A Little Something for Mom

November 16, 2013November 18, 2013 | Verónica

Remember this yarn that I picked up almost one and a half years ago at Yarnivore in San Antonio, Texas?

It didn’t have a good beginning. My attempt to wind it into a ball became a tangled mess. But I finally finished it after a few plane rides. I followed the Sakkie Knit Ruffle Scarf pattern written by the yarn store owner. This is how it looked fresh off the needles.

Some blocking was definitely in order to lay out the ruffles.

It straightened out quite nicely. Here are front and back views.

My mom picked the pattern. I plan to take it to her when I see her for Thanksgiving. Hope she likes it!

About Flowers, Birds and Yarn

October 7, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

China just celebrated a national holiday, the founding of the PRC on October 1, 1949. Our offices were closed so I took the opportunity to visit Hong Kong. There are 7 million people living on a land mass of 426 square miles. According to Wikipedia, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, and I believe it.

I stayed at a cozy little apartment in Kowloon. The apartment had a small living area and bedroom just large enough for a double bed. The kitchen took up one short wall of the living room and had 1 burner, a sink, and a washing machine under the counter. The dorm sized fridge served as a tv stand in the living room. Overall it was roughly 14×16 feet, including three feet of counter space. However tiny, it was cozy, clean, safe, located in the heart of Tsim Sua Tsui, and close to the Jordan MTR station.

While I made it to some of the popular tourist markets, I also explored local markets to get a feel for everyday life. One of my favorites was the Mong Kok Flower Market. There were several streets lined with fresh flower stalls.

Orchids of all shapes and sizes were blooming.

The cacti reminded me of home.

I would have loved to get some plants or an orchid.

Immediately next to the Flower Market was the Yuen Po Street Bird Garden. The garden was a little oasis in the middle of the city.

Old men walked along with their song birds in wooden cages. I did feel a little sad about all those caged birds. Then I spotted this bird freely sitting at a stall. He was lunching on that cardboard box.

After enjoying the smells and sounds of the flowers and birds, it was time to exercise the sense of touch. I had mapped out several yarn stores near the markets. All were within walking distance of each other.

Double Knit Yarn & Co. is located at 179-181 Fa Yuen Street on the 1st Floor (which means you go up to the first floor from the ground floor). It’s near the Mong Kok MTR. The shop had wall to wall wools and some synthetic yarns from Italy, France and Japan. The staff spoke little English but were very helpful.

As my favorite color is purple, I picked up three balls of this 100% extra fine merino superwash by Zara Chinè.

My next find was Filo Kilo located on the ground floor at 167 Sai Yee Street. The shop is very nicely laid out, all the yarn is neatly labelled, and the staff was very helpful. They even had a sale! I took five balls of this exquisite Cashmere Queen yarn. The fiber contents are 35% cashmere, 45% merino wool, and 20% silk. Scrumptious!

The two shades of green perk up the smooth beige.

I also had to have this wispy orangey-yellow mohair. The brand is BBB and is made in Italy. It’s 70% kid mohair, 30% polyamide.

My last stop was Knitting World located in the Prosper Commercial Building at 9 Yin Chong Street, 3rd floor. There is a fresh food market on Yin Chong which distracted me with salted and fresh fish, meats, and vegetables.

The shop is rather small and has a limited selection but I liked that two customers were sitting there knitting. Thankfully, one of them spoke English and helped me communicate with the sales lady. Since I had already purchased yarn at the two other shops, I only took these two balls for a hat.

The solid is Cashmere Soft by Lana Liza. It’s 65% Cashmere, 35% bamboo and made in Turkey. The multicolor ball is Bambu Color by Nako with the same fiber content.

Below are snapshots of the business cards: top left is Double Knit Yarn & Co., the vertical card is Filo Kilo, the bottom left is Knitting World.

These blog posts from fellow fiber enthusiasts were of great help in locating these yarn stores:

Outside the 5th Ring Road

August 2, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

In my ongoing quest to find yarn in Beijing, I tried another market recommended by the Beijing Guild. Maofangcheng is also known as the Fabric Market. From what I read, you can have wool and cashmere coats tailor made from any fabric shop inside the five-story building.

The first task was getting there. The market is located on the Northeastern side of the city just outside the 5th Ring Road, far from where I am staying.

It was well worth the trip. Among the five floors of wool, cashmere and silk fabrics, were almost two full floors of yarn shops. Two — floors — of — yarn. I only took a couple of photographs. All you have to do is imagine walls of yarn in store after store after store.

These cones are wrapped in fine thin threads of cashmere.

My first purchase was in Store #205 where I picked up this colorful wool and mohair blend. So festive!

Fashion Wool - 66% Wool, 34% Mohair (Store #205) — Fashion Wool – 66% Wool, 34% Mohair (Store #205)

I also could not resist these lovely purples.

Ricignole Mohair - 66% Wool, 34% Mohair (Store #205) — Ricignole Mohair – 66% Wool, 34% Mohair (Store #205)

In Store #315, I picked up five balls of this luscious cerulean blue yarn.

Wool 40%, Mohair 30%, 亚克力 30% (Store #315)

Next I found this jewel-toned mohair in Store #323.

Xiao Mohair - Kid Mohair 45%, Viscose 30%, Anti-Pilling 25% (Store #323) — Xiao Mohair – Kid Mohair 45%, Viscose 30%, Anti-Pilling 25% (Store #323)

I fell in love with this orange cotton and cashmere blend. It reminds me of creamsicles!

My last purchase was this amazingly soft cotton and cashmere blend that one of the ladies was using to knit a shawl.

I took this partial cake of unknown yardage. It is made up of 11 thinly spun threads.

As I was getting ready to leave, I decided to pick up a couple of crochet hooks.

I spent a total of ¥280 or about $46. Now how am I going to get all this yarn home?

In Search of Yarn at Tuanjiehu Market

July 30, 2013November 7, 2015 | Verónica

I had been wanting to visit Tuanjiehu Park which is fairly close to where I am staying in Beijing. Then I received a tip from the contact at the Beijing Guild that the Tuanjiehu Market might have a yarn booth or two. That’s all I needed to know so off I went. The day was rainy but I was determined. After taking a subway, I found the park entrance.

Nearby, I spotted this romantic bridge.

I took cover from the rain under some branches where I was able to observe local Beijingers enjoying the park. This young girl in a pink kimono and traditional wooden shoes walked across the park trying to stay dry.

A young couple kept dry under a large umbrella.

Locals sat out of the rain under the gazebo. A husband and wife enjoyed a game of cards. Every now and then you could hear the loud slap of the cards on the bench.

Gazebo at Tianjiehu Park. — Gazebo at Tuanjiehu Park.

I was delighted when I encountered this woman crocheting by the lake. She was making a dainty cardigan-like top to wear over a blouse. I bought this amigurumi bunny for ¥50. I paid too much but I wasn’t going to haggle for a hand-made item.

Many families were enjoying their outing. Kids were feeding the fish in the lake. The paddle boats were all lined up waiting for a sunny day.

After walking through the park, I found Tuanjiehu Market. There are several buildings selling different items – one had fish and meats, another fresh fruits and vegetables, and a larger building had rows and rows of stalls. The stalls were mostly filled with a variety of household items – notepads, pens and pencils, shoes, some kitchen items. There were several fabric stalls with women sitting at old sewing machines working on pillow covers and bedspreads.

I found one yarn stall. A man sat next to it on a small stool playing with a Rubik’s Cube knock-off. I managed to ask him if he carried natural yarns and showed him the characters for camel and mohair. He laughed. I took that as a no. I did not buy any yarn. The selection was limited and I wasn’t impressed with the colors or textures. I did find some other goodies, though. I picked up these cute nail polishes. I couldn’t resist the bottles. I paid ¥10 for both, or about $1.50 USD. The bags were ¥10 each.

At one point, it occurred to me that I was the only non-Chinese person in the entire market. It seems the market caters to neighborhood residents. Some of the vendors spoke a word or two of English but not much. It was fun listening and communicating in Chinese. Overall, a good day, despite the yarn fail.

Spinning Near Yashow Market

June 11, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

As I was walking towards the subway after a morning of haggling at Yashow Market, I saw this – a woman spinning wool!

I asked her if the fiber was 新羊毛 (xīn yáng máo), the Chinese term for wool. She smiled and nodded.

Her companion had a thick yellow thread or yarn on the floor beside her. As she talked, she continued working on what looked like a cross-stitch landscape. I may have to carry my WIP and a little stool with me so I can join these sidewalk sessions. The ladies allowed me to take a few photos. Even the baby peeked into the camera!