pom pom

this week i made pom pom's. they are addicting to do! it would be fun to see them all around my studio, pom pom's are sweet and colorful and happy. but before using up the worsted, ' favorite things' scarf (seen directly above) needs finishing. there is a new love (obsession) around here. pom pom quarterly magazine! in december, after seeing an issue, a resolution was made to collect every copy, there are seven so far. i checked their website, and etsy and even ebay for copies, with no luck. what to do what to do?? the stockist's! i wrote to every single stockist on pom pom's site. not sure what to expect, would anyone reply? would there be any magazines out there? the next morning (after staying up till three am emailing) i woke to a jam packed mail box! oh my gosh the responses! so many kind people everywhere! one by one every issue was located. yippee! 

the shawl in progress is ysolda's mystery knit along (i hope it's okay to share?). it has been so much fun collecting these clues every monday, which also made it difficult to decide which to knit. so i'm making three. this one is in time out, still deciding if the colors are working. the kauni is ombre creme wool and the mustard is a mystery vintage wool. i found the cone at a thrift shop for one dollar! it's soft and knits into a pretty fabric, just not sure of the colors together...we've had some epic winter sunsets, and finally even a small amount of rain this week. aren't the shades of the sunset and the shawl very similar?  hmm, we found a new to us coffee shop, chuck had a hard time deciding what to order, but ended up choosing the grilled home made banana bread with caramelized bananas and raspberry infused butter. i had new zealand style coffee, a long black. and did you see my husbands contribution to this weeks creativity? he peeled a tangerine into a perfect S. hee hee  ;)

xxxxxxxxxxx 

* if you have an interest, more Africa with lori times five can be found here and here! and here! 

* joining with ginny here

   

how to plan an african safari

dear friends,

oh my goodness. thank you for liking my shawl. thank you for the kindest most heartwarming words. thank you for being among the nicest people on the planet. thank you a million times, thank you.

taking a departure from knitting here to share another passion besides wool. this passion includes three other huge loves in my life, photography, the outdoors and travel... most especially

A F R I C A

 is this a passion for you?  do you dream of visiting the African continent? one of the questions chuck and i are asked each time we return from safari is 'how do you plan? which company? where to go? (there are over fifty countries in Africa) when is the best time?  our experience with one company stands out. so much so that our last two trips to Southern Africa were through them. and as soon as the time is (hopefully) right...

 we'll choose again

what i love about most about Africa... (here are a few pics, some are poorly scanned film prints, from a few years ago)...i LOVE the land and the people, the BABIES. i love the big five and the small five and everything in between, and the birds, oh the birds. i love falling asleep to the sound of lion's calling and i love to hear the people singing. i love a g & t or amarula for sundowner's, chuck loves his tusker's (beer). i love the adventure, the endless sky,  i love most the feeling of being fully alive, and when i step on the African soil, the feeling of coming home...

 SIGH

this is an advertisement by Rhino Africa in the current issue of Travel Africa magazine. it's brilliant! can you see the small plots of African dirt, suspended with ropes and wooden stakes and hot air balloons? lion (sheepishly peering over the edge, poor thing!) and elephants and giraffes!! all floating above New York City! the caption at the bottom reads: it's easier if you come to Africa...

i wrote about Rhino Africa after our trip to Namibia last year (here), we were so pleased with their outstanding service, truly, so friendly so helpful and a wealth of information, they were. and did i say patient? there are many MANY things to consider when planning a safari, questions and communications between you and your agent. our every need and concern was addressed before, and so important, during our trip too. and now look! if you have a moment (and interest) they have used my words and photos describing our fantastic adventure! eeps!!

my trip/Namibia through Lori's lens

thank you Rhino Africa Safaris




so to summarize, how to plan an African Safari:
1. watch the video below to begin dreaming
 2. contact Rhino Africa
clicking on the link above will take you there.
:)

 

my halldóra

oh halldora. this long shawl designed by Hélène Magnússon, the icelandic knitter, has come close to knitting nirvana. made with seventy grams, approximately one thousand yards, of lace weight cashmere. a gift from chuck on a trip to the habu studio and showroom in nyc last year...

 135 west 29th street please

 suite 804

habu textiles (heaven), new york, ny

halldora shawl, two and a half ounces of gentleness and grace

knitting this true lace was a solitary experience

it asked every bit of concentration i could muster

i'm so pleased to have made this particularly recherché heirloom knit. i may not have the wherewithal to do something as concentrated again (sorry dear husband for not talking to you for three months ;) but now that this shawl is here, so charming and delicate, so soft, warm, so fine...*happy!*  thank you Hélène 

links:

icelandic handknits

ravelry 

yarn along