SBQ’s and small finishes

Between Blogger and my stupid modem, it took me almost 5 hours to load up the Hong Kong photos and blog post yesterday … hopefully this post will be a bit quicker!! (And as it turns out, Blogger won’t upload piccies today, so I’m having to use Photobucket mutter mutter mutter …)

Firstly, here’s the little ornament I stitched while I was away - it’s Teddy Bear Stocking by Lorri Birmingham … just for a change there were errors on the chart, which drives me crazy, so a bit more frogging than normal while trying to fix it hmmm - but all-in-all, I think it’s quite cute, and I enjoyed stitching it. Mum’s decided she loves it so much she wants to stitch one for herself as well … way to go, Mum, you’re almost more addicted to stitching than I am now!

I also managed to finish one more ornament last night that I started while in HK … this is the first in the Beyond Cross Stitch series of Hardanger designs by The Victoria Sampler, “White Christmas” - the photo doesn’t do justice to all the sparkles of the metallic thread.

Now on to the backlog of SBQ’s …

20 July - Today’s SBQ was suggested by Cathy and is:

“When you get a project professionally framed do you get glass inserted into the frame? Why or why not?”

I’ve always had my framing done professionally, and with glass - but to be honest, I prefer the look of embroidery without the glass. I left the glass off my “Waiting for Ships” mermaid to do more justice to the metallics and beads, and I’ll probably do the same with future pieces as well. Seeing as I don’t smoke, and hate smoking in the home, it’s not as much of an issue to leave the glass off. It’s also then less of an issue when moving house so things don’t get broken … I learnt that by personal experience very recently when my Wessex Sampler was sitting in the aircraft hold with fragile stickers all over it, and well packaged up … hmmm.

26 July - Today’s SBQ was suggested by Von and is:

“Many of us have a few pairs of embroidery scissors and some even have a “collection”. How many pairs of scissors do you have? Feel free to share a photo of your favourite pair or pairs with us!”

I don’t really have many scissors anymore (two pairs have mysteriously disappeared!!) - one pair is really half-dead, and I just use them for my metallic threads now (and an odd embroidery thread when I’m desperate to find another pair). My absolute favourites were my Gingher’s, which I’d ordered from the USA about 7-8 years ago, but very stupidly left them in my carry-on bag last year when I flew home, and they got confiscated (I didn’t realise I’d packed 2 pairs - very conscientiously popped my crappy pair into the suitcase, and left my good ones that were in hiding at the back of the needlework case boohoo). I bought a new pair about 6 months ago, but when Mum started stitching in May I gave them to her to start up her stitching kit. When I come to think about it, I really really need to get some more, as I only have one good sharp pair anymore - which is the one I’ve taken a piccie of The only other pair I have are more for ornamental purposes - they’re too small for me to use comfortably, but I love the little hanging sheath for them - too cute! I keep thinking about ordering another pair of Gingher’s from Nordic Needle (plus I really want some of the coloured scissors too), but their postage scares me too much haha. One day I’ll get around to it again … anyone know a good source for them that has reasonable postage??

3 August - Today’s SBQ was suggested by Carol and is:

“Do you have a favourite needlework tool that you like to work with? What is it and why do you like using it?”

Only one??? Hmmm, that’s a hard call … personally I’ll be hard pushed to decide between my floorstand and my Ott-lite - both of which are almost essential for me. I have difficulty holding a hoop/Q-snap in hand, and can’t stitch in hand, as I get cramps, so anything that holds my scrollbars or Q-snaps is the most essential item for me (come to think about it, you’d better include those scrollbars as my favourites too!!). Coming up next are my Do-lolly for feeding in those tiny threads on the back (great for boo-boos when you don’t have much thread left on the back to play with!), and
my Tacky Bob which is wonderful for beading (thanks to Carol, who sent it as a birthday gift - I love it!).

9 August - Today’s SBQ was suggested by Ami and is:

“For those of you who use hand or over-dyed floss, how do you store it?”

I use Floss-away bags for my over-dyeds, with each type of thread (eg GAST, WDW, NN etc) on their own small metallic ring - then all the small rings are put onto a large ring so all my over-dyeds are grouped together … I do that with all my types of threads, including metallics, rayons etc - then all the rings are stored together in plastic tubs.

Back from Hong Kong (long post)

And oh boy, was it a wonderful trip!! Wish we could have stayed longer, but it just gives me more incentive to go back again another time Our trip started off with a bit of trepidation as our flight to Hong Kong was delayed by an hour - there was a typhoon hitting Hong Kong, and we weren’t sure whether we would be able to fly or not … but they found the typhoon was moving inland so they made the decision to take off and fly. It did mean we got a bit of stitching done at the airport for that extra hour or so I’ll probably set up another blog eventually with extra info and photos of HK in it, rather than really cluttering up this one with “all” the photos, so if anyone wants to see them, you can … but I’ll put a few selected ones here too.

Unfortunately on the day we arrived we’d both taken travel sickness tablets due to the impending rough weather, and they knock us both out, so we wasted a large part of the first day by sleeping them off … but we still managed to get moving a little bit at about 2-3pm and hit the streets. We walked to the local tram stop (just a block away) and had our first experience of local public transport - it’s absolutely fantastic!!! (I’ll write up more information on my new ‘holiday blog’ when I get chance.) We then went to the Western Market, which was a major disappointment as it was just two floors in a very small building - I did buy a 1/2 metre of some blue silk, but that’s it - and then we opted to walk up the back streets for a while back to the tram road, where we passed the dried fish shops … what a feast for the eyes!

The hotel we stayed at was ‘out of the way’, and not in a major tourist district - instead, it was in the middle of a traditional residential district (Western District, past Sheung Wan), and very Chinese … and we loved it! We ended up walking all the way back home to our hotel, instead of taking the tram, and soaked up all the sights and sounds on the way. We also managed to buy some fresh fruit from a local fruit vendor - no problems with language difficulties … she showed me the money owed on her calculator, so I could pay easily - we bought some nashi pears (Japanese apple pears I think they’re called in the USA etc), huge cherries, and the best thing of all for me … a bunch of bananas!!! The reason being, I haven’t eaten a banana in a number of months, since the Queensland crops in Aussie were affected by our recent cyclones - the last time I saw bananas for sale here was for about $15/kg (usually approx $2-3/kg) … I started drooling when I saw them so plentiful in HK That night we ate at a local restaurant in our street, which quickly turned into a favourite - the food was awesome! In fact we were very good while we were away, and didn’t eat Western food at all - for me, that’s all part of the holiday experience, trying everything from another culture … luckily I love Asian food, too, so I was in 7th heaven with everything!

The next 12 hours were ‘interesting’ … when we got home we ate a couple of things we’d bought while out, and Mum pulled out half of her tooth in a macadamia lolly … and ended up with half a jagged tooth for the rest of the trip. Unfortunately that spoilt things a little bit, as she couldn’t eat a lot of what she would have liked - but she’s waited until we’ve got home to get it fixed. Then we had a fire alarm go off at the hotel at 11pm while we were in a majorly deep sleep (first and last time in the whole trip).

The next morning I checked with the front desk if they could recommend an optometrists to buy some glasses … and there was one right next door - woohoo!! So I spent about 1/3 of my total spending money in the first 1/2 hour of leaving the hotel room haha - yes, I am the proud owner of one pair of specs (which were ready for me to pick up close of business the very next day - gotta love HK!!!) … and for me that was my priority for spending while I was away - driving home from the airport last night after 10pm was sheer heaven. I spent less money on the frames, and got the top of the line lenses with all the bells and whistles (anti-glare and toughening etc), and they’re just wonderful (as well as being about 1/3 of the cost the same thing would have cost here!).

After the delirium of buying some specs, we went back to the tram to take us to Sheung Wan train station, where we began a continued love affair with HK public transport - I can’t begin to say how amazing their transport system is … it’s incredibly easy to use - especially thanks to the “Octopus card” system! Next we went to Mongkok Station and wandered to the flower markets and bird markets, which were wonderful to walk through - all the different flowers were amazing, and I especially loved the lotus flowers (even though they’re pink haha).

After that we walked to the goldfish markets, where we didn’t stay too long, and finished off with a walk through Ladies Market stalls (we didn’t realise until much later that all the side streets were part of it) - we got pretty fed up with being hassled by stallkeepers there calling out “hey, Missy” and grabbing you by the arm, trying to flog off cheap Gucci copies etc (especially as it’s not really what I’d buy) … I know most people love haggling etc, but I can’t stand it - that spoilt it for us, and we left at the end of running the gauntlet through four blocks of that, and didn’t look any further … then we went and had yum cha at a local restaurant for lunch, and caught the train to Tsim Sha Tsui, and the harbour - took in the sights of Avenue of the Stars, the Star Ferry terminal, and Harbour City shopping mall … by the time we left it was getting late, so we decided to stay by the waterfront to watch the Light Show - I’m so glad we did, as it was wonderful to watch! Then it was back home again on the train/tram, and dinner, before heading off to bed.

The next day we took a 5 hour ‘introductory tour’ of HK Island - we were taken to Aberdeen, where the infamous Jumbo floating restaurant is, and we took a sampan ride round the harbour, then off to a jewellery manufacturer for shopping (people were much richer than us … we bought a keyring and eyeglass case haha) - unfortunately we were held up by a group of women buying jewellery, and we were late heading to Stanley Market, and that was our favourite spot - we really enjoyed it there, and bought a couple of gifts for people, as well as a lovely turquoise pashmina for me (only HK$30 … AU$6 woohoo). I was also surprised to find a shop selling wider fitting leather sandals, and bought 3 pairs … I was amazed at this, as I hate shoe shopping due to my fat, broad, ugly feet - 7th heaven again!

Our final port of call was driving up Victoria Peak for the view over HK harbour/skyline … unfortunately we had bad weather the whole time, and it was very overcast and rainy that day, so the photos are relatively poor - we came back down to street level by tram, then headed off home again … except we opted to find our own way from our drop-off point (we’d had to get there originally by taxi), had a late lunch at a Malaysian restaurant in Causeway Bay, followed by the infamous custard egg tarts from a street vendor that were totally to die for … it’s a good job I don’t live in HK or I’d be living on those every day!! LOL. We then found our way back home for a rest and a bit of stitching, before dinner.

On our 4th and final day we started off with a train trip to Wong Tai Sin station and visited the Sik Sik Yuen Temple - this turned out to be a highlight of our entire stay, and we ended up spending 2 hours there … even though the heavens opened up with a downpour, it didn’t manage to dampen our spirits at all - it was exceptional to walk through (we could tell it was a highlight for the number of photos we took).

After that we had lunch at a nearby shopping mall, before heading back to Ladies Market to look in the back streets … we ended up changing our original opinion of this market, as we managed to pick up some bargains on cheap shoes for us both, and ended up going home laden with shopping bags. I was originally going to price up an iPod there, but it’s no cheaper than buying at home with a full Aussie warranty, so didn’t see the point, and ended up getting better value with other items I bought with both gifts for myself and gifts for others I’ve ended up coming home with no less than 7 pairs of shoes (4 sandals, 2 work shoes, and 1 sports) … crikey!! We returned to our hotel grinning but exhausted!

We flew home yesterday, and we managed to shop right up until the last minute … by buying a Chinese tea set at the airport using up both mine and Mum’s last bit of HK money … literally!! No worries about currency exchange rates when we got home last night - we had nothing left to change over teehee

So, all-in-all a wonderful experience with a new country and culture explored - and it was a great way to thank Mum for everything she’s done for me over the years (her airline ticket was my 70th birthday present to her).

In stitching news I did manage to get one small piece finished (a Christmas ornie), but I’ll post about it tomorrow, as it’s still packed away in the boot (trunk) of the car … we were too exhausted to make more than one trip up the apartment stairs last night …

As for Hong Kong … I will definitely be back, as there’s so much more I want to explore - such as trips further abroad to Lantau Island, Macau and Shengzhen etc … one day …

Baggage disaster …

Today I finally unpacked one of my favourite embroidery pieces that was professionally framed, that Mum brought with her on the plane … although well packaged with a couple of layers of foamcore and bubblewrap, the airline still managed to play football with it, and we heard the sickening sounds of tinkling glass as I started unpacking the wrapping today Yep, my glass is in shattered ruins … and it’s not covered by the airline, and Mum’s insurance excess would be $75, so probably not worth claiming it back … it’s quite fitting that the SBQ came out recently about framing with glass vs non-glass (which I still haven’t gotten around to answering … blogs have been a low priority over the last two weeks again due to visitors and shifts etc hmmm) - I have to admit, I prefer to see embroidery without glass, but I know there are pros for using glass (as well as pros for not using it). Both Mum and I sat looking at my Wessex piece and both thought the same thing at the same time … the embroidery looks so much better without the glass! So, thanks to the airline, my Wessex piece will likely no longer have glass covering it I just hope by the time we clear all the glass away that it hasn’t damaged any of the embroidery itself …

As I mentioned earlier, Mum’s flight was delayed by 5 hours in total, so we had a quiet night in on Saturday night - then Sunday we went out shopping and bought all sorts of goodies … including a VERY big purchase, except I have 19 months to pay for it thanks to Harvey Norman’s 19 months interest free and no downpayments at the moment - Mum agreed it was a very worthwhile investment, and thanks to my debt consolidation I’ll be able to make regular monthly repayments so I don’t have a big outlay at the end of the 19 months … the big purchase was a new lounge suite!! I’m so excited about it!!! No need to guess what colour it is haha … the salesman said “you’d like the same colour as the floor model?” - a resounding “NO!” from both Mum and I, then we cracked up … yep, of course it’s coming in blue! Actually it’s a very close match to my el cheapo recliner I currently stitch in. You have no idea how good it feels to have this on order - it’s made in Aussie, so we have to wait approx 4-5 weeks for it to be made up, but it has a 2.5 seater sofa bed and two chairs … AND the best thing is that for an extra $249 you get a 5-year cover for damage … including pet damage and spills (woohoo!!), at which time they’ll recover it for free … considering the new inhabitant that will be joining this household soon, I thought it was a good option haha. My current lounge suite was bought for $150 at a garage sale, and Fraze managed to somehow rip one arm of the chairs while it was under his care, as well as the sofa being the most uncomfortable saggy thing to sit on, with the sofa bed bars digging into you … I can’t wait for my new one to arrive!!!

As for the rest of the week, I’ve been working late shifts, so not much happening - managed to get my week’s stitching into Bordeaux Sampler the night that Mum arrived, and I’ve decided to post my piccie two days early, as I’ll be heading off to Hong Kong tomorrow night, and might forget to do it before I fly out (we’re supposed to post progress piccies each Friday). I just have the little red ‘cluster’ to the left of the lettering to finish, then band one is all done for me - looking forward to seeing how Carol is coming along with hers

The remaining stitching time I’ve had this week has been very sporadic, but I’ve managed to get a few stitches into my last charity quilt square - it’s due 15 August, so I’d better get cracking when I get back home again (good job I’m still on annual leave for the next two weeks haha).

I’m thinking of packing a Shepherd’s Bush needleroll or two or a Christmas ornie to take with me to stitch at the airport etc - not sure whether we’ll get much time to stitch while we’re away, especially as it’s only for 4 nights … one always has to take something ‘just in case’ though, right? LOL. I was laughing today because the first thing I’ve thought about is what stitching to take - I haven’t even started thinking about clothes etc for packing … a girl has to have her priorities!!!

And on that note I’d better sign off … we’re meeting Fraze tonight for dinner then he’s staying here the night - and he’s due to finish work soon … better go chuck my jeans on and start getting ready - scotch fillet for dinner, yummo!!