on the road to Chiang Mai...

After our relaxing week at Koh Chang, the man and I are running like crazy around the country trying to get to a few different places we are keen to visit.

We spend a couple of night in Khorat, where the man organised a visit to a silk weaving house. It was an amazing experience - the only mechanised part of the process was the skeins being put onto bobbins and the the bobbins being wound onto the shuttles. The warping and loom work was all done by hand. By request the man took lots of photos and some short movies, which I'll figure out how to put up when I get back to Oz.

Of course, we couldn't walk away without some of the gorgeous silk - I definitely have to start working on my sewing skills so I can make garments worthy of all that hard work.

Today we are going to catch a train to Chiang Mai - there are supposedly lots of little handcraft cottage factories there so we are hoping to see some more of the local crafts in action.

We have done some amazing things since we have been here - we swam with an elephant (again, there is a movie), played with a pet monkey (that tried to steal my new carved elephant necklace), and saw a baby porcupine for sale at a pet stall (the same stall also had some bunnies dressed as dolls with bows in their ears and everything - it was a very scary sight). We plan to visit the Monks with the tame-ish Tigers in Kanchanaburi before we head back to Bangkok,

Pierre is apparently coping okay without me, however the housemate has mentioned that the pupster has tried to snuggle into his bed in the middle of the night. I guess Pierre is missing all the cuddles he gets from me :) I'm missing my pupster lots too - The man has mentioned that a couple of times I have been searching for the dog in my sleep, and we can't walk past cute fluffy things without me stopping to say hello...

Oh, and Kate, you would love all the sewing machines here - it is quite common to see someone working on a treadle machine at the bus stations to make a quid. And we saw a shop that had brand new cast iron treadle machines for 3000Baht (about $100)...

That's all I have time for now - pictures and etc will be forthcoming when I get back to geelong :)

a special xmas present...

Sometimes it can be difficult for girls and their Dad's to communicate - I know this, because when I was 16, I spent a year in Portland, Oregon as an exchange student and the longest converstation I had with my Dad went something like this:-

Ring, Ring (That's the telephone incase you don't get it!)
Dad: Hello?
Me: Hi Dad, how are you?
Dad: Good, I'll just get your Mother... (pause)
Mum: Hi honey!

Fortunately, this is something that we both have been working really hard at fixing in the past 9 years or so. When I first got my licence, my Dad worked on an old Peugeot 504 for me to drive around (this car affectionately known as The Bomber). When I came home from college on the weekends if Iwanted to talk to Dad I would start by asking him anything about this car. This was the first of many 'special' topics my Dad and I now talk about.

When I started my blog, my Dad took great interest in it - infact, I think he is my most loyal fan :) When I call home now, it doesn't matter if Mum is home or not, because Dad and I have plenty to talk about because he knows what is going on in my life.

Sometimes, like when I got my Singer, I call home specifically to tell Dad about it. Because my Dad has an interest in antique machinery, and I luff my singer, this very quickly became one of those 'special' topics for me and Dad, as evidenced by this post.

So when I opened up a present from my Parents on xmas day, I knew my Dad had a bit of input into it...



See - just like my Singer, with one small difference
As you can see - I included Pierre for scale. This is actually a cute little box of sewing accessories that my Dad found in Spotlight a couple of months ago. Apparently he didn't buy it right away because he wasn't sure I would like it, but after he showed Mum it was a big goer!

And he luffed my reaction on xmas day when I opened it.... How funky is it! When I get back to Sydney I'll take a pic of it next to my big Singer.

The other 1920s Singer

Remember my gorgeous antique Singer sewing machine?

My Dad found a different type of Singer at the Geelong Show and wanted me to add it to the blog :)

May I present Singer 1927

you can look at the number plate and can see for yourself.






I particularly like this picture that my Dad took of the top of the grill. The reflexion is great!

what's on the needles??

For those of you wondering about the current project I'm knitting, there is a piccie of me at ssk on saturday a few rows after I casted on the jet aran sweater. I'm not too original- the second project from the same book in the same colour as the picture... if your looking for something more creative check out some of the other projects on the go at ssk - Lyndell's booties are very inspirational, if in the wrong teams colour ;)

For those who were wondering - the serial number on my singer is Y6427087. I haven't tried to get it back in working order just yet, and hence have not made any sock monkeys of my own. Tuffer's sister is keen to try to make on, so we may collaborate next tie I'm down here way (she has one of those new fandangle machines that use leckytricity)

Now, one final question - I know novelty yarn is a big no-no for knitting (esp for scarves) but what's the rules for weaving... for example, is one allowed to make fun fur cushions??? Someone suggested it too me (they would like it) and the jury is still out. Comments are more than welcome...

the bead and scrapbooking.. ahem... stitches and craft show

The stitches and craft show was very disapointing. I am very glad that due to a mix-up when we were parking we didn't pay to go in. I think you can count the amount of fibre and yarn stalls that were there on one hand, and one of those was very expensive, and the other ran by a very condescending lady that didn't deserve my business (even if she did have addi turbos circulars that I am dying to try) however, once the endless bead displayed finally ended, I stumbled across the Spin'n'knit display. Sue there was extremely helpful, and I left with some emerald green merino and some green blend merino and silk (left), some grey alpaca (centre) which she gave to me when I told her I was learning to spin, and some natural wool (right) and well as a gift of blue silk. The pretty stuff is motivation to learn to spin without kinks or knots, and the undyed wool to learn with.

Thanks very much to catsmum's suggestion I looked up a bit of information about my sewing machine on the singer site, and discovered that my machine was manufactured on the 28th January, 1929 in Clydebank, Scotland. On the site it mentions that you can get reproductions of the original manuals, but I can' t find a model number on my machine (I think it is too antique!), so I need to contact the company to find out if they can help me obtain one.


Here is Pierre chilling out after our 1.5 hour walk earlier today. We didn't cover that much ground because he likes to say 'hello' to everyone we pass, kiddies, grannies and doggies being his favourite. Today we met a playful golden retriever who nearly squished Pierre with his paw when mucking around.

For all you knitters, the couch is being protected from claws by a hand knitted, single bed sized, moss stitch blanket knitted in one piece. (yes, one piece.. cast on until you can fit any more on and knit till you run out of yarn) 10 ball of Panda Magnum was used.

New Toy!

Today at our olde locale antique shoppe (Clapham's on Burn's Bay road for you player at home) I went along to pick up my singer table (minus machine) I had on layby there. Low and behold - they had this beauty there instead. (yes, next to the table is my spinning wheel purchased from the same shop two weeks ago)



The cast iron frame and treadle were in better condition and what do you think was hiding inside???


This gorgeous sewing machine. Tuffers*couldn't resist it either (he has given me a love of antiques, although mine tend to be more fibre-craft related than he would like.) The treadle has not seized up and the machine works well when you turn it by hand, so I am thinking that all it needs is a new drive band and a needle and I may have a working machine. Of course, Tuffers thinks I am insane to want to make an antique work, but I think it may be fun. Also, we need to get the veneer replaced on the table top, and once we do that it will look magnificent. And it was only yesterday I was wishing I had a sewing machine!
*The BF has requested I give him a more personable nickname on here