Sometimes you can be just too busy…

I just realized that the past 2 weeks posts have had the theme of simplicity.  Funny that.  Starting a new business has thrown me into the thick of getting everything ready.  And me having perfectionist tendencies, I cannot do things only good enough.  No, I need to go above and beyond.   But, I would have it no other way.  I have been spending nearly every waking hour working on my businesses of knotting and sewing; planning, organizing, gathering information, writing class curriculum, getting handouts and show-and-tell items ready, etc.  And then there are the classes that I have started teaching.  Don’t get me wrong, it is all very fun and exciting and I am thrilled with what I am doing; however, time does have a way of slipping away without me realizing it. 

This past week, as I was working on new knot samples and getting a couple sewing projects completed, I glanced at the counter in my craft room and noticed a plastic bin sitting there nearly buried by everything that I had on top of it and gathering dust.  It is the bin that I keep my pearls in.  All the lovely pearls that I have gotten over the past few months  are in this bin, carefully labeled and some with design idea sketches.  I stopped what I was doing,  put the bin on the table and emptied it out.  I had forgotten about some of the pearl in that bin.

 I set aside one project that I have wanted to do since I first learned pearl stringing and, I believe, were the first pearls that I purchased.  This is going to be a four strand necklace with “stripes” of white pearls.  The main body of the necklace will be maroon.  I am thinking that 5 stripes will give good balance.  I finally have a board large enough to lay this out .

 

 

 

 

 

Then there are these strings of the most amazing soft olive green chevron drilled sticks.  I am going to pair these pearls with knots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally this string of gold and bronze round pearls.  The iridescence on this string is incredible.  The pearls are so beautiful that simplicity is key in this necklace.  Straight forward pearl knotting is all that I’m going to do with a nice gold clasp. 

 

I have promised myself that within everything else, I do need to take time for me and the other things that I enjoy doing.  I am going to do one project a week that is just for me.  Whether it is pearl stringing, cooking or making a dress that does not have the intention of being a project for a class.  We all need to maintain ourselves within the busy lives that we live.  We must never forget to connect to our essence and what makes our soul sing.  Simplicity in life, getting back to basics, taking care of oneself…whatever you want to call it, we all need to take time to do it.

I have all of my class displays at the YWCA complete now.  I finished the table runner and took it up on Friday.  The space that I claimed for this display is not all that large and I was having trouble packing the runner in there, but finally made it look nice.  I was happy with my display, locked the cabinet and then headed down to Central.  Halfway down the hill, a thought stuck me…I forgot to take a photo of the runner.  Silly me.  So, you’ll just have to take my word for it that it looks really great…or take a trip up to the Y and have a look.  Just so I can give you some idea of what I’ve been working on, I mocked up a runner with the extra fabric that I had.

I used an off-white Chinese brocade fabric with a delicate gold embroidery for the center panel and then this gold knobby silk for the sides and back.  I then tied up a Chinese knot combination for the center with a tassel at each end.  

This past week, I found myself in Sheung Wan with a bit of extra time so allowed myself the luxury of going to one of my favorite “clothing outlet” stores to do a bit of “bin diving”.  This store has bins out front that has everything that they want to get rid of.  They have three bins that are marked HK$5, HK$10 and HK$20.  The vast majority of what is in these bins is hideous; however, I have found a few jems…a Liz Claibourne unlined jacket, a Ralph Lauren pair of linen pants.  So, it pays to do a bit of digging.  I was in the $20 bin and found this brown fabric poking out from the bottom.  I gave a tug and out came a dress.  I held it up and granted it did not have great “hanger appeal” but there was something about it that struck me.  The neckline was quite wide and the overly large collar was cut on the cross grain.  There was no size tag so I did a quick assessment of it and me and decided that it was probably about the right size.  And for HK$20, I really did not have to worry about breaking the bank.  When I got it home, I put it straight into the washing machine to release it of all the HK grime that it collected and get the massive wrinkles relaxed out of it. 

When I put it on, I was amazed at how it looked.  The neckline is fabulous; very wide with the back collar standing up.  The style is great too.  The only thing, the color is just not me.  That milk chocolate color and me just do not get along well. 

Having remembered that there were other dresses the same in the bin, I made a second trip to Sheung Wan and found the exact same size dress.  So now I am the proud owner of two of the same size dresses.  Why you ask?  Well, one is going to be used for a pattern.  At HK$20, I cannot purchase a paper pattern so I am going to use the second dress as a pattern.   Having the luxury of taking a garment apart and have your pattern pieces there is much easier than taking a pattern from a completed garment.  The first thing I did was mark each individual fabric piece with an identifying name.  This will allow me to match up left and right side pattern pieces to see if they are the same or if they are unique.  Next, its out with the seam ripper and a few hours of very tedious seam ripping.  Every stitch needs to come out to get the dress back to the point at which it started its life…just a pile of cut fabric pieces.  I’ll keep my progress with this project on the blog so you can follow along.

Happy week everyone!

There is beauty in simplicity

This past week I have been working on a lot of samples for upcoming classes.  As I was working on ideas for projects using all of the knots learned in the Chinese Knot Basics class, I was struck with how beautiful those knots are.  Once you get beyond the basics of knotting, you tend to forget about the knots with which you started.   You use them, absolutely, but you forget that they can stand on their own and be worthy of a statement.  When I am asked to come up with a project based class, I tend to skip over the basic knots because they appear “too simple”.  However, for someone who has never knotted before, they hold beauty in the very nature of their simplicity.  

I have had this glass pendant for a while and with the colors in it, it screamed for wild cord.  I paired up a royal blue, bright green, gold and bright maroon.  I then started using those basic knots to come up with this design.  I was stunned when it was complete because of how beautiful it is with the combination of knots used.   I have a new appreciation for knots, all knots, whether they be basic or complicated.

 

 

Here are some of the other items I came up with using basic knots for various projects…

I also had fun thinking about the Knot Creative Workshop that will be held in November.  So many people have commented that they know how to tie the knots but don’t know how to put them all together or to come up with ideas for projects.  Here are a couple simple knots used in unique ways as well as a more advanced pattern for a wall hanging. 

Just look at these adorable Christmas decorations that can be made from knots…

I found these (and a few more that I have not knotted up yet) in obscure Chinese knotting books that I found at the library.  I photo copied the pages and then worked through the sequence of making them.  I will be holding a Knot Christmas Decoration class at the Y.  I may also be doing a private class to share a few more just because they are way too cute to keep to myself!

And let’s not forget about sewing.  Displays at the Y for two of my sewing classes are a bit tough to make look attractive.  This is what I came up with for the Intro to Sewing class…

I really do not think I’m going to need to do too much “selling” for these classes because everyone I have mentioned them to have been interested and considering the class size will be limited to the amount of machines available, I am fairly confident the class will be full.

This pillow will be one of the samples to be made in the Sewing Homewares class.

While making this pillow, I thought of my Dad.  No, Dad was not a sewer.  He started out his life as a furniture maker and ended it being a master custom home builder.  Over the years, Dad helped me do many projects and one of the pearls of wisdom that he imparted to me was “measure twice, cut once”.  That has become so much a part of me that I hardly think about it any more.  It also has saved me yards of fabric being ruined when my brain was not  fully engaged in what I was doing.  While coming up with a design and pattern for this pillow, I was thinking about the “measure twice, cut once” mantra and smiled to myself because I had made a mistake in measurements that would have cost me a chunk of ruined Chinese brocade fabric.  Dad is never far away and he was obviously tapping me on the shoulder this past weekend as I was doing this pillow so I would not make a mistake.  It’s comforting to know that I carry a part of him with me each and every day and that this one mantra is so applicable to so many things.

I found out this past week that the YWCA will have the Autumn class schedule up on their website on Wednesday, 19 August.  Their web address is www.esmdywca.org.hk. 

I just glanced at the wall above my computer where I have pictures of all my feline “kids”, cartoons and a few words of wisdom.  Louis Vuitton did an ad campaign last season that struck me.  I first saw it on a  Cathay Pacific flight of all places.  I then went on an all out search to find it and copy down the verbage.  I’ll leave you with this for the week…

What is a journey?

A journey is not a trip.

It’s not a vacation.

It’s a process.  A discovery

A journey brings us face to face with ourselves.

A journey shows us not only the world,

But how we fit in.

Does the person create the journey,

Or does the journey create the person?

A journey is life itself.

Where will life take you?

Its the simple things in life…

I’ve said it before, there is something incredibly satisfying about taking a pile of raw materials and creating something wonderful.  When I mentioned “building project” to David on Saturday morning, he nearly ran to the utility room and started pulling out his saws, tape measures, tool box and power tools.  Talk about a kid in a candy store!  What we were building is a rack to hold my knotting cord spools.  I have made the decision to stock every color in every size that Tak Cheung carries, plus a few more that I’m finding at other retailers, so you can buy the spools in the colors you will be using the most and get those wild and wonderful colors from me in small yard lots.  What this has done is leave me with a pile of about 80 spools that I had poked into a cupboard that frustrated me every time I needed to pull them out to make a project. 

It took a while to talk about and design this rack in our heads.  It took even longer to go out and find all of the materials we needed with many trips to Ikea, B&Q and Wan Chai.  (While I’m thinking about it…for those of you who may not know, B&Q is closing the end of August.  B&Q is the Home Depot of HK.  If there is anything you need in the way of tools or building materials, they are having a huge sale! )  Building the rack took both of us working on it about 4 hours in the cramped and incredibly hot back stairwell.  It is wonderful having a man around the house when a building project is happening.  Now, my father was a carpenter so I can do all of this stuff; however, it is the process of doing something together that gives the joy and satisfaction that both of us felt.   At the end of this, we were able to stand back and admire our handiwork…

We put caster wheels on this so it is moveable and can roll into a closet when not in use…and to keep it safe from the cats!  Can you imagine…as soon as they found that they could grab one of those dangly bits of string I would have utter chaos in the flat.  I’ve got #5 cord on one side and #4 and #3 on the other.  I do not yet have quite enough rods and am waiting for more stock to come in at Ikea.    This rack is going to make my life so much easier and allow you to see all colors in their ranges and choose which best suits.  Many smiles are on this girl’s face!

The other knotting projects I’m working on are display items for the cases at the YWCA.  Autumn classes will be up on the website soon.  If you are interested in sewing lessons, I suggest you sign up early.  With the response I’ve been getting from people I mention them to, these classes will fill up quickly and the Y has only a limited amount of machines.  If  you find the class is full, please do send me an e-mail and we can see what we can do.

I finished the purple paisley dress I was working on.  From the fit garment last week, I made marked adjustments of where it needed to be taken in, out and up.  From there, I made exact marks directly on the fit garment and adjusted that garment.  Another fit trial to check all the alterations.  Once the fit garment was accurate, I then transferred the markings directly onto the paper patterns making the appropriate adjustments.  Now its time to lay up the pattern pieces on the fabric.   This project is one that I am going to be using in the Y’s Intro to Sewing class as a demonstration for this process.  And this is the finished dress…

I used a Vogue Very Easy pattern for this dress.  From start to finish, I probably put 8 hours into making this dress from pattern check, to fit garment, to alterations, to finished garment.  Sewing is time consuming and if you make a fit garment, it doubles the amount of time it takes.  I’m telling you this so you can be prepared.  When one picks up a basic pattern, there is a misconception that you can whip out the garment in a couple hours.  I have to admit that I sometimes  under estimate the time it takes to make something.  Don’t let the time commitment discourage you.  Once you learn how to sew, a few basics about fabrics and fitting, and have the confidence to “get in there and do it”, you will find the joy and satisfaction in creating your own clothes or home furnishings.  Sewing is addictive!

And finally, I have said that we have five cats, however, we actually have six.  This is Andy.  We have had him for 8 years and he lives outside at our home in NZ.  He is definitely a “wild” cat but not to me.  The people living on our property put food out for him and it is almost always gone but they have never seen him.  The second night we are back, he shows up and is sitting on the picnic table.  In preparation for his arrival, I always get a package of chicken hearts at the grocery store.  I go out with his food bowl and get the obligatory hiss.  He sits across the porch for a minute or two and looks at me, and then boldly walks over and allows me to pet him.   And then my heart melts…

Have a great week all!

Fitting a new pattern

Well, I did do some sewing last week but did not get as much done as I had expected.  I went through my bin of fabrics and patterns and found this beautiful purple paisley that I’ve had for a while. 

A few months ago, Spotlight (at Megabox in Kowloon Bay) was having a sale and had a huge box of patterns that they were selling for HK$20 each.  This is even less than a pattern cost 30 years ago wehn I first started sewing.  And better yet, they had quite a few in my size!  Normally these sale patterns are either ultra small or ultra big.  I found, oh, 10-15 that would make a nice addition in my pattern file.  Most are quite basic designs that will be easy to modify.

Anyway, this dress is very simple, fitted with princess seams and a  low, square neckline.  I wanted to make a few adjustments with the length and wanted two side vents rather than one center back.  When I opened the pattern, I did a quick check of the measurements to another dress that I recently made and realized that there were enough variances in size that I should make a fit garment before cutting my fabric.  You know, there is something about instant gratification.  I was ready to lay this up and cut it out and had hoped that I could wear it to the airport that evening when I met David.  But the thought of having to make a fit garment saw me put everything away and do something else.

But, I went back to it the next day and did happily make a fit garment.  Multi size patterns are great because you can grade cutting lines from one size to the next in certain areas to either give more room or less room which is exactly what I did.  This is what my fit garment looked like…

The armholes were perfect.  The front neckline  needs to be raised 1″.  The majority of the changes need to be with taking the princess seams in from bust to hips.  I’ll sew up these changes on the fit garments to check, will adjust the pattern accordingly and then lay it up on my fabric. 

The hard part about working with a fit garment is trying to look at yourself from all views without twisting your body and mishaping the garment and then putting pins through the fabric WITHOUT catching any skin.  I am in dire need of a body form. 

I held my first group Chinese knotting class yesterday.  This was a project focused beginners class.  We made this 10-Accord knot necklace with a double coin collar.  I challenged the group with the difficult 10-Accord knot and I am pleased to say that everyone completed the knot and tightened it beautifully.  Unfortunately we did not complete the entire necklace; however, we did get far enough so everyone can finish the double coins and the flat knot closure at home. 

 

 

This is furry creature #5 of the clan…Jackie Chan.  Most people give me a look when I tell them his name; I think we had recently watched a Jackie Chan movie when Jackie came to live with us.  As you can see, Jackie finds it very difficult to get comfortable.  Most days, he can be found either on this stool in the living room or on the futon in the guest room…usually on his back. 

Today sees me working on my Chinese knotting Sham Shui Po guide, viewing the sewing machines at the YWCA in preparation for classes this Autumn and finishing up my purple paisley dress.

Wishing you an equally productive and fun day!

My brain is back!

Oh my goodness!  I normally am not affected by flying and actually enjoy jetlag and waking up at 3am because I get a lot done.  But yesterday…I was completely out of it.  My brain was simply not functioning and I was even having trouble forming complete sentences!  I’m happy to say that I’m MUCH better today.

On the flight home, I started thinking about and working on the course outlines for my upcoming sewing classes.  I just love sewing, fabrics, patterns…  The one thing I did do yesterday was pull out all of the fabrics and patterns that I have waiting to be made up.  I always seem to have projects in my sewing bin to be done…what sewer doesn’t?  Find someone addicted to sewing and ask them how many projects they have waiting to be made!

These are three projects that I am going to be starting on soon.  I just love color and the fabrics I selected for these garments will look fabulous.  I have knotting cord in two colors of green that match the fabric at far left that I will be using to make a belt using the tassel head knot.  The top at bottom is probably going to be modified to have a high neck in back and more of a mandarin shaped collar which may lend itself to a row of creeper knots or clover knots around the edge.

 

I found this gorgeous green Thai silk on my recent trip to Bangkok.  I decided that an Asian inspired suit would be great.  The top will have an asymetrical closing and hemline.  The sleeves will be bellshape with a slit opening.  The two samples of ribbon I found at Sham Shui Po and will be putting one of them along the opening and around the neck.  Problem is, I can’t decide which color to use.  The purple ribbon/green fabric combination is stunning but may make too much of a statment.  The green ribbon version has a brown background and blends in nicely.  I guess I’ll just have to see what type of mood I’m in when it comes to applying the ribbon!  The pants will be simple with a straight leg allowing the top to be the focus.

I am also on the hunt for some drapy linen fabric to make another pair of pants.  One of my Chinese knotting pals had a pair of pants on one day that I just have to copy.  They were simple in styling with the exception to the outseam.  The pants were split up to the knee and had Chinese button knot closures down to the bottom.  How fitting would that be for me to have a pair of these!? 

Another idea is a gussetted pair of jeans.  While riding the MTR one day, I saw a woman with a pair of jeans on.  At the hem, they had a gusset on the outseam made from Chinese brocade fabric.  The gusset was held together with a couple Chinese button knots.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so could not covertly snap a picture.  But the concept was very cute.

These are some of the fabric swatches I pulled out of my stash in New Zealand and will be using for classes.  It is a good mix of knits, wovens and prints.  In the Sewing Basics class, I will be giving an introduction to fabric and talking about knits and wovens and their differences.  I will also talk about prints and choosing the appropriate pattern for a project. 

Hmmm, after all this talk about fabrics and sewing, I may just spend the rest of today in my craft room (which is actually our guest bedroom when no one is visiting) and see what I can find to do.

Something for you to do this week…if you have not ever thought that much about fabrics, go to your closet and have a good, close look at some of your clothes.  Fabrics are very complex and unique.  You will find different weaves, textures,  hand (feel of the fabric), and fibers. Some fabrics are stiff; others have beautiful drape.  I guarantee, you will have a greater appreciation for what you are wearing once you have a good look at the fabric it is made from.

Have a great week!

It’s great to be on vacation…

in a place you call home.  Without the daily routines or responsibilities, it is nice to let “things” and tasks call out to you…all those things you would do if you had unlimited time!

Saturday, I set out down the drive on foot to get the mail.  By the time I returned to the house, an hour had passed!   Somewhat in my defence, our drive is nearly a kilometer long; however, with each step I spotted a weed that needed pulling, a plant I had not seen in a long time or a bird perched in a tree singing a beautiful song.  I made mental notes (many, many mental notes!) of the things needing to be done.  I had a good look at my fruit trees; the peaches are just about in bud burst.  The raspberry and boysenberry canes have been tied up for the coming year.  And the artichoke is looking very healthy which means that in a few months time we will have our first crop of the season.

Sunday, I chopped firewood.  Not because I needed to, but because it was there.  And it was nice to get a different form of exercise than I would ever be able to get in Hong Kong.

Yesterday, I started thinking about my upcoming sewing classes and wanted to get some fabric samples out for demonstration.  I went into the storeroom and opened a dozen boxes with fabrics that I have packed away.  I had a great time (and totally lost track of time!) going through each box and each fabric, taking swatches of the ones I needed and putting aside the yard goods that I will bring with me back to HK to make things for myself.  I did a bit of sorting and organizing as well and got rid of a few things that I knowi will never need or use.

This morning, I was in the library going through a cupboard I have that is stuffed full of travel guides, information and maps from places we have visited or wanted to visit.  I have maps from Koh Samui, Thailand from 1992!  Believe me, Samui has changed dramatically since that time.  Time to purge the old and unclutter.

Each day holds something new for me and I try not to pre-plan the day other than knowing that as soon as I get out of bed, I need to go downstairs and light both fires!  It is great being here; nurturing for the soul.  Two weeks is definitely not long enough.

The fourth member of our feline family is Thomas.  He and Bugs are brothers.  Thomas was our #2.  He too was born in the wood pile.  Thomas is definitely the alpha male of the family and keeps everyone in line.  He does that with his presence more than anything else.  We rarely have a dispute in the family and when we do, it usually is because Simon is causing trouble.  Thomas is our “creature of habit” boy.  He has his routine and gets really out of sorts when that routine is upset.  When I return home next week, I will no doubt have a wee shadow following me around the flat and a companion by my side when I’m sitting on the sofa.  Laying on his back is one of Thomas’ favorite positions.

I had good intentions and high hopes of getting a lot of knotting projects complete while in NZ for the fairs and bazaars that I will be attending later this year.  Unfortunately, most still sit on my breakfast table in this form.  I have a feeling that more raw materials will be returning to HK with me than finished projects.  Oh well, if the sun is shining and I get the urge to go for a walk in the forest, that has a bit more pull at the moment than sitting inside!  All in due time…right!

I’m traveling back to HK next Monday so my post will be on Tuesday.   I have a tassel class schedules for Thursday, 23 July and still have spaces available.  If anyone is interested in learning some tradition and non-traditional methods for making tassels, send me an e-mail.

Suggestion for the week…do something that is outside your normal routine…that project you have been meaning to get to; the walk you have been wanting to take; that lunch with friends that just never gets scheduled.  Go ahead and do something for you!

All the best…

I’ve found a computer…

Here I sit in my husband’s and my office in New Zealand and have reliable (albeit still slow)  internet access!  Since my last post on Monday, I have not yet been able to get logged back on at home.  Pathetic!!

Anyway…its good to be “home” here in NZ.  Home is a relative concept isn’t it?  David and I have always felt that our true home is where ever we are regardless of physical location.  To us, home is a feeling, a connection, rather than a place.  Which is actually a good thing because we have many places we call home.

Speaking of home, we in Hong Kong sent off another good friend with warm hugs and well wishes.  D’Arcy left for her home in Scotland early last week and the next chapter in the life of the IWOM.  We all that are doing Chinese knotting owe D’Arcy a huge thanks for learning this art and passing it on.  She strived for perfection, shared her passion and ended up being friends with many of us.  And I personally need to give D’Arcy a huge thanks for opening up that which resided in me for so many years.  I give my pledge to continue to pursue this art, to keep pushing the boundries, and sharing it with all who desire the knowledge.   D’Arcy, you will be missed, but you are just an e-mail away!  To keep up to date on the life of the IWOM, her blog address is in the sidebar of my blog.

No pictures of the NZ country side as of yet to share.  The garden is looking pretty nestled in for winter with our -2 to 2 degree C night temperatures.  No spectacular sunrises  (yes, I have been getting up for the sunrises even though my body is telling me I want to be sleeping at that time in the morning).  Actually, one of the main reasons for getting up so early is to go outside and listen to the birds wake up with the sun.  The birdlife here is amazing!  It all starts with the Tui’s a bit before dawn.  They sit at the tops of the trees and call to one another across the valley.   Then the other birds join in over the next hour to build to a chorus at dawn that is quite beautiful.  This has to be one of my favorite things to do while in NZ.  It has even  been a bit too cold to go for a walk on the beach.  My favorite place in the house has been the coffee table in the family room which is positioned only a few feet away from the fire!  

In honor of NZ and another member of our HK feline family, I’d like to present Bugs.   He was the first cat that we homed in New Zealand and is now 10 years old.  He was born in the scrap wood pile while we were building our house.  I tempted him into the house overa  few days with a can of tuna fish.  To this day, he loves tuna!  He is an incredibly loving animal and connects with you by looking square into your eyes and holding a stare.  Unfortunately, none of you who come into my home will probably see him as he is quite a shy boy and goes to his favorite hiding spot on a shelf behind a row of magazine boxes.   

My friend Angela, here in NZ, is trying her hand at making glass beads.  She gave me these gorgeous green and black ones.  Each one is different in design but all the same color.  I get them out periodically to just “be” with them to see what inspiration comes up.  I want to do something special with them.

My lime green and purple creation finally completed itself.  As I was working on it, it took many different directions.  I ended up making it asymetrical with the burnt jade barrel on the left side and a few silver metal beads on the bottom and right to balance things out.  The two knots on either side of the barrel are the peaceful cloud knot.  The main body of the necklace is a knot that I do not have a name for.  I have seen it on finished items quite a bit.  It looks easy enough but when I first tried it, I failed miserably.  After a bit more thinking and some time, I finally perfected it.  For lack of a better name (and until I have a chance to get together with my Chinese friend Anna to get a transation), I am going to call this the Cat Tail Knot.  It is a very simple 4 cord wrap knot.  The difficult part is that you have to have good finger dexterity to manage the cords and I find my knuckles do get a bit tired after knotting up a yard of this.   It is a very nice looking knot and makes a great base necklace to add pendants or bails on to.  It lends itself wonderfully to two colors. 

I’m feeling like I should have a class and just teach these basic cord type knots because there are so many that are very useful.  The flat knot, twist knot, snake knot, phoenix tail knot, cat tail knot and a few others that do not have names yet!   Let me know if you’d be interested in this.

And that brings me to the end of this weeks post.  Thank you for the few days grace period in locating a reliable computer.  I’ll plan ahead for next week.  I intend on staying warm this week in the cold NZ winter; staying close to my fire with many cups of hot tea.

I am sitting here at my old desk in the office and looking at my old bulletin board.  There is a quote I put up many, many years ago.  I liked it then and I still like it.  Your thought for the week… 

When you change the way you look at things; The things you look at change!

Everyone take care…until next week.

Where am I? Hung Hom or Bangkok?

Granted it has been nearly a decade since I spent time in Bangkok and at Chatuchek Market; believe me, things do change!  At that time, I was not that into making jewellery so was not paying  attention to beads and the like.  There was the odd stall that had a few ready made items, but nothing special that I particularly needed to look at.  Now, oh my gosh!!!  I’m not kidding when I say Hung Hom or Bangkok.  There are so many stalls with strings and strings of beads, pearls, stones; they are hanging, on counter tops, in bags, in display cases…everywhere!  And the ready made jewellery shops go on forever!  I was not looking for beads on this trip so did nto spend any time really looking at much; however, I did wonder past a stall that had pearls in a case.  I looked at a string that was probably 6-7mm and they had a price of 2500baht (about HK$590).  I could tell by looking through the case that they were no where near the quality that we can get in Hong Kong for much, much less. 

 

I did break down and get this piece as inspiration and did pay too much for it I might add.  I wondered by a stall and was stopped in my tracks by this necklace and many others the woman had hanging on the walls.  She  hand made them all and was working on one when I stopped.  This piece is made with wrapped wire to create this beautiful cascade effect.  The wire is then wrapped with a very thin satin ribbon.  Absolutely amazing.  The other stalls were not very keen on picture taking so I had to study a few pieces quite well and then step around the corner to take notes.  The ready made jewellery was very interesting and I have a few good ideas that I’ll be able to modify and use concepts from.

And while I’m on the subject of price, none of the vendors will bargain any more at Chatuchek.  It was quite disappointing.  I am quite a good bargainer and enjoy the game that is played when trying to purchase something.  This time, the vendor stated the price, maybe knocked 50baht off and then if you wanted to bargain further, they said no and turned around!

What I was really looking for at Chatuchek was  a Thai Spirit House…which I found!  I am very pleased with this and as soon as I get a high wooden plant stand, it will reside in an honored place in the living room.  The young woman at the shop where we found this was, surprisingly, willing to bargain and we finally got it for the price we wanted to pay.  But she needed to make a call to Mom first to check it out.  Instead of being the classic long and narrow spirit house, this one has four equal sides with four entrances which means I need four sets of temple dogs to guard each entrance!

 As David and I were sitting at A’s in Chatuchek (a great watering hole that has been in the market for a very long time) having a fresh lime soda, he nudged me and pointed to a table of 4 women saying, “See those women over there?”.  “Yes”, I replied.  “Well, one of them is a client of mine from Hong Kong”.  You know it’s a small world when you run into someone you know from home while on holiday.

I am still working with my stock of burnt jade and other stone pendants.  The knot of choice for the past week has been the Phoenix Tail knot.  I like the texture it creates.  It can be a solid color for impact or two color which softens it a bit.  Unfortunately I did not get the purple/lime green creation completed that I mentioned last week.  It is taking shape, however, and should be featured here soon.  Below are two examples of what I have knotted in the past week.

Here is a close-up of the Phoenix Tail knot…

I am happy to report that my photo quality will be getting better in the near future.  David heard from a friend that you can purchase mini light boxes in Sham Shui Po for a few hundred HK$’s.  It is his mission now to locate and buy me one of these light boxes.  This will eliminate the need for a bright sunny day for me to take good photos. 

In addition to knot tying, I will be starting private tuition in sewing towards the end of July.  I can tailor make (no pun intended!) a program to suit your needs whether it be starting from threading the machine; wanting to know how to design, pattern and create home furnishings; or project work  such as making a dress.  If you have a sewing machine that is gathering dust, let’s put it to good use!

I’m away for my summer holiday on 4 July to New Zealand.  While away, I intend on keeping up with my regular Monday posts; except for maybe 20 July as that will be a travel day for me.  Nothing will be blooming in the garden for me to take a photo of but winter  in NZ is great for sunrises.  I’ll see what type of nature I can capture for my next couple posts. 

A suggestion for the week…try something new.  Is there something you’ve always wanted to try/do?  Have a go!  You might pleasantly surprise yourself by how talented you are!!    All the best…

Not all knots are created equal

I have been having some interesting realizations this past week about the different instructions for the same knots.  There are two knots, the Prosperity Knot and the Cross Knot, that I have found completely different instructions for creating them.  The Prosperity Knot in the Millidot book is a weaving method; the same knot in the back of the Chinese DIY97  book starts with a double coin, has a few twists and turns and then the cords are woven down through the set-up.  The finished knot in each is identical and the decision as to which to use would be personal preference.  For me, I find the Millidot version a bit  tedious; however, the DIY version makes so much sense that it is a breeze. 

The Cross Knot was one that I was having a mental block with.  I just could not, with any consistency, tie this knot the Millidot way and get good results.  One afternoon, I was flipping through the Chinese DIY12 and found the Cross knot combination that I used for the wall hanging in last weeks post.  Because I wanted to do this combination, I decided I had to figure out how to make the knot.  Using their instructions, I made it through the first knot with no problems, and then the second, the third…  Because I was finally becoming one with this knot, I stopped and really looked at the instructions.  DIY starts laying the knot vertically and Millidot starts horizontally.  The difference is that the 4-corner side of the DIY version is the front of the knot whereas the cross is the front side of the Millidot version.  This is another knot where the final appearance is identical and the tying method is personal preference.

Then there is the Snake Knot.  I love the Snake Knot; I think it looks so elegant in a necklace.  The Millidot version yields a nicely rounded, chunky knot that lays flat and has only slight give when stretched.  The only down side is that it take a long time to make.  Since I want to do a lot of necklaces using this knot, I started looking for a quicker version.  The one that is taught in some of the Chinese books is much quicker but the outcome is very different.  It yields a smaller knot that stretches when pulled and has a natural tendancy to twist.  Plus, it could just be me, I have a difficult time getting all the knots tightened consistently so I get a somewhat knobbly appearance.

So, the bottom line is, if you find a different way to tie a knot, by all means try it.  But take note of the amount of time it takes and compare the end product of each version.  The worst thing is to try a new knot on a project and get nearly done with it and then decide that you don’t like it.  And if it sounds like I have first hand experience in this…you’re right!

I want to give a thanks to the  people who have started taking classes with me.  It has been great to ease into teaching to be able to trail my delivery and content, verbal and written instructions, and see how long it takes to teach what I have outlined.  The feedback I have been getting is invaluable and I encourage everyone to continue.  From your comments, my classes will only get better!

Last week was a lot about getting ready and actually doing some teaching.  So not a lot of projects completed.  However, I did get a few done that I’d like to share.

This pendant was given to me this past weekend and I had to start on it immediately.  Amethyst is one of my all time favorite stones. I decided that I wanted to showcase the pendant and use a simple knot.  I paired up a light lavendar and grey cord.  It enhances the amethyst of the pendant beautifully.

 

 

 

 

David and I were invited to dine with some very special people last week and had an absolutely fabulous time.  I took one of my Chinese brocade bags with me and the hostess was intrigued that I had made the entire thing and she particularly liked the knots.  This necklace is something that I am going to give to her as a thank you for her hospitality.  The jade ball is one from Hung Hom.  I liked the squareness of the pan chang with the roundness of the ball and having the loops pulled out on the pan chang just softens the edges just a bit.

 

I have been working a lot with my jade and burnt jade.  The camel color I did with this same piece looks so wonderful it is hard to think of anything else.  However, this hunter green is amazing too.  Since these two, I have been stepping out with color and burnt jade.  I have a lime green and purple combination in work as well as a dusty pink and grey brown.  I’ve got a challenge for you; go through your knotting cords and pull out the most wild colors you have and pair them up with a piece of burnt jade or pendant.  Color is fun and you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome!

David and I are off to Bangkok this weekend for a bit of a break.  It has been years since we’ve been in the city and are really looking forward to it.  We used to visit Bangkok often when my work colleagues lived there.  We will be headed straight to Sukhumvit Road after we arrive on Friday for a good look at the antique shops and street stalls, Saturday  is set aside for a  walk through Chatuchek Market and I’m sure by Sunday, we’re going to need a good foot massage!

Wishing you all a good week!

I never say good-bye

Having lived overseas for so long, I’ve become a bit accustomed to people coming into and out of my life.  At first it was really difficult to see someone move on that you had  formed a special bond with.  However, over the years, I have realized that true friendship knows no distances, time zones or telephone area codes.  True friends are still there regardless of where they live.  I can honestly say that I have not lived in the same country with the vast majority of my good friends for decades.  They are spread far and wide and whenever we e-mail or telephone, it is as if I just spoke with them yesterday even though months may have passed.  This month sees quite a few of those new found friends moving back to countries spread around the world.   I send each one of my friends off with a warm hug and best wishes for the next chapter in life, but never a good-bye.  Good-byes are not for people you know you will speak to again, will see whenever possible and have formed a lasting friendship with.  So Jan, I cherish the time we were able to spend together and do send you off knowing that we will be in contact.  All the best my dear friend!

Goodness, whoever would have guessed that teaching a few knotting classes now and again would keep me so busy!  I look at my diary for last week and this one coming and realize that in 10 working days, I only have 2 1/2 at home.  That does not leave much time for working on knot projects and getting ready to teach those classes.  I have, however, been out and about meeting a lot of really wonderful people and spending what little remaining time there is with D’Arcy (another one of those friends who will soon be off to greener and wetter shores!). 

So, in looking through my photo file, I have a few to share with you this week.

This is a wall hanging I did a few weeks ago.  I had never made a pan chang with two cords so thought I would give it a go.  It turned out so nice that I then needed to decide what to do with it.  I had this burnt jade piece in my cupboard from one of the previous Hung Hom shopping trips.  The bottom if a series of cross knots tied in a diamond pattern and in a vertical row.  Even though it looked good on the computer, in larger size, I see now that I really should have taken two sectional photos of this to see the detail.  You get the idea…

 

This necklace is a prototype for one that I made for a girlfriend in New Zealand for her birthday recently. 

It uses knots learned in the Knot Basics class and when paired together make a very attractive  gift.  Even the simple knots can be beautiful and elegant.

Since I received so many comments on Porsche from last week, I thought I would share another member of my feline family with you…

This is Simon.  Where Porsche normally sits a good distance from where I am working, Simon normally wants to sit ON what I’m working on.  As I’ve been typing this blog entry, he has been up on the computer desk 3 times walking back and forth in front of the screen.  Simon’s motto is “It’s all about me!”. 

See the Baubles & Knots page for dates of gatherings between August and December.  Mark your calendars!  The inaugural social/project work day will be Friday, 28 August at Jamila’s.

And as for classes, I’m finding that some of you  are wanting to take classes but the dates I’ve selected are not meshing with your time schedule.  I am more than willing to hold a class for you that fits into your schedule.  I know that summer is a busy time what with kids being out of school and travel; however, we all need to take a bit of time just for us and concentrate on something fun and enjoyable.  Other than the first half of July, I am in Hong Kong and am available.  Let me know what you would like to do and/or learn and we’ll make it happen!

That’s it for this week!  Wishing everyone a wonderful week and may you NOT get caught in a Hong Kong summer rain storm!