Purdy

Today is our wedding anniversary. Chris and I have been stumbling around all day (all month actually) in a bit of a haze going "Can you BELIEVE it has been three years?"

Earlier this month we bought a fabulous antique chinese medicine chest that we had been lusting after since we arrived in Beijing. So cool, we thought, to have a real chest from a famous store in Beijing. And it can be our anniversary present to each other. I thought I was done - off the hook - phew.

This morning, however, Chris gave me another present, which I totally did not deserve. For this year, the leather year, I received this amazing purse from Lowe. Living in China has taught me to really appreciate, no crave, well made objects. And this, my friends, is about as close to perfect as a bag can be. Perfect size, perfect weight, perfect color.




I am truly honored to be spending this life with Chris. For those of you who have not met my husband, he is an incredibly giving (ummm, yeah!), fascinatingly intelligent, modern man - even though he fights it all of the time. I am so proud of him, how he has grown (how we have grown) in China. I love my bag, I love our medicine cabinet, but what matters most is traveling this world with you.

Konichi, Wassahp!?

In February, I am teaching a little rag doll workshop here in Beijing. I looked on the internet for free patterns that we can use, but I couldn't really find any that I liked. There seem to be a lot of themed, complicated, or even creepy patterns, but few basic ones. So I have been working to create an easy rag doll pattern that we can use in the class.

Introducing Prototype #1, or Miss Konichi, as Chris has named her.



I liked her hair quite a bit, but it was complex and fiddly. Also, her proportions were nice (except for the too skinny legs), but her narrow body means that sewing and turning her would be a challenge for people new to doll making. So she is cute, but not quite right. Back to the drawing board!



I have been using a trial version of Adobe Illustrator to make the test patterns. In this process, I have learned two main things. First, it actually has been very useful for making trial patterns - easy to adjust your work once you get the hang of the basic commands. Second, I totally need to take a class in this program before I pay $499 to own it. This program is crazy complex. To all of you who use illustrator to make cool images - Good on ya.

Cherished Babies

Buttons, finally! I finished this little sweater last August during our trip to Egypt, but I couldn't find buttons. For a while, I was searching for the right buttons, even ordering some from the internet (alas, too small). Finally, I settled for ANY buttons I could find here in Beijing.



Originally, I thought this would be a sweater for Miss G, but I think I will instead give it to an orphanage. This is a 6-9 months size and, although I knit at the proper gague, it sure looks small. Sizing has me stumped, really, because I am not sure how big our daughter will be when we pick her up. From what I read, people's experiences vary from 15 pounds at gotcha day to a whopping 24 pounds. These are all stories from people who requested babies, mind you. How do you plan for that?



So this little sweater will go to a place where it is needed and where surely it will fit someone. For those who are interested, this is the Chunky Knit Cardigan pattern from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies knit with a cotton/ wool blend yarn from Knitpicks.

Awwwwooooooo

With the wonders of Vonage, Chris and I are fortunate to have a US telephone number that rings in our home in Beijing. Most of the time it works really well, and it allows our family to call us easily and cheaply. Late night or early morning conference calls with the US are easier too because I can take them from home instead of the office.

Every now and then, though, we get an annoying random caller, usually at 2 a.m. Beijing time. These people never leave messages and probably are wayward telemarketers who are defying numerous "do not call" lists. When the phone rings in the middle of the night, everybody wakes up - including the dog.

This is the creepy thing about these experiences: Frankie will invariably begin to howl along with the telephone. Now, Frankie is not a vocal dog, so hearing him go Awwoooooooooooooo is bizarre. Stumbling out of sleep to a cacophony of digital music and a ghostly moan is not fun, especially in the wee hours of the morning. Hard to fall back after that, I tell you.

Ordering China Airline Tickets

Monday, 3:00 p.m.

TA #1: Hello, this is Elong calling to confirm your order of two tickets to Harbin. When would you like them delivered?

Me: Well, I asked on the on-line form for them to be delivered on Wednesday.

TA #1: How about today?

Me: OK, but I leave at 7 p.m., so it has to be delivered before then.

TA #1: Great, so we will deliver today before 8 p.m.

Me: No, Sorry BEFORE 7 because I leave at 7.

TA #1: OK, we will deliver at 7 then.

Me: BEFORE 7

TA #1: OK, OK BEFORE 7. If we will not make it before 7, then I will call you back.

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Monday, 7:00 p.m.

Me: Hello, I am calling to see about the status of my air tickets that were supposed to have been delivered today before 7 p.m.

TA #2: Oh yes, sometimes the delivery people are late. Just wait.

Me: This is ridiculous (tell whole story... blah blah blah). I am shocked by your poor customer service.

TA #2: Umm, yeah. OK. So we deliver tomorrow?

Me: How about Wednesday as I originally requested? Oh, and can I please speak to TA#1 to see why he did not call me as promised?

TA #1: Oh sorry, he has left for the day.

Me: Of course he did.

Getting My Craft On

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a lovely blog written by a lady named Michele. She and a friend are hosting a monthly craft-a-long, and I decided to jump in. The theme this month is "bag," and I interpreted that a little loosely. My item is more of a fabric container than a true "bag." But really, I desperately needed something to organize my straight knitting needles, so a new needle roll was calling my name.



I used a pattern published by Favorite Things, and it came together easily. The fabric is from Amy Butler's collection. The orange in this makes me feel good. I used to claim that my favorite colors were shades of blue, but I think I have been deluding myself. Bright orange gets me, every time.



To Michele and Amy, thanks for letting me tag along this month.

Denim Pinafore

Pinafores have always seemed so romantic to me. For little girls, of course. I would look ridiculous in one. But if you are a lady of three, you should wear a pinafore as often as possible.

Here is a WIP shot of a denim version from Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Little Cherubs. I began knitting this project last Sunday, and I am astonished to be almost up to the armhole decreases on the first side. All that progress was made despite the fact that I forgot to bring an extra ball of yarn on my trip to Hong Kong this week. Of course I ran out and had nothing to do on the 3.5 hour trip back to Beijing.



The pattern calls for six balls of denim yarn for the 2-3 year old size (smallest one), but I have 5 balls of one color and one ball of a darker color. I have decided to try inserting a darker stripe across the chest and later adding some silk ribbon daisies on the front. Really a design feature and not a cheap-o strategy, right?

Rag Doll Workshop

In case you live in Beijing and are interested, I am hosting a rag doll workshop on Sunday, February 11 from 3 to 6
p.m. During this session, particpants will create and stuff one 16"
rag doll. We will not be making clothes, but we will discuss clothing
ideas and methods for you to finish him or her at home. Basic sewing
machine experience is helpful, but not required. You must, however, be
12 years old or older.

Workshop objectives: To gain experience constructing a basic rag doll,
understanding patterns and materials, exploring ways to recycle
materials into a lovable friend.

Location: Smallville Cafe in ShunYi

Cost: 25 RMB for tea and snacks provided by Smallville Cafe

Materials: I will provide all patterns and materials for this session.

How to sign up: Class size will be limited to 8 participants, so
please email me directly if you would like to attend (rebeccacoke at yahoo dot com). I will send an
email to those of you who have already expressed interest to confirm
your participation.

Thanks!

Preemie hat #1

For real, y'all.

Hat for Which Baby?

One of my friends here in Beijing asked if I would be willing to knit some preemie hats for a local orphanage in ShunYi. I set to work with some stash yarn, but quickly realized that an angora cap is probably neither practical nor preferred for use on babies. Turns out it looks pretty cute on one of my resident babies, though. All she needs is a red velour/ white fake fur outfit so she can be a Christmas dolly.




Don't worry, I have cast on for another hat with more practical yarn.

More Hippie Madness

If you truly get caught up in cloth diapering and become a full fledged hippie (as Chris calls me now), one option is to make reusable baby wipes. These are hemp terry on one side and cozy flannel on the other.

You can whip out a whole stack of these in no time, especially if you have a serger. I might make some as a gift for an upcoming baby shower and include a recipe for vegan baby wipes solution.

Tips on Traveling to Korea

One of my friends from Chicago recently received a referral for a baby boy in Korea, and her family will be soon traveling to pick up their new son. This was such fun news to hear, especially since we will soon be in a similar position. How exciting to know that you will soon be saying "Well hello" to a new little member of your family. Chris jokes that by the time we pick up Miss G, she will likely be big enough to walk right up to us and say "Whas' up peeps?"

Because this was on my mind all day, I found myself compiling a list of tips for traveling in Korea for my friend that may (or may not) be useful. It was really the only thing I could think of to do to be even remotely helpful. I am sure that you all have tons of things to add that I have missed, but here is my list.

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1) For the most part, there is no tipping in Korea. If you try to give a taxi driver or a family restaurant staff person extra money, s/he may be confused. If you stay at a big Western hotel, though, the people will likely be spoiled and may expect tips anyway.

2) Unless you have a super secret special cell phone, it will not work in Korea. They have their own system and 99% of the world's cell phones do not work there. Even if you think it will work, it will not. Even if the dude at Cingular said it will work, it will not.

3) The best food around is in small family restaurants that you just stumble into. If you are adventurous, the local food can be fabulous. Avoid the "Pizza Huts' and similar chains that look familiar to you because they are normally VERY WRONG and you will be disappointed that it is not like you expected. That said, McDonalds is usually a good bet anywhere if you crave Western food.

4) My parents flew Korean Air over Christmas and they said the food was horrendous, even when they got upgraded to Business on one leg. So bring a sandwich.

5) If you can, watch 5-10 minutes of US Military TV when you are in Seoul. It is hilarious. Korean soap operas are really funny too, especially when you cannot understand anything.

6) The Seoul subway rocks - clean, efficient and easy to navigate. Remember to hold on to your ticket because you need it when you exit. I screwed that up once and had to jump over a turnstile to flee (true story).

7) If you travel to any city outside of Seoul, then you will see great examples of the less modern side of Korea. If you are only staying in Seoul, then make sure to wander down some side streets or anywhere that you can see some crazy looking market areas. They are definitely worth perusing.

On Being an Adult

Dear [Tenant],

We did not receive your December rent payment within the required five-day notice period, which ended on December [X]. In light of this, we are moving forward with eviction proceedings. You should have received notification of a [insert date] court date for this case.

Please direct any future correspondence regarding this matter to our lawyer - [redacted]. His email address is [redacted].

Sincerely,

A Very Saddened and Disappointed Adult

My Poor, Poor Mother-in-Law

Chris' parents are coming to visit us for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday. We are really excited to see them in Beijing, especially after we had such a nice relaxing time with my parents over Christmas.

The thing about visitors, especially visitors who are also relatives, is that they are also wonderful delivery vehicles. They can carry with them all sorts of goodies from the USofA. Goodies!? Why would you want someone to bring you goodies when it seems everything is MADE in China? Well, everything is made in China FOR EXPORT. It is truly, truly hard to find certain items here. Like women's clothes in any size above a US 4. Or shoes bigger than a Women's size 7 1/2 (monster sizes, apparently). Or quality sewing supplies.

My very sweet mother-in-law agreed to accept delivery of some packages and bring some items over in February. I think I got a little carried away with the ordering thing. She sent an email yesterday saying - I got your two packages! All that fabric!

Ummmm... yeah. I am not sure how to tell her that there are 6 more packages en route, and one contains a full 14 yards of cotton velour and interlock knit fabrics for baby knits. Perhaps I need to ready the bottles of white wine to make up once she arrives with the overstuffed suitcase.

Cloth Diaper Covers

We have decided to try cloth diapers when Miss G arrives. When I say "we", however, I really mean the imperial "We" because Chris is still very wary of the whole idea. It does seem to make sense, though, for the following reasons.

1) It will be much more comfortable for her. Which would you rather have strapped to your butt all day long - plastic and gross chemicals or super soft, naturally anti-bacterial hemp fleece?

2) The debate on whether disposable or cloth is better for the environment still rages. Even though we will be using more water, we will not be embalming her poop for thousands of years in a landfill somewhere. Also, these puppies will be laundered at home (see #3 below), so we will not be incurring all of the additional environmental costs of a diaper service (e.g., carting the diaper to and from our home each week).

3) Since we already have a full-time ayi (maid) and will be hiring another one when Miss G comes home, odds are that we will not be doing much diaper washing ourselves anyway.

Of course some would argue that cloth diapers are cheaper than disposables, which is another plus. However, we will likely have to replace our crappy Italian washing machine in the rental house with a newer one, so it may not work out to be much of a savings. Then again, if the current machine shocks the ayi one more time, we may need to replace it anyway.



One of the neatest parts of the whole cloth diapering path is the opportunity to make cute covers and accessories. Now, if you start researching cloth diapers, you will learn two main things. First, these diapers are not your mama's diapers. Technology has changed, and things like pointy safety pins are a thing of the past. Second, there are loads of options to choose from, and it seems everyone has an opinion on what works best.

It is hard to say before you actually have a kiddo what will work for your family, but we have decided to try a system which involves a folded hemp fleece diaper in combination with a diaper cover. Diaper covers can be knit from wool or made from a water-proof fabric, such as PUL or waterproof fleece. Here is a picture of some diaper covers I made over the holiday from the Very Baby Snug Wrap pattern. It only took a day and an evening to make about 10 covers. They were super easy once I got the hang of the fold-over elastic and very cute.

More Babies

Over the holiday break, some diaper material scraps were transformed from this...



into these babies.



The kiddo on the left is for a lady who runs a Kindermusik studio here in Beijing. The one on the right is for a little girl's upcoming birthday. They both desperately need hair, but they will have to wait a bit because mohair is hard to find 'round these parts.

How to Buy Antiques in China

First, ask your driver to drop you off at the antiques store or market. We like Radiance in ShunYi because it is 1) nearby and 2) they do not try to raise the price by 200% once they see you are not Chinese. Second, pick out your pieces. Do not hold back if you like something because real antiques are getting harder and harder to find in China. Third, pay for your lovelies. Harder than it seems actually. Why? Because usually you need to pay in cash, and large amounts of cash are sometimes hard to organize, as evidenced by our past weekend's dash.

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The Coke Family's Shopping Extravaganza

Day 1: Identify antiques on last day before parents return home. Shipping charges are quite reasonable, so all five coveted pieces are placed on hold with a verbal agreement to buy them once the cash is accumulated. Traipse to Bank of China for withdrawl attempt #1. I am sucessful, but the parents' cards do not work. No worries, we can handle it.

Day 2: Return to BofC with husband (and his card) in tow. My withdrawl works, but Chris forgets his PIN and almost has his card sucked into the depths of China's (ever efficient) banking system.

Day 3: Take smelly taxi to BofC again but neither card works. We can SEE the money, but we cannot GET the money. Despondently return home.

Day 4: Try again. As we stand in line at the BofC, we notice people in front of us struggling. The guy before us types many things before walking away with only 200 kuai. Sure enough, the machine has run out of money just as we walk up. Luckily, the Bank of Beijing next door worked fine. Phew!

Day 5: To be continued..... If all goes well tomorrow, then we will be done funding this round of purchases. Given our recent track record, however, I say our odds of success are about 50/50.

UPDATE - It worked! The Coke antiques are being shipped now, and a picture of our new addition will be shared as soon as it is delivered.

Black-eyed Peas

I have a number of pictures that I have been trying to post for a few days now, but the internet in China is conspiring against me. So while I wait for Blogger to resume uploading images, I have a great recipe to share.

It is a tradition in my family to eat black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year's Day. My mom says it has something to do with Southern symbolism for wealth acquisition in the coming year - the peas represent coins and the greens dollar bills. So as an adult I have been trying my best to represent, but the problem is that black-eyed peas are not always so tasty. I usually have to add a bunch of ketchup to make them palatable. Every year, Chris was inevitably complaining about the peas and the need for "tradition."

Then, a few years ago, I discovered this GREAT recipe for curried black-eyed pea soup. Easy to make, yummy to ingest - a perfect solution. Now I just need to figure out a way to make collards taste good...