Getting ready to leave for India...

I'm leaving for India on February 4th from Calgary, arriving in Delhi via Heathrow early Saturday morning. I'm travelling with my knitting buddy Wendy...she's been doing lots of research about what we'll see and do, while I've been organizing the accommodation and transportation. So far, it's been a great partnership! We just slid back into our old roles that we developed from years of planning knitting retreats. I plan to use this blog to communicate to friends and family--check in here regularly (or click on the "subscribe to posts" at the bottom of the page to receive updates) to see what we've been up to.

I'm not sure if I'll be posting images...that'll depend on the computer I have to use, whether that's in a cafe or at our guest house.

We will be spending the first couple of days in Delhi with Yvonne, a friend from Vernon who broached the idea of this trip in the first place...and then we leave for Agra and the Taj Mahal for two days. (We have booked a car and driver...he's been described as part driver, part guide and part nursemaid...perfect for us!) Then on towards Jaipur staying a few nights at historic guest houses along the way, meeting up with Yvonne again, and finally in Jaipur itself for a couple of days. On February 14th Wendy, Yvonne and I fly to Ahmedabad where we meet our host, Vicky, for the next two weeks as she leads us on a "magical mystery textile tour" of Gujarat and Rajasthan. We finish up at her farm near Kota http://colsudhirfarm.com/index.html before flying out of Delhi early March 3. I'll be stopping off in England until March 12th while Wendy carries on home to Canada. I'll be staying with old friends on their farm just south of Carlisle. See http://www.highheadsculpturevalley.co.uk/ We've hatched plans for a reunion of the staff of the restaurant we worked at in the Lake District over 35 years ago to celebrate our old boss' 70th birthday. Whew! A full 5 weeks!

Meanwhile I have a few piles of things to sort and pack. I'm planning to take a minimum of clothes--just a change of tops and bottoms--and a small mound of first aid supplies to be prepared for practically anything. So, the back pack will be about half full thus plenty of room for the precious textiles I might accummulate along the way! This is NOT a shopping trip--I have no desire to add to my already large fabric and fibre collection, however I realize there will be some pieces that I won't be able to pass up. I am looking forward to the novelty of having some clothes made for me--possibly Indian clothing that will be comfortable to wear while travelling.

Meanwhile I thought I'd post pictures of my latest completed project. This is a cardigan knit in the mitred module technique from silk and wool. It's been a long time coming...I started it about 4 1/2 years ago, knitting it in fits and starts. The delays have been handy because I've used it in workshops to demonstrate various options and how to construct a garment with the mitred module technique. At Christmas I pulled it out with the goal of finishing and wearing it. Here it is...