The mixed joys of needlework

Perhaps I will not give up knitting.

But I came close. For weeks I have struggled with a lace pattern scarf, ripping again and again after ending a row with too many or too few stitches. My feelings about the project did not improve after reading Ravelry comments about how easy the pattern was to follow, how wonderful the chart was, how boring it was to be on the 22nd repeat. (I was still trying to get past row 9. Of the first repeat.)

Suddenly (touch wood here!) I am on a third repeat, with no errors. And a lifeline inserted so I never have to rip all the way back again.

Going up one needle size made it easier to see the stitches. Now I'm looking forward to that boring 22nd repeat - and possibly a lacy scarf I'll be pleased to wear!

I even took the project along as travel knitting on a month-long fall trip, anticipating a couple of leisurely European train trips. Unfortunately, the train trips turned into one long day in a small van, and a short airplane ride, thanks to major work on Hungarian and Turkish railways. (The plane trip from Bucharest to Istanbul was definitely a better idea than an overnight train trip - and not much more expensive.)

The trip - another journey to Transylvania, in time to join in Thanksgiving celebrations (the last Sunday in September, at the end of harvest) and participate in an international gathering of Unitarian women.

This is Marosvásárhely (Târgu Mureş) where one of the pleasures of the conference was a session that took place in this lovely building, the Culture Palace, built early in the 20th century, at the height of Art Nouveau.

Then a sojourn in the Danube Delta, a completely different experience from the river voyage of four years ago.

From the Delta I went to Istanbul, for an intense week in which skilled tour guides worked hard to give our group a feel for this crowded, infinitely historic, often overwhelming city.

Best guide to Istanbul is any book by Orhan Pamuk. (I've read three since returning home.)

...and happy mid-year (almost.)

Tonight I checked on a blog I used to read regularly - in fact, it was one of the ones that inspired me to begin.

Last post from the author was in December - of 2010. I'm only a few ahead of her, happy to find out I had at least made one post in 2012.

Oddly, although I was back in Paris in March, for nearly a month, I never blogged. On that trip I had no company, and decided that being alone in Paris is over-rated. Thank goodness for the occasional meet-up open to all comers - Patricia LaPlante Collins' dinners, Adrian Leeds' "Parler Paris Apres-midi" and the like.

But the weather was lovely - an early spring that had more warmth and sunshine than we've experienced in Seattle all year. Exploring on the bus system got me to some previously unknown corners of the city, and I'm ready to go back for my next month at Villa Monceau - in June 2013. (A couple of guests have already requested accommodation.)

In Seattle we are nearly at the solstice, which means daylight continues until well after 9 p.m., whether the days are sunny or gray. We are all tired of wearing fleece.

Reading: Volume I of a 3-volume history of the Hundred Years War (author: Jonathan Sumption.) Just a few pages into the book, I'm astonished at how little has changed since 1328 - causes for dissent and major disturbances included (in no particular order) deficit financing, vast income inequality, unfunded wars, climate change, food shortages, and conflicts over the role of central vs. regional government.

Happy New Year!

In 2011 I began to explore the wonderful world of apps, after acquiring an iPadII. There are hundreds - perhaps thousands - and you can waste massive amounts of time thereby.

After returning to Seattle, real life, a new year, and a pile of Christmas cards from people who presumably wanted to hear back from me, I focused on a card. When I thought about making a collage, it hit me - "there's an app for that!"

And so there is. It's fun to assemble a group of favorite photos, then make a collage with a few clicks. This one is number five or six, because even the best tools can't read your mind. (I would probably change it again, but you have to stop somewhere.)