La la la, can't think of a title

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Errrrgh! I want to throttle the instructions for the Apricot Jacket. I don't know what's up, but this is the fourth Rebecca pattern I've followed and having by far the most trouble with it. The textual instructions are pretty much useless. I should instead carry the back piece with me and use that as a visual guide - the front is really just the back in two parts - but it's too bulky carrying that all over the city. I've started and restarted the pattern for the front panel so many times that the yarn has started to become frayed.

Also the finishing instructions say to sew "front bands" together and to the neck edge. Uh, what bands...?

My mom and I visited a yarn store yesterday, giving ourselves plenty of time to browse/buy before a dinner engagement later in the evening. It turned out we browsed for all of 2 minutes. The prices ranged from $700 NT to $2000 NT ($20 to $60 USD) per ball. I think we must have asked the owner about one hundred times if the prices was per unit or per bag. FOURTY DOLLARS FOR A SINGLE BALL OF WOOL. They were mostly Anny Blatts and Bouton d'Or and other French imports. What's the big hooha? I don't get how anybody, no matter how irresponsible with money, could stand paying $400 to knit a plain ole wool sweater.

So yesterday Duck and I spent part of the day at Taipei 101. I wanted to go up on the observatory deck but it's been cloudy and foggy and unseasonably cold. We spent the morning eating pastries til we turned green, then walked around, then had lunch, then had dessert. For dinner we ate sushi again (an obscene amount that I think I'm actually scared of sushi now), then spent some time with my grandmother playing mah-jong.

We're staying with my cousin at what I like to call the Kennedy Compound: Uncle and Aunt #1 along with my cousin Paul and wife live on floor 2. Other cousin Francis and wife with 2 kids live on floor 3. Grandmother and Uncle #2 live on floor 6. We're staying with Francis. The kids (aged 1 and 3) stare at Duck like he's from outer space. Yaya, the eldest, won't call him when she sees him, but she apparently talks about Uncle Duck all the time when we're out. She's warming up though. Today she was willing to get close enough to take a picture with Uncle Duck!

I appreciate the kind comments left in the previous post! Til next time...

Comments [3]
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Wednesday, April 13, 2005 12:09:27 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
i was wondering "wow you guys are visiting taiwan again!" then i read the previous entry. i'm sorry about your grandfather's passing.

you do such amazing work. i am awestruck everytime i come by.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 8:07:03 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
sorry for your loss. i would never have the patience to do several knitting projects. i'd be amazed if i can finish one. ha! keep up w/ the beautiful work! enjoy ur time in taipei. good food & good shopping. *swoon*
anna
Wednesday, April 13, 2005 9:46:42 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
hey, there's a wholesale yarn store in taipei (shiling to be exact) selling yarns at good price. there have some from japan, some europe and some in the southern hemisphere it may worth a trip. the place is not glamorous at all but just pay attention to the yarn.

not sure how familiar you are with taipei, but if you get off the MRT at shiling stop, it's at the corner of chung cheng rd. and chung shan N rd. (hope my direction is not to lousy).
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