Signals and birds

This week I’ve been working out of office and away from home, so my routines, activities and projects have been a little different. I miss my sewing machine and all the art and craft supplies I have at home, but I have by no means been idle. I tried to pack my bag cleverly, and I'm very pleased that, with less competing projects around, I've actually managed to work more in my Thailand journal. This is a detail from a page I made about hand signals used by divers to communicate under water. Head over to Flickr if you want to see more.

Another project that was suitable for taking with me was the slipover I started knitting a few weeks ago. By now I've finished the back piece. The yarn's a bit chunkier, so the work progresses nicely.

I wish I had cable needles, as that would make it easier to knit on the train journey home tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to poke my seat neighbour with the long needles, so I’ll just leave the knitting in my suitcase. To amuse myself, I’m probably going to continue on a small Christmas cross-stitch kit that I found among my UFOs. I didn’t have any suitable project to bring on the train this time, so although a cross-stitch kit isn’t my number one choice, I’d rather sew mistletoe and holly than stare out of a train window for four and a half hours. I tried journalling before, but didn’t feel comfortable drawing with a stranger sitting next to me. Mind you, with a Christmas cross-stitch kit around Easter, the embarrassment factor is just a question of degree…

Today I'd like to share a project with you. I've mentioned before that I sent one of my finished projects to a special person, who's going through some difficult times. She’s a great source of inspiration to me, and I wanted to show her my support and appreciation. By now the bandana I sent her has arrived, so I’m going to share some images of it with you. I made it following Natalie Chanin's directions in the Alabama Stitch Book, but with my own bird design. I really like Natalie’s techniques and would love to try making a bigger project, like a tank top or skirt covered in appliqué. But that’s for later. For now, I’m warming up with bandanas. I made one for myself too last summer, and found it very useful, so I’m probably going to make more of them in different colour schemes and patterns. Perhaps I’ll start one for my next train journey.

Sà-wàt-dee kâ

... is hello in Thai. I’ve just returned from a 3-week-holiday in Ko Lanta, Thailand. It’s been one of the best holidays ever, and I was so sad to have to return to reality. I’ve seen and experienced so much that I don’t even know where to start. I’ve recorded some of it in the journal I made and brought with me, but most pages are still unfinished. The journal will keep me busy for months, which is great, because that way I can keep the memory of our trip alive for longer. I’ll share some pages later when I feel they’re more finished.

Here are some of the things I fell in love with:

Corals. 

Swept ashore by the tides.

Lelawadee. 

There are so many beautiful flowers to enjoy, but the simple lelawadee is one of my
favourites. It has a lovley scent that is particularly noticeable in the warm and dark evenings.

Garden of Eden. 

We stayed at hotel Lanta Resort on Phra Ae beach, which has a lovely garden. 

The garden was home to a great number of different animals, including 

geckos and other lizards, birds, butterflies, frogs and even a snake.

 Phra Ae. 

This is the northern end of Phra Ae beach. I love the colour combination of white 

sand, emerald sea and blue sky. The same colour combination appears in many boats.

Fishing boat.

I love the colourful fishing and long-tail boats. After dark you can see the fishing boats like a 

string of light along the horizon. When the weather is hazy, they lit up part of the sky too.

Tropical thunderstorms. 

We experienced a few tropical thunderstorms during our stay. During one, we were 

having lunch huddled in a little bamboo hut with no walls. The first gust of wind half drenched 

us and blew away all the paper napkins, but the friendly staff did their best to shelter us.

Crabs, part I. 

We discovered some intriguing patterns in the sand and figured out that they were 

created by crabs. There were a lot of crabs around, which gave me a chance to study them 

both at a distance and up close. They’re like little aliens. Very funny and fascinating.

Crabs, part II. 

These patterns were also created by crabs. They reminded me of crop circles. 

Every crab had its own style.

Geckos. 

These little fellas have stolen my heart. I miss them already.

Snorkelling. 

To my surprise, I developed an addiction to snorkelling. I just loved the weightlessness 

of floating on the surface and looking down into a different world and its inhabitants. 

The fishes I saw were amazing. Striped, spotted and chequered in every colour 
imaginable. I loved it when I could swim into a whole school of fish and be one of them.