¡Mexico, mi amor!

Huatulco, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love your semi-tropical climate with eternal warm winds and hot days.

I love your nine bays home to turquoise water and tropical fish.

I love your coarse sandy beaches where seashells roll to and fro with the rhythm of each wave.

I love your majestically brown mountains.

I love your spiked cacti reaching up to greet an azul sky.

I love your musical language and sensual food.

I love your beautiful people.

Mostly, I love your ¡hay no problema! way of life.

I’ve been on vacation and so have not blogged. I took a vacation from the US, my smart phone, and knitting. Yes, even knitting. I needed to rekindle an earlier love - reading. For 6 days I sat by an Infinity pool nestled between the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains and the Pacific Ocean and just read. (See picture above.) Well, in between aquarobics, snorkeling, and walking the beach, I read. I finished Dr. Zhivago - a Russian classic I’ve longed to read. Not much to say about the book: it’s Russian and it’s a classic. Two qualities I love in a book and well worth the challenging read. I also consumed a book called The Yellow House, written by Patricia Falvey. This historical fiction novel takes place in Ireland before, during, and after World War I. As I followed the life and loves of the main character, Eileen, I learned about the history of the violence between Protestants and Catholics on that island nation and its struggle for freedom from the British. To say I was sucked in is an understatement. If you love historical fiction and a strong female character who is flawed but lovable, you must read this book!

Now on to the other aspects of my vacation. We stayed at a resort called Dreams in Huatulco, Mexico. 

Dreams Resort

Huatulco is a region in the state of Oaxaca (near Guatemala) developed by the Mexican government to be a tourist destination. This was our second trip to the resort and I highly recommend it. Not many Americans have yet discovered this region. The staff speaks little English, but knows enough to meet your needs and is endlessly patient as you recall and practice your high school Spanish. The tourists at the resort are largely Mexicans, with Canadians and Americans comprising just about half. The sound of Spanish fills the pool areas and restaurants and the general attitude regarding anything you should need: it’s no problem. I think I could live there!

 Here's a picture of our room at the resort.

Lastly on to knitting, since I’ve been home, I finished my Ericka Scarf. Pattern details can be found here: Ravelry. 

Here's a picture of my scarf before blocking.

I’ll leave you with just a few pictures of beautiful Hautulco. Adios mi amigos ~ Christina

 The girls at one of the Infinity pools overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The ruins at Copalita, about 2000 years old!

 Shelby and me all snorkeled out!

 Tropical fish - underwater cameras are a blast!

Stash-Bust I Must

Wow! Another gorgeous week in West Michigan. The temperature was in the 80s a couple of days here in Grand Haven. To celebrate this summer-like weather I have decided to knit a scarf. Yep you just read that. Actually I’m stash-busting, which in the knitting world means using yarn you bought once upon a time either for a project you never made, or because it was sooo soft, or because you were in a new yarn shop and had to buy something, or because the colors were too beautiful to pass up, or because it was on sale and yarn is NEVER on sale, etc. You get the idea. On a side note to the definition of stash-busting, the knitter’s significant other may know about the stash but usually has NO IDEA how much cash is tied up in it. There is no need to disclose this information. Think of how upset he or she might become. There is no need to inflict this sort of anguish on a partner. Best the knitter suck it up and carry the load alone. It’s the right thing to do, really. Sometimes, ignorance really is the kindest way. 

 Here are a couple pictures of my scarf. Click for pattern information: Ravelry

My scarf is knitting up nicely. I started it on Thursday and am probably about halfway finished. The colors in the indoor picture are the most true, but I had to get outside and enjoy this weather, so why not take a picture in the backyard? I am loving the way the colors are coming out, and yes, the yarn is Noro. Silk Garden Sock to be exact. Imagine me having “extra” Noro laying around. All I can say is it’s hard to let go of your first yarn love. I’m using size 5 needles with sock yarn so the texture is coming out lace-ish or meshy. The colors and texture will make for a great Spring scarf, assuming Mother Nature lays off the fast forward button and we have some Spring weather.

Of course, I had to buy a book of patterns with which to stash-bust. Such are the mysterious nuances of knitters and their stashes. My new book is titled: Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders edited by Judith Durant. The book contains 101 patterns using sock yarn. There are patterns for everything from socks to baby sweaters to bags to mittens to shawls to home decor, etc. I’m using the phrase “home decor” loosely here, some of those patterns are a little out there. Anyway, I picked up the book at my local yarn shop and as you can see have several pages marked for future stash-busting projects. I even color-coded them by type of project. 

Here’s a picture of the book should you want to pick up a copy.

Finally, this fine weather is bringing some May flowers before they've had their  April showers. I am joying see crocuses (or is it croci? too lazy to consult a dictionary) in bloom, which I never see due to the abundance of rabbits and deer in my city. I guess the weather is confusing the wildlife too...

Here's a picture of crocuses/croci in bloom.

Back to knitting for me, then off to bed. It's a school night after all. Have a great week and keep in touch :) Christina