Sunday, March 16, 2025

Regarding Knitting, and Yarn, in Curacao

A couple of people commented on the picture of my knitting with the water background:

I did in fact pick the particular yarns for this project with the idea of it reminding me of the Caribbean waters! The pattern is even called Across the Waters (Ravelry link), and I've made it before. I wear that one a lot, for someone who owns as many shawls as I do, so I figured that it would be a good candidate for making another one to be my trip knitting for Curacao.

The teal yarn is Tosh Sock from Madeline Tosh, in the colorway Baltic, and the multicolored yarn in between teal wedges is a "potluck" colorway (meaning non-repeatable) of Merino DK from Hedgehog Fibres. Not only does it suit the waters I saw in Curacao, but it also reminds me of this art I have up on the wall.

The project is coming along well, and I'm getting closer to the end. I put it on longer cords recently so I could see how it looks when it isn't all scrunched up on the working needle. And the answer is, pretty good!

Ignore the waving at the bottom where the cord wouldn't go flat.
Here it is on top of the finished one.
I have enough yarn for a couple more wedges.

In related news, while I was on the trip, I got an email about a quick yarn sale, and naturally, this one caught my eye:

Primarily because of this picture that I had taken two days earlier:

I decided that yeah, I want to make a project that reminds me of this water, so I got one skein of the above and one of a dark blue. They arrived after I got back:
Perfection. They are soft enough to die for, and I love the colors.

So I'm going to find a pattern to work them in, in a way that reminds me of the water. Right now, I'm inclining towards Stole Dunes, and thinking I could alternate the skeins to get the effect I want. We'll see how I feel when the time comes.

Friday, March 14, 2025

Curacao, Part Two

One thing I didn't spell out before (in part one, here) is that this trip was with the Newcomers Club, which I have been a member of until this month (membership is limited to five years, though we got extra to make up for covid). There were 65 women on the trip, and some I knew well, others not at all, and everything in between.

Now, time for part two and it's off to the ostrich farm! Because you know that if I'm half an hour from an ostrich farm, I have to go, even if the group isn't going.

Little lizard on the way to breakfast Wednesday.

Some more time looking at the water.




Always look up!


I went to the ostrich farm on my own, not as part of the group. A few people thought they might, or said after they thought about it, but no one wanted to tear themselves away at the time, which is fine. They actually will come and get you, for a fee of course, so I called (I made a phone call! In a foreign country! This is how much I wanted to go) and set up a pickup. A nice woman came and got me and drove me there (it was about a half hour away).

They had some really interesting pieces around by the gift shop.




Waiting for the tour to begin.



Heard a bloodcurdling scream, and oh, look, a peacock!




Tour time, and we got on an open bus, me and a family with three adults and two kids. The guide did the whole tour first in the local language, Papiamentu, and then in English for me.

Ostrich!

They also had some emus.  
They're slightly smaller, from Australia rather than Africa, and have three toes versus the two of an ostrich. Now you know as much as I do about them. Oh, and they both kick to defend themselves.
Back to the ostriches.
Reptile in the grass.


Those feathers were sooo tempting. I badly wanted to stick a hand in there.
I mean, look how fluffy!

The "babies" were three months old, so not as tiny as I was hoping to see.


But still cute!

There was one large pig in a pen, and a bunch of piglets running loose, cleaning up the area where they let you feed the ostriches (now that was an experience---they aren't aggressive, but they are powerful in their interest in the bowl of food).
They also have a couple of crocs, for cleanup. Handy, right?
And at the end of the tour, you can stand on an ostrich egg! It kind of looks like my other foot is on the ground, but it isn't, it's in the air. Whee!

I'm really glad that I made the extra effort (for an introvert) to get myself to the ostrich farm; it was very cool.

Saw this on the way back: it's a cemetery! Pretty cool.
One last sunset.

We had dinner on the beach, the whole group of us, and to my surprise, fire dancers performed!





I was, honestly, a little unsteady walking barefoot on the sand, so watching how well this performer did, on stilts, while juggling fire, was something else.

It was quite a way to end the trip.

The next day, it was back to the airport and on our way. I was amused to note this Bruin beer! 
I didn't try it, but someone I know who once lived over there said it's actually quite good.

If you have any questions, ask away! I'll be back with more on related purchases and knitting on the trip. You know, the important stuff.