Home Again (jiggity jig)

We are home. Safe and sound… and cold! You know those commercials (I think they are for Sierra Mist) when the unsuspecting individual is hit by an arctic blast? Well, that is a little how Kris and I felt when we stepped off the plane. Mind you, the sun had already set here in Maryland, and it was about 30 degrees! Brrr!

The flight was long and uncomfortable… you know how it is trying to sleep on a plane–nearly impossible. Nevertheless, we got home to our puppies and kitties and our little house on the big road.

Just to relive some of the warmer days, here are the remaining pics from Hawaii: Thursday’s snorkeling adventure at Hanauma Bay, and the Paradise Cove luau.

Hanauma Bay on Oahu’s southeast side

This was my first time to try snorkeling. I am not exactly an adept athlete… and especially not when it comes to water sports. However, I really enjoyed this adventure. See all the grayish brown spots in the water? That is the coral reef–and in that coral reef live lots of fishies!

Neither of these are original Lolly pics, because I did not have an underwater camera, but all of these fish are ones that we saw–right in front of our faces! The top picture includes various butterly fish, parrot fish, and some others that I don’t know the names of. The bottom picture shows the most common fish we saw on our day of snorkeling: Convict Tangs. They are so beautiful and stay in tight schools that move very quickly. We also saw several Humuhumu-nukunuku-apua’a — the state fish of Hawaii. I practiced the word all week and finally got it down!

After our fun in the sun (too much fun! I got burnt on my right leg–which is pretty easy for me to do considering I have a ghost complection. Oh well…) we headed back to Mimi’s for a little R&R before our night at the luau.

We went to the Paradise Cove luau, located on the western coast of the island. Because we were in the west, we got some great sunset shots–among them, one of the three of us:

We each got a complimentary shell lei, and some drink coupons. We all had a free mai tai, and then Kris and I sampled the different Blue Hawaiians, Lava Flows, Tropical Itches, and Pina Coladas. They were small glasses though… just so you know! We were not even tipsy when we left.

Before the big meal, Mimi and I made some wrist leis with fresh plumerias and orchids, and both of us got temporary tattoos on our arms. Mimi’s is a pink plumeria, and mine is a hibiscus.

The actual luau was fun. Lots of good foods–plenty for meat eaters, and a pretty good portion for the vegetarians too. They had plenty of salads to sample, a large tray of veggies and fruits, and some different breads. I even tried the poi. Not too bad–pretty much tasteless.

On Friday, Mimi and I did some shopping and hanging out. We hit Aloha Yarns in Kaneohe. They had some nice things that I had not seen before–like Bouton d’Or, but I found them much more expensive than Yarn & Friends in Honolulu. One thing that I noticed in both of the yarn shops that I went to was the popularity of the knitted and crocheted leis. They were pretty cute, and definitely held up longer than the flower version!

These leis often use copious amounts of fun fur–but they are still pretty cute! Many also have bobbled ribbon yarns that look like little flowers, and usually have a grosgain ribbon as a tie. I saw two books sold in the stores that explain the technique further for those of you that are interested: Making Eyelash Crochet Leis and Making Ribbon Leis. It is a good way to bust the stash of eyelash yarns and make a cute little accessory for a costume or every day wear! I may even try one myself!

After our day, we said our sad goodbyes to Mimi and Dan and headed to our departure gate. We had a red-eye to LAX, and the whole red-eye thing definitely held true. Kris and I were so tired. We caught the next plane to Baltimore and got a little more rest on that flight before getting home. My mom and dad picked us up and took us to get a quick dinner.

As I unpacked and went through the backlog of snail mail, I looked over all of the goodies that amassed!

Chris was such a lovely hostess! She showed us all such a lovely time in Honolulu and Waikiki. She was so kind, she even gave me an aloha bag of goodies. Inside, she included a pair of amazing handknit socks (!) an adorable mug designed in Hawaii, some chocolates (not pictured–you do the math) and some handmade notecards customized with my initials and with verses and phrases about friendship. I was so moved by her lovely spirit and hospitality. Chris, I was so thrilled to meet you! it is a great day when an online friend becomes a real-life friend!

Also from my unpacking–the yarn I picked up at Yarn & Friends. Five skeins of Katia Dolby–perfect for a tank next summer. Also in the pile was Mimi’s early birthday present to me: Two skeins of Cascade Fixation! Chris got the same colorway, so we will have matching socks one of these days!

The Ziploc bags are from Knotty Gnome Sara, my Sock Scrap Swapper. She sent me some real goodies, perfect for some baby socks, kids socks, and even some small scarves. Thanks! In the back, there are two large cones –white and sky blue– that my Momma found at the thrift store. They are a great quality cotton/rayon with little nubs throughout. I have a perfect pattern in mind–based on something I saw at a great store in Hawaii. More on that later. Thanks Mom–and only 50 cents for each cone!! Also, I got a review copy of Vicki Howell’s newest book, New Knits on the Block from Sterling Publishers. A full review and some pattern pics will follow. First glance through? Some really cute and whimsical patterns/costumes for the kiddies!

I am beginning to realize that this may be the longest post I have ever written… but I still have some things to tell you! Are you good? You can take a breather and stretch your legs if you need to… make sure and come back to see all of the other things…

The Other Things I Have to Share

I didn’t do much in Hawaii, other than enjoy Hawaii. I took two books to read for school, and I got about 275 pages done on the plane (and on the beach that one day), but didn’t touch the other one, much less write the paper that I was supposed to write for tomorrow’s class. Oh well, it was one of those optional (but highly encouraged) sort of deals. Just so you know, I did not get that much knitting done either.

Sleeve 1 of my Klaralund was an easy airplane knit. I am in the extended garter section which also serves as the bodice/bust for the sweater. I love the Noro striping, but the Silk Garden has a lot of “stuff” in it. Has anyone else noticed this? Like little bits of grass and strings? I just pick them out as I go along. It is still nice to work with though. The little novelty project on the side is a belt/sash that I am making for Mimi. I think it is a Reynold yarn-forgot the name though. I am just going to go until the yarn runs out. So far, it is working up pretty well. I know she will like it. She wears belts and sashes like I wear scarves!

My Dublin Bay sock attracted some attention on the plane. Three of the flight attendants were also knitters, and were amazed at the small needles. I love meeting knitters when knitting in public! During the flight, one came up and talked to me for about 20 minutes about her different projects etc. Then she sent her friends! I actually turned the heel on this sock already… the picture is a little old. It does show the lovely yarn and lace though!

As for a Socktoberfest post, I have many items to share with you…but those will have to wait till tomorrow! There are many finished pairs by your fellow Socktoberists, and even some new knitalongs you can join since Socktoberfest is coming to a close.

**Also, don’t forget to check in with me tomorrow night for the names of the WINNERS of the prizes! I have SIX prizes to give away to Socktoberists!

Thanks to Simply Sock Yarns for the donated Fleece Artist Merino, to Yarnzilla for the donated Opal 6-ply, Woolarina for their donated hand-dyed sock yarn, DiscountYarnSale.com (Jeanie) for the donated knitting bag full of goodies, and to Jess for her donation of Opal Handpaint.

…and here is what I am offering up… some Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Mountain Twilight colorway.

You could be the lucky winner