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.

Crocheting at the Long Corridor

June 29, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

One hazy day, we went to the Temple of Heaven Park. The air quality index was very high at 347 (hazardous) and reached a high of 477 (more hazardous) by evening. I’ve noticed that the worse the air quality, the cooler it gets, so overall it was a pleasant afternoon.

We gravitated toward a long passageway where many locals had congregated. There were countless groups of men and women playing lively games of cards.

As we continued, I was immediately drawn to a woman working with her hands. From afar I could tell she was crocheting! She had several of her handmade items for sale and even let me add a few triple crochet stitches.

The Long Corridor consists of covered passages connecting the Animal Killing Pavilion to the Divine Kitchen and the Divine Warehouse. From what I read, the night before a ceremony, the Long Corridor would be lit up with lanterns. Offerings of jade, silk, grains, and fruit would be stored there.

The Temple of Heaven is actually the name of the entire park covering 2.7 million square meters. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the emperors held worship ceremonies here.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is perhaps the most associated with the Temple of Heaven. Worship ceremonies were held here to pray for good weather and good harvests.

Near the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, there is a Seventy-Year-Old Door. According to the sign, it is so named because it was built for Emperor Qianlong as a shortcut to the ceremony when he was 70 years old and in failing health. Out of concern that his sons would abuse the convenience, he decreed that only his offspring who had reached the age of 70 could use the door. No other emperor in the Qing Dynasty reached that age so he was the only person to ever use the door.

Near the Seventy-Year Old Door.

The Nine Dragon Juniper is over 500 years old. The trunk is covered with grooves that resemble nine dragons twisting around the tree, hence the name.

The next stop was the Imperial Vault of Heaven. The surrounding wall is called Echo Wall because of the acoustics.

The last stop was through these gates to the Circular Mound Altar, which is the actual temple of heaven as this is where the emperors sacrificed to Heaven. By then, there were many visitors and it was impossible to get a good photo of the Heavenly Center Stone.

After walking the length of the park, we were ready for a nap.

Finding Yarn in Beijing

May 26, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

Work has pretty much consumed my life. I haven’t had time to knit, read or blog. There have been some very exciting developments though. I am at the starting point of a three-month stint in Beijing. The husband and the boys have been very supportive but I miss them, and it’s only been a week! The plan is for them to visit in mid-June. I hope to know my way around better by then.

On my first weekend here, I ventured over to the Silk Market. The old market has been modernized with each vendor occupying a glass-walled store inside the building. There are aisles and aisles of leather bags, shoes, watches, silk scarves, electronics, pearls, costume jewelry, and the regular assortment of Chinese bric-a-brac. The most important part of the Silk Market experience is the haggling. No matter how high the starting price of an item, go as low as you can and be firm. They won’t sell it to you if they’re not making money off of it.

I have really enjoyed the food. I found a great dumpling restaurant nearby called Dintaifung. You can watch the chefs shaping the dough through a window. Each dumpling is filled with your choice of pork, shrimp, or vegetables and each holds a pocket of delicious broth inside.

I’ve also become fond of these sautéed bitter greens and bamboo shoots.

My next priority was scoping out yarn stores. In my search for yarn, I decided to brave the subway system. I had seen YouTube videos of the Beijing subway rush hour – mobs of people squeezing into the cars. Thankfully it was Sunday, and negotiating the subway system turned out to be fairly straightforward.

I exited the subway at the Dengshikou exit. Initially I walked the wrong way but a kind soul pointed me in the right direction. The Wansha Cashmere store is located off of Dongdan North Street, about three blocks north of Jinbao Street. The address is 14-2 Dengshikou Street. The store isn’t very large and you sort of have to be looking for it. Inside, it was stocked floor to ceiling with yarn. They carry wool, cashmere, mohair, cotton, camel and novelty yarns.

The women were very helpful and let me browse to my heart’s content and even snap a few photos.

Here are my purchases. First, a large hank of cotton yarn. I really liked the green speckled look. It sort of reminds me of a robin’s egg except in green. The price was determined by weighing the yarn on a scale.

I also picked up these bright balls of wool yarn. Some are 50 gram and some are 100 gram balls.

This set of knitting needles cost me 10 yuan or about $1.50 US.

All in all, it was a good first weekend in Beijing. Hopefully I’ll find time to do some knitting soon.

Blogs That Make Me Smile or Laugh So Hard That I Double Over In Pain

March 17, 2013 | Verónica

Hannah at Not Your Average Crochet gave Agujas the Sunshine Award! I love the blooming flower cushions that she made – they’re so playful and make me smile. Thank you Hannah!

Now I get to nominate five blogs that brighten up my day:

Drawn2Knit & Crochet2 – Not only is Jennifer a knitter and crocheter, she’s a fabulous artist. I love her watercolors – so soft and whimsical. This is one of my favorite drawings by Jennifer. The character is named Genevieve and you can even purchase a print of it in her Etsy shop. (Image used with permission of the artist).

Angry Pear – I think you know that I love Angry Pear. Drew has me crying with laughter with Pear’s antics. Here, poor Pear finds that moths have made holes in her forgotten knitting. (Source: angriestpear.com).

Peas and Cougars – I recently discovered Rae’s alter ego. I thought I was going to pass out from laughing so hard. Have you noticed that I seem to be drawn to angry cartoon characters? (Source: peasandcougars.com).

The Knit Princess – Created by Allison (writer) and Melody (artist), this cartoon features a princess obsessed with all things knit. You can even purchase Knit Princess comic strip collections or t-shirts such as the one that reads “There’s no such thing as too much Stash.” Amen to that! (Source: knitprincess.com).

Mister G Kids – Matt is a substitute teacher who happens to also draw. His depictions of the things kids say are funny, touching, heartwarming and just plain honest. (Image used with permission of the artist).