Good Morning All,
I think that I may be finally returning to "normal" this
morning. Its been tough resetting the body clock this
time.
Day 2, Sunday, Sept 21, we board our coach for a visit to
Raewyn Penrose's studio. Raewyn is a well known NZ
felter who does the most beautiful work. After a look
around the gallery, those of us visiting the caves will
re-board the coach for the visit there, others will be staying
to take a full days workshop with Raewyn. On the way to
Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, we make a stop at
a Kiwi house. The caves are a totally awesome
experience. Huge caverns with unbelievable
formations, then a ride in a boat, in totally quiet
and darkness. Suddenly you look up and above
is the sight of millions of brilliant little glow worms.
I could not believe it, not only was I in a cave, deep
in the earth, but one with little worms all over!
Some of Raewyn's spectacular pieces.
Judy and I at the Kiwi house, no photos allowed inside.
The entrance to the caves, no photos inside here either.
That's our bus driver, Henry, with Judy
and me.
This is where we exited the caves
Day 3, Mon, Sept 22, Soon after breakfast we start our journey
south, but not before we make stops at Knitworld and
The Knitters Warehouse, two wool shops in London St.
We stop in the quaint town of Cambridge for morning tea,
then on to the town of Tirau, with its corrugated iron sculptures
and "big sheep" wool gallery. Later that afternoon we will
visit the "Craters of the Moon" thermal park, and the
breathtaking "Huka Falls".
We knew we had arrived at a special place by the
signs outside, but we were not prepared for the
sheer beauty of the setting and the items inside.
Pam trying on some of the wonderful knitwear for sale.
Town of Tirau, with its iron sculptures
Huge steam works
Me overlooking the Huka Falls, the photos do not
capture the sheer power of the water, rushing
through a relatively small space and cascading
down.
Prudence, Phyllis and Me
Prudence managed to get a wool experience and
a sight seeing experience into almost every day.
No more time this morning, will try to add some each
day.
Have a great day Everyone.
Margaret
Hi Everyone,
I am back from a fabulous trip to New Zealand, Free Forming with
Prudence Mapstone. What a grand and glorious time we had.
I found out that while I was away, aol announced that it would
be closing its journals, so I will have to find a new home for
my blog. We have till the end of October, so I am not in a
panic yet.
We started our journey with a very long flight to NZ. After leaving
NY very early in the morning on Wed, we arrived in Auckland
about 4 in the morning on Friday. That's a bummer, what
happened to Thursday? Of course we crossed the International
date line, so we lost a day (to be recovered on our return).
The tour did not officially start till Saturday, so we had a day
to explore. We did what every red-blooded woman did in
a new city with lots of shops - we shopped.
During the day, several others showed up at the hotel Mercure
where we were staying the night. Stephen met
us later on that evening and took us all to dinner at a delightful
Italian restaurant in Auckland, then we all made it an early night,
to prepare for our trip the next day.
The bus picked us up around 9:30 am the next morning and we headed
for Hamilton to visit the Craft and Quilt Fair
at the Claudelands Exhibition Centre,
where Prudence was exhibiting.
The exhibits at the fair were breathtaking, such
glorious work.
We met back at the hotel to have a little respite, before
heading off to our welcome dinner cruise on the
Waikato River. The Chilean Rugby team was on board
and they provided an evening of fun. They took over
the entertainment and were singing and dancing.
The food was served in a manner totally alien to me
and you can see the surprised look on my face.
That stone on my plate is 400 dg and is
cooking my dinner right at the table.
The team having lots of fun.
That was only day one, we all returned to the hotel
ready for a rest. Tomorrow, we go for a visit
to well known felter, Raewyn Penrose's studio. Some are
staying on to take a workshop with Raewyn, while
some of us trek on to the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves.
Margaret
Hi Everyone,
While walking in the market at the conference, I saw a booth
that said "SAVE THE CHILDREN", which immediately caught
my attention. Several years ago it came to light that millions
of babies in many countries were dying for lack of warmth after
birth. These babies can be saved with a simple knit or crochet
cap to keep them warm. Rita Weiss and Jean Leinhauser
were responsible for getting the CGOA involved in making
caps for this worthy cause, and 250,000 caps were
made and sent to them.
Tricia Puskar, Associate Director Outreach/Survive to 5, Save
the Children program, was so enthusiastic while manning
the booth. She was so excited that people were responding
in such a positive manner.
The cause continues and the goal is to make a million caps.
You can do your part by;
1. Making a Cap, knit or crochet (many free patterns for premie
caps can be found on the web).
2. Write to the New President, letting him know you
care about the needs of the newborns around the world.
Put your cap and letter in an envelope and mail it by December
31, 2008 to
Save the Children, Knit One, Save One
c/o The Doe Fund
173 Cook Street
Brooklyn, NY 11206
3: find out more at http://www.SavetheChildren.org
;
Me at the booth with the little hat that I crocheted
that morning.
Vashti, Rita and Me at the CGOA meeting
Another gorgeous fashion
Myra wearing the beautiful shawl that
was a gift, made by Margo from the free form list
Me and Myra at the Free Form gathering
Free Formers Gathering Friday Night
Still more to come!
Margaret
Hi Everyone,
I returned home from the Portland, OR conference last night,
finally had a chance to get my photos into the computer. I
am leaving for New Zealand on Wednesday morning, so I
Will just keep putting in some photos and do as much as I can
.
Happy Scrumblers in the Free Form Class
Cari Clement, from Caron Yarns, with me in the Intermeshing
Workshop. Cari is the director of Fashion Design at Caron
International, she donated a huge box of yarn for students
at the conference.
Me, Myra, Noreen and Jorel
Meeting in the lobby.
Thats all for tonight, more tomorrow.
Margaret
Hi Everyone,
Sorry I have not been posting at all for awhile. Sometimes life
gets in the way. The hurricane hit us yesterday and a tree
limb took out my power. It was finally restored at 6:30
this evening. No great damage though, just lots of rain.
I have been getting ready for the Knit/Crochet conference
being held in Portland Or next week. I leave on Wednesday,
returning Sunday evening. Then on the following Wednesday
I leave on a trip to New Zealand. It should be a very exciting
trip, organized by Prudence Mapstone, and Prudence is
promising to keep us busy, with lots to see and do. I will
have lots to report after these two events.
In between getting ready for traveling, I have been
re-checking the final proofs for my newest book -
KNIT OR CROCHET - HAVE IT YOUR WAY
I'm really excited about this book and it is available
for pre order on amazon.com
Have a great week everyone!
Margaret
.
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