Wednesday, July 8, 2009

La Gran Aventura: Ready for Takeoff

After months of planning--and threatening to cancel at least 43 times--I am finally leaving for Guadalajara, Mexico in the morning. I've packed my bags, loaded Skype on my netbook so I can see the kids while I'm gone, called the bishop in Guadalajara to arrange a ride to church, and knitted a lace scarf as a hostess gift for my host-mom. I think I have just enough yarn left to knit something for a small lawn gnome.

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Non-knitting friends may want to skip to the end, but I have to tell you how proud I am for finishing the lace scarf.  I've started this project four or five times, but I've always had to rip it out and start over because I made an error that was impossible to unknit with lace being so persnickety and all. I decided I would try using a lifeline (the knitting technique, not the phone-a-friend option on Who Wants to be a Millionaire), and it saved the day. I love seeing how blocking transforms lace from a fluffy, bumpy mess to a defined, delicate stitch pattern.

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We were told to take something that represented Arkansas or our personalities. Razorback gear and a Bill Clinton bobblehead just won't do, so hopefully over thirty hours of my time knitted up in a yarn the color of Arkansas woods will suffice. Worst-case scenario, the scarf will sit on a shelf with all the other hostess gifts brought from around the world.

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Well, I guess I should be off to bed. I have lifelong dreams to fulfill in a just a few hours. I'll post updates when I can. In the meantime, I've got a passport to get stamped and pesos to spend.

passport and pesos

 

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