Hawaiian Quilts And Then Something Completely Different

Couldn't tell if this was just applique or reverse applique--no touching allowed!

Close-up of fine craftsmanship

As if lost--but found along our bus route--Fabric Mart!  Lots of Hawaiian prints!

Bolts and bolts of fine patterns--couldn't resist!

Two floors of fabric!  and some Hawaiian quilt hangings along the second floor balcony.

And now for some colorful scenery on the road around windward side of the island.

Couldn't resist this colorful combination of orange against the blue ocean--perfect!

Arts Abound in Hawaii

Japanese artist, Jun Kaneko effected used the old YMCA swimming pool to create this reflecting pool.

Hon-Chew Hee presents King Kamehamha--united the Hawaiian Island Kingdom

This large scale ceramic wall piece created by Toshiko Takaezu

Carol Bennett--Tigger Picasso Energy

Have not artist or title for this interesting piece

Alice Kagawa Parrott

Kenneth Shutt

Marie McDonald used various kimino fabrics to create this wall hanging.

ALOHA!

 We have arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii! and spending time walking the streets.  Dan is standing right outside our hotel and ready to head down to Waikiki area to find a restaurant for our evening meal.  It's a long flight from Denver, 7 hours in the air-mostly over water!  Not a comfortable time for me--someone who doesn't like water! 

The streets are crowded, even in the evening hours when street performers come out to entertain the crowds who are shopping the designer stores.  Night finally falls and we place our heads on nice feather pillows to claim a few hours of sleep.

We are doing the local places--or ones that advertise the best!  Our breakfast is at Eggs 'n Things.  We are late, according to the large crowd that has gathered way before us.  But, our wait of an hour is well worth it!  Ahi steak, scrambled eggs, pineapple juice, pineapple pancakes covered with coconut syrup, and Spam--the local meat of the natives!  We had to have a taste--well, it tastes the same as the days of our youth.  Once is enough!

How about a walk down to the famous Waikiki beach--just two blocks from our hotel.  It is as lovely as the photos we have seen and we are delighted to walk along the waves as they splash ashore.

Yes, this is the popular location of many a visitor.  The water is clear, the sand clean and low waves bring many youngsters and oldsters alike to relaxation time.

Of course, the shoreline is dotted with many hotels and resorts.

Very few waves on this day, surfers are having a difficult time finding that perfect wave to ride.

Okay, this is interesting poster to see!  Many Japanese visitors are plagued with handouts advertising shooting ranges within walking distance of their hotel.

We spend another day visiting the Iolani Palace learning about the Hawaiian history and their kings. 

We are not allowed to take photos inside the palace, but these frescos dotted the ceiling of the porch where we are greeted by our docent.  We are given soft coverings for our shoes and enter into the grand hallway, whose floors are made from soft pine and the coverings will help protect the dark stained floors.

As we exit through the back gates, we see the royal crest.  We are going 'native' and take the bus to and from the palace with a stop along the way at Foodland to pick up some poke'-a traditional fish dish.  For seniors the bus is only $1--a bargain to our pocketbook!  Aloha! until another day.........................................

Twist My Arm----Please!

There are times when you can have your arm twisted easily!  All it takes is for a friend to send you a link to an upcoming "mystery" pattern!  Oh, boy, I'm hooked a -mystery- KAL.  So, here we go.................................
Here is one that has already begun--

Edging the Pink is a lace pattern concept from designer Lynette Meek.  Here are the requirements:  Materials - 4-ply version
400yds 4-ply yarn, sample Tosh Merino Light - Ms. Taylor
4.0mm needles 1000 + size #8 beads - FireMountainGems in a good source
Waste yarn, 3.5mm crochet hook and .6mm hook for bead placement, stitch holders and markers.
Materials - lace weight version
1100-1200yds lace weight yarn, sample Sweet Georgia SeaSilk
3.5mm needles 2000+ #9 beads or #10
waste yarn, 3.5mm crochet hook and .6mm hook for bead placement, stitch holders and markers.

A Mystery KAL (Rockfeller) from Stephen West  begins July 13 and here are the requirements: Recommended Yarn: 2 colors of a light fingering weight / 3 ply
Yardage: Color A – 410yds / 375m
Color B – 460yds / 421m
Gauge: 28 sts and 52 rows = 4″ / 10cm in garter stitch
Note that if your gauge is less than 28 sts or 52 rows, you may need a bit more yardage.
My Version: A Verb for Keeping Warm Even Tinier Annapurna (80% Merino, 10% Nylon, 10% Cashmere; 565yds / 517m per 115g skein)
Color A – Tomarus (deep plum)
Color B – Scarab (light orange

is another mystery KAL, beginning August 9.  Fiddle Knits by designer Erica.  The shawl will be a mix of textural and lace stitches and each portion of the design will be fully charted and written out. Pattern will offer two sizes, a small 1-skein shawlette and a larger full size shawl. 
Are you up for a challenge?  Here comes some good knitting adventures.

Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective

Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective was the recent exhibit at Denver Art Museum.  This was a great retrospective of the designer’s 40 years of creativity, Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective featured a super selection of 200 haute couture garments along with numerous photographs, drawings, and films that illustrate the development of Saint Laurent's style and the historical foundations of his work. Organized thematically, the presentation melded design and art to explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s career, from his first days at Dior in 1958 through the splendor of his evening dresses from 2002.  Here are just four of the fashion photos that were featured on the above website.  Can you imagine walking through 200 of these fine creations and not allowed to touch???

 

Challenging Yourself!

Once every four years the Olympic athletes do their personal best to win one of the highly prized medals. They are challenging themselves so why not challenge ourselves? And our medals will be our finished projects.

This is medal one in the finished UFOs.  This is Wingspan pattern from Ravelry: 

Tri'Coterie by maylin.  This was a challenge to knit but the prize was well worth it.

Another challenge is this pattern from veera välimäki designs.  You can find "Color Affection" on Ravelry website.  It was fine working with just two colors but now

three colors are being worked!  and oh, what a mess!  talk about tangle, so to me this is slow going and not something I want to tackle every day.  It is definitely a challenge to finish this project!

Small Works of Art

It's those small things in life that make you happy--a baby's smile, a wave from a neighbor, a polite happening, a hug from a friend, any warm fuzzy feeling can make one appreciate the daily routine of life. These small pieces of work make me happy!

Fat Cat Patterns has placed an Angel BOM on her website!  Hurry over and get your free copy now.  Each month Sindy will have another pattern for you to create a small work of art.  These make me happy!

We are still working on these colorful chickens from Fat Cat patterns website.  These are so fun to make and will make a great wall hanging once completed.

Another small work of art--these Backyard Quilts hangings by Lisa Bonnegan are quick and easy to complete.

This hanging was intented for wool applique, but since we didn't have large scraps of wool on hand, we completed the hanging with fabric, which works just as well. 

Here is July small work of art from Patch Abilities.  We receive the kits from Cedar Chest Quilt Shoppe each month.

This was June small work--we had this hanging displayed for most of the month of June.  Each time, I looked at it--it just wasn't working for me!  So, here's what I did...............

now, my eyes are pleased and my soul is pleased!  This small piece of art works--just by changing the colors of the flip flops--why didn't I do that in the first place???