Recently in Blogworthy Category

Go Spain, go!

This is a top from Phildar's Summer 2008 catalog, called "Pull 491-T7-686", with 3/4 sleeves, what the catalog describes as a Tunisian collar, and an all-over mesh pattern. I'm using Francesca's Italian tubular cast-on, deceptively simple with great results. This cast-on's a keeper. I'm about to start on the body, which I've decided will not be mesh. Give me a few days and I'll make up my mind. I'm using Phildar Tonic in 0007 Naturel, and it's got great yardage for the price. It's also an 85% acrylic yarn.

I've been following some discussions on Ravelry regarding acrylic: this , this, this, and this. At the heart of the matter are these issues: quality; brand perception; price; personal preference based on tangibles such as feel, color, pattern support, and convenience; and environmental impact. 

There will always be a market for acrylic yarn. But what I've been thinking of lately is how we knitters as a whole are an influential group, and with our numbers, we can definitely influence the way yarn companies operate. We can persuade them to go "green". Or even "greener". Really. I want to know about recycling or repurposing unwanted acrylic yarn. And what yarn companies, big and small, are doing to minimize their impact on the environment. Are steps being taken to ensure that waste from their processes are taken care of? Are their vendors using sustainable practices? Is there room in their mission statements for environmental awareness? Are they members of "green" associations, such as 1% for the planet?

Anyway, food for thought. Any opinions out there?

That's hello, in Turkish.

Mouseover images for captions!

We flew into Antalya from Nuremberg in the afternoon of January 17th, a bit of a chill in the air from recent rain. It was not to last, however, because the following day was sunny and warm. Because we were staying at the JoSiTo campground, we arranged for a pick-up at the airport, which was a good thing, as driving in Antalya was pretty crazy and without any established set of rules. To wit: on our way out of the city, to the right of us a bus filled to the brim with passengers gunned it when the traffic light turned green, and cut off three lanes of traffic to make a left turn. Yikes!

If I had to rate this trip among the ones we've taken over the years, it would be in the top ten. Climbing near Geyikbayiri was great. With the exception of three windy days, the weather was sunny, not too warm, perfect for climbing. Our accommodations at the campground were slightly better than basic but we didn't need anything more. The shower and kitchen facilities were steps away, we had a little heater and borrowed a few pots and plates, and the bar where we had some of our meals served Mediterranean cuisine. (Unfortunately, nothing truly Turkish.) The main crag was a laughable 30-second walk from our hut; we walked back for lunch almost every day. The other crags were within 10 minutes' walk, easy.

I woke up early on most mornings and strolled around, followed by the camp dogs, taking pictures. Beautiful golden light.

The Anatolia and Dragon walls are quite tall. You can see a pair of climbers on the right, on their second pitch (consider that a pitch is 65 - 98 feet long, or 6.5 to 10 stories tall). On the left, a pair of climbers are getting ready to do a route in the alcove.

The rock is limestone and ranges from brown to grey. I favor the brown limestone, because the texture is like stacked beads and relatively softer than the grey kind, which is sharp and spiky. Regardless, all types are gritty, and we suffered from gouges and numerous scratches all over our hands and arms from the rock. The climbing is mostly steep (overhanging) with tufas, pockets, and crimps, and everything is very well-bolted. The best part is that most routes are fairly new; the oldest routes were bolted in 2001 so nothing is polished! (On the downside, your fingertips will be aching after 3 days...)

Here's 8-time British champion Lucy posing for Tim on one of my projects. This is one of the most picturesque routes around, and when I tried it another climber was there taking my picture! The "crux" is at the bulge above Lucy's head; miss the clip and you fall 10-12 feet, which is what I did about 6 times! (Yes, how droll, Drop Zone is what it's called.) It's still a project, however; on my 6th try I almost made the clip, but fell, and I hit the rock and my quickdraws at the same time. Ouch! It knocked the wind out of me and I had to retreat. Two weeks later, I still have scabs and the shadow of a bruise as a reminder of that fall.

And German champion Marietta on her way to redpointing an 8a+ easily, on her second day. How strong is this woman? Fricking strong. She warmed up on a 7b+, a route that would have been my next project had I not fallen so hard. I so want her shoulders.

On rest days we either walked around looking at potential places to climb (such as Trebenna), or hitched a ride to the Sunday market. Sunday market was colorful and chaotic, with cars and pedestrians everywhere. Our second time, we were stopped right in the middle of buying strawberries by a man whose daughter had worked in Las Vegas!

Strawberries, oranges, crispy carrots, gigantic cabbages, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and "mountain tea" herbs were sold everywhere. We would indicate how much of something we wanted, and then hold out coins in our palm so that the vendor would take what he charged. We passed vendors selling fresh yogurt ladled into plastic bags, feta in skins, grains, and nuts. It made me think of Nigeria, this bustling market with its friendly vendors...

Lunch was gözleme and hot mint tea, served to us on a large metal tray. It was fun to eat the yummy spinach-filled dough with our hands, with peppers, tomato, and cucumber on the side. I bought some pul biber, which is ground pepper with a bit of salt; I've been looking for a spicy pepper since the German "hot" spices are, well, rather bland. It was unfortunate that Geyikbayiri and the campground are so isolated, being in the Taurus mountains. It would have been good, on a rest day, to go into town and chill at a café or walk around. We had to hitch rides both going down and up the mountain, the camp being 8 km from Çakirlar. We were picked up by a giggly family in a VW van, a cherry picker from the local power company, and a villager with a load of plastic bottles in the back of his truck. The challenge was not getting thrown out when we rounded a curve!

Days were spent lounging around after climbing, or watching other people climb. It's always a treat, always an inspiration, to watch someone who can just float up a 7a+ like a warmup, which for some people it is. Toward the end of our stay (we left on February 4) more people had started to arrive and at one point every wall behind the camp had a climber on it. Dinner at the bar was always good and full of conversation—mostly we heard German, or Dutch, because quite a bit of the clientele came from central Europe. There was one raucous evening when one of the camp hosts played magic tricks and we spent most of the night trying to figure a particular trick out.

I wish I could say that I onsighted or redpointed more, harder grades, but climbing doesn't work that way. Aside from the fact that we have lives outside of the sport, climbing involves a vast amount of patience and hard work. And mental fortitude. Sometimes BFF's day would be perfect and mine sucked, or vice versa. Sometimes the weather was awful, like when we had those windy days. Sometimes it was coping with our lingering colds, or the cough that would threaten to throw me off my climbs. These little things add up, and the crux is to stay positive. I'm happy to say, however, that I did do some significant climbs, and BFF really outdid himself on what the routesetter called one of his favorite climbs. Our Geyikbayiri trip was a success, and we're looking forward to returning sometime in the fall. Some of our most enjoyable moments, climbing and otherwise, came from there, and we're hungry for more of the same.

◊ View the Climbing in Turkey slideshow.

Pattern: Shetland Triangle from Interweave Knits' Wrap Style
Yarn: My own handspun 2-ply made from Ashland Bay Trading Company Merino/Silk top (70% Merino, 30% Silk; 4 oz.; 601 yards) in Rose
Needles: US9
Finished Size: 76" wide x 38" long

Two weeks ago I drove down to Lori's in Irvine so she could play with my wheel. I also took along the shawl for a photo op, as Lori's back yard seems to have great lighting.

No one picture captures the color *at all*, because it's got cool and warm grays, cool and warm browns, and touches of white and pink. I remember when I bought the fiber at Stitches West that it was peachy pink. Later, while spinning, more of the greys and browns came out, and with my experimenting with all sorts of drafting methods I ended up with an interesting mix of light and dark and middle values. I have to say, though, that the yarn has redeemed itself. The "color" has grown on me.

This shawl is for my older sister, who has slowly acquired an appreciation of the quality of handknits (Hailey's hats, my sister-in-law's shawl, my mom's scarf). Of all the lace patterns out there, I've been selective and kept to a handful that I've repeatedly knit. There is a certain grace and fluidity in the shetland lace pattern that I love, and the triangle shape enhances it. I hope my sister will appreciate the effort!

The doctor taking time off from research to play! We hit the Purl warehouse--my god, you'll spend a good chunk of change on both yarn and fabric there. We drooled over everything especially the Liberty prints. Damn that Purl. Then we headed over to Kinokuniya for Japanese books, and Mitsuwa for noodles. Thanks for driving me around, Lori!

Don't you love this Christmas star? Yes, it's waayyy past Christmas, but so what!

Linkworthy:
1: I won't summarize this link. You'll just have to read this article, it's about context.
2: Brand New offers opinions on branding.
3: Decency and decorum, and lack of both, in blogging. On Monday the New York Time published an article on the proposed rules of conduct for blogging. Then Anil Dash posted his personal experiences.
4: I've been considering switching cms from Movable Type to Wordpress. There are some informative articles around, and having read through quite a few of them I've decided to stay with Movable Type for now, simply because I'm familiar with their code. I'll probably redo all my templates in CSS, and upgrade, but that's about it.
5: James Howard Kunstler (author of The Long Emergency) has a blog. Go read it.
6: Wanna know where your where your tax dollars go?