks, frolicking around me like old times. I turned back and looked at the gypsy woman, she, still smiling with a sharp presence with an attempt to decode me humming away the graceful tunes of Bengawan Solo[5].
I was at the Santa Fe Station watching the train depart at accelerating speed. I wished I had the power to do so. I wished I had been a train, leaving and returning. I toddled along the streets and shuffled my way to the Emerald Plaza. I was in front of C Street diagonally opposite the San Diego County Courthouse and Jail building. I wonder how it feels like to be in prison, trapped in the middle of four walls and being denied of your own right to freedom. Freedom. What does it mean to me? I went away just to reassure myself that I had the freedom, to confront my insecurities and deny my own weaknesses. My greatest weakness is being lonely and my greatest strength is being alone.
My sister’s words caroused in my ears, “You are an escapist, Arianie.” I scoffed at them wanting to hear no more but they still gamboled merrily distracting me from my surroundings. I realized suddenly that I was in downtown San Diego, a place, which replicates the Lion City[6], maybe part of Shenton Way. Tall buildings, polished glass walls, big shopping malls. The only difference was that the people were not moving as fast as it had been back in Singapore. It was not as chaotic. It was tranquil and slow-paced. I suddenly felt estranged in this place. I felt lonely, alone, cold, and hungry. What was I doing there really?
Everywhere I go I carry within myself this feeling of uneasiness. It is like a nightmare. It is my worst enemy. I sobbed. I looked away. Why was I afraid? I realized that I was not running away from anything else but from this fear within myself.
I stood, looking far at the Pacific Ocean. I had had really wished I could have met the whales. It was summer time. The officer at the National Park at Point Loma mentioned that the whales only come in during winter. I was disappointed. Was it bad karma? I returned back to the waters and tried to capture the vast ocean with my tired eyes – God’s creation – the ocean, the sky and the good earth – extremely exquisite, rich and refined. The Earth – a haven for all mortals, a place of refuge for little earthlings called Homo sapiens, another of God’s creations. I am one of them. The good earth is where I come from and the good earth is where I will return to. My body, my skin, my bones, my flesh are nothing but soil.
A picture speaks a thousand words. Those were yesterday’s memories. Where am I heading for now? Life is like a dream. It’s like always reminiscing the past. For me, today is always yesterday and yesterday’s memories linger, always lurking behind me.
I want to stay, to linger like a butterfly, fresh from its cocoon of yesterday’s wrinkled skin. Will I remember the skin? The skin, which brought me to life, more than just living but holding on and finding the meaning of each existence, each time, each breath.
Ruminating Java, I wrote a poem – the first poem written for the people whom I have once loved but forgotten:
Here I am where I was once before,
full of hope, and dreams for my future,
curious about the world, and its inhabitants.
I am like a caterpillar.
I am not ashamed when I was stripped off my skin,
weaving a cocoon for my pupa.
I was not confused when I rested myself in that silky shell,
where all my fantasies and thoughts were unraveled.
And I will not regret following my heart
and its intense desires,
because one day I will triumph all the past –
Shadows of the wayang of my life
And be that beautiful butterfly emerged from yesterday’s wrinkled skin.
Does it always rain there in your heart? Or does the sun sometimes come in and sneak into the darkest walls of your loneliness? Sometimes I need the rain in my heart, and sometimes I yearn the sun to come into my garden of hopes and dreams? What are my hopes and dreams? Are they still there in my garden of tomorrows? Were they left behind in joys of yesterdays? Will you be the sunshine in my garden? Can you be the rain in my heart? Sometimes I wait for the rain to come. At other times, I wait for the sun to shine in my garden. I am still hoping for the rain and sun to creep into my heart and linger in my garden and unite as one. Will that day come even if I have to wait a thousand years?
Even when rainy days come, I still have the good earth to look forward to. I want to hear the croaking sounds of the frogs amongst the water lilies and the gushing rain bringing to life the sounds of mother earth, as I take a deep breath enjoying the fresh morning dew of Java.
But I do realize that I am nothing but a vessel, an ancient symbol of displacement. Wherever I go, I am like a migrant. I become the container of the place I am in. I create the history and fiction. I become the stage for my predicament and my journey. I move with it. I am it.
[1] A piece of wrap around cloth with intricate batik design
[2] An island in Indonesia
[3] Shadow world; setting for shadow puppet drama, an ancient art form in Java, Indonesia
[4] A town in Java
[5] An Indonesian piece of music about a river in the town of Solo, in Java
[6] Lion City is another name for Singapore
The Kaari Spindle; a dream to spin on when you need a portable spinning tool. Made by Jim Child of Hatchtown Farm. The Kaari is a delight to spin on. On it are some Merino fiber gifted to me by my Secret Santa Spindler Wendy Moreland of San Antonio. I spent last Christmas spinning them up. They will be plied onto themselves and probably be the weft for one of my upcoming weaving projects. I cannot imagine life without a Kaari. She is food for my soul. Alas, Jim Child has found a tool to fill the hearts of many with joy from a Kaari.
Debbie came into my life out of my undying desire to teach my two lovely baby girls how to spin when they are older. The idea of two maidens and flyers is to have both girls drafting at each post while I treadle in the middle and mother them at the wheel. While it is still a few years away before the day will come for the girls to sit on the wheel and try their hands at drafting, Debbie sits quietly in our living room as a beautiful heirloom piece waiting for the day she will be spun on by Nadya & Petra. Debbie is special; she symbolizes warmth and my unconditional love for my lovely two little girls. She is a sweet wheel, very unassuming and a light treadler and indeed a dream to spin on.
Petra Ava & Nadya Anne
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