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.

Detour to Beijing

April 28, 2013May 10, 2016 | Verónica

I just returned from a business trip to Beijing, China. Most of the sights and sounds took place in conference rooms and hotel lobbies. It had been six years since I was last there, and then only for a couple of days. The city keeps growing, now at a population of approximately 20 million, although locals will tell you it is much higher.

My meetings were centered in the Chaoyang District, which houses most of the city’s foreign embassies and corporations. The facilities built for the 2008 Summer Olympics are located in the Chaoyang District. This view is through a window, hence the dirty spots.

Air quality was decent the week I was there. My colleagues mentioned that it was poor a few days earlier. Every now and then, you could spot pedestrians wearing masks. Despite that, I was able to capture a few blooms challenging the hazy air with their show of pinks and reds.

Most of my views of the city were through the windows of taxis. Getting from one location to another took time. Traffic congestion was intense. My hotel room became a respite from the noise and traffic of the day.

There has been little time for knitting. I thought I would make progress, perhaps even finish my current project on the plane, but only got in a few rows. This is what the formerly tangled string is looking like.

There is no access to Facebook in China, or to Twitter, Tumblr, or WordPress. But there was Peking duck, beef with spicy noodles, sesame seed bun, shrimp dumplings, and jasmine and oolong tea.

I had one wish fulfilled, which was to return to China. I hope to go back again.

Tangled String

April 6, 2013 | Verónica

This is how my latest knitting project started.

Admittedly, I was a bit distracted watching the last episodes of The Walking Dead.

I did eventually end up with this nice ball of yarn. It’s Sakkie by Plymouth Yarn, 40% kid mohair, 40% superwash merino, 20% nylon.

I truly am trying to knit my way through my yarn stash.

Among the Azaleas

March 22, 2013April 18, 2014 | Verónica

Believe it or not, Spring is almost here. Every March, the Azalea Trail takes Houstonians on a tour of homes whose gardens overflow with pink and white azaleas. Luckily, the former owners of our home planted a few azalea bushes in the backyard.

The sunny weather prompted the husband and I to make a quick trip to Austin, just the two of us. You know it’s love because our first stop was Hill Country Weavers, my favorite Austin yarn shop. The place had expanded since I was last there with an additional two rooms overflowing with yarn. I picked up these lovelies – 300 meters each of 67% silk, 23% kid mohair, 10% nylon yarn by Hand Maiden. It is hand dyed in Canada.

Here’s a glimpse of it catching some rays among the azaleas.

I honed in on this pattern from Malabrigo Book 3. The pattern calls for Malabrigo sock yarn with a gauge of 24 stitches over 4 inches. The gauge for the Hand Maiden yarn is 20 stitches over 4 inches. This should result in a larger shawl which is what I would like. I’ll definitely knit a gauge swatch before casting on.

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Here is one more view of those colorful azaleas. And there are still buds waiting to bloom.

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).