I am very fortunate that I'm traveling with people far more important than I am. We got to fly in business class to India,

This was the appetizer for lunch, on the leg to Frankfurt.

I was more pleased than an adult should be.

The seats fully reclined but I didn't take advantage of this until the second flight because I was forcing myself onto India time. There's a 12.5 hour time difference between LA and all of India, which means that 8PM on Monday night (right now in LA) is 8:30 AM on Tuesday morning in India.

It wasn’t hard to stay awake, though. I started knitting a sock and had my pick and choose of in-flight movies to watch on my personal TV.

If you were wondering, I watched Rumor Has It with Arabic subtitles and Walk the Line with Japanese subtitles.

Flying over Germany, there was a part of me that ached to get off there and ditch the rest of my party. It looked so beautiful from above. This is what most of Germany looked like from the direction we came. Obviously, this wasn't the city itself.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the trip, but my focus will be work and all I want to do is see the world.

But we arrived without a hitch, exhausted, hot, slightly on edge but no worse for the wear.

At the hotel they greeted us with incense and placed the red dot on our forehead. I'm sure they told us why, but as I wasn't sure my name at the time, the message was lost on me. I've cropped out the exhausted to protect their innocence.

The sight of our hotel rooms was enough to bring a small tear to my eye. The rooms are beautiful, the bath was a delight and the bed had only 2 things missing.

Do you see it? That's right, no Leo or Panda. *sigh*

Alas, we don't stay here. We head to our final destination after breakfast. If the accommodations are half as nice, it'll be an easy stay (with due consideration that there'll be much work to do) and I should be able to post more pictures.

M for Monsoon!
It's monsoon season here in India and we are getting the full experience.
Apparently, this is not your normal monsoon, but instead it's of the "wrath of god" variety. Check out this headline.

Our 2-hour drive to hotel number 2 took us 4 hours. It was hard to get really good pictures, but these are the best of the bunch.

As you can see, it is entirely logical to be knee deep in water, with driving rains moving both vertically and horzontally, but to still bother with an umbrella.

There were roads that had been closed off due to land slide, gridlock (we spent 1 of the 2 additional hours, going in the wrong direction because there was too much traffic going in the correct direction), and various vehicles spilled or stuck throughout the roads. But, when you aren't in a rush to get anywhere, you can simply sit back and take it all in. As far as I'm concerned, it was all part of being in India. I am, however, pleased that my normal commute is far less arduous.

It's amazing to see the difference between the local shops....

And the offices...

Driving around made me feel, even more, that I couldn't wait for the work week to be over and the sight seeing and shopping portion of our the trip to begin. There is some pretty crushing poverty that is always hard to see, but there is also a lot that is amazing and beautiful.

Yet, while Ganesh was hanging out in the car to ensure a quick and easy ride...

... perhaps he sensed we were undeserving of such fortune, because our trip back from the office to the hotel showed us what gridlock really was.

Traffic was backed up for miles not only because some roads were impassible and this was the best alternative, but also because the rules of the road in India, should be more rightly called "suggestions." Stop lights, lanes, and other street markings need only be acknowledged if convenient. The horn should be used constantly if there are any other vehicles, pedestrians or bicycles around. I am not exaggerating in the slightest. We could be in a single lane of traffic, moving as quickly as it is going to move. Everyone would be honking the horn. One should honk both as a suggestion to others to move and in all futile situations in which no apparent entity is the recipient.

To underscore this rule, all trucks have some sort of saying such as this:

This is roughly equivalent to someone painting "blink" or "breath" on the back of their truck. While it might encourage you to do it more, there's really no chance you wouldn't have done it anyway. I cannot even fathom what someone would do if their horn broke in India. I suspect it'd be akin to losing a tire; one would simply be unable to drive the vehicle until the matter had been sorted out.

Now, where did I put that Advil?

I'm pretty sure that some sort of torture is going on in the guise of hospitality. We wake up early every day (hello, 5:00 AM, nice to see you), eat a huge breakfast, waddle to our cars, begin our day of work, with a constant stream of coffee and cookies if necessary. Then, before you know it, a giant buffet of foods from traditional Indian to classic Italian will be spread before us. One cannot pass up traditional Indian food while in India, so down the gullet it goes. Ooooh, so good!

Meeting after meeting continue, with more coffee to artificially maintain momentum. Then we're broken off into groups where we sight see or shop until Dinner, which, of course, will be huge and run until all hours of the evening. One must be sure to simply sip the wine because the glass will be surreptitiously replenished when least expected. Then, it's back to the hotel, where exhaustion causes the bed to nearly sing to me (that's normal, right?) yet it is the start of the day back home, so there is much more work to do. I attempt to wade through the mountains of emails and sort out various issues before passing out cold.

If I don't completely explode from overeating, I'll surely go mad from exhaustion.

I say all this only to relieve my self of all obligation to put together a coherent and interesting blog post. Instead, I present to you, a rag tag selection of images with no apparently segues or useful narratives.

So without further ado...

For my crafty friends, here's a little fabric porn.

I'll only be showing you a fraction of what's inside. I'm pretty sure that after a certain point, I lose all sense of reality and go into some sort of silk related sensory overload.

These are all printed silks that are so cheap, one might be inclined to shed a tear. If you were to turn the corner, you'd have wall after wall of silk saris to choose from. If I hadn’t been mopping my drool up off the floor, you would see a pictures.

Along the other wall were their cottons

I'm pretty sure my host cannot fathom why I'd care about the cottons, but my god, for 12 dollars I could get enough fabric to recreate Princes Dianna's wedding dress, train and all. The printing is easily as beautiful as the silks yet with loads more practicality. Also inside were gorgeous pashmina shawls and other hand crafted textiles. If I told you the prices, you probably wouldn’t believe me. I recall seeing pashmina shawls in stores for over $100. Here, you can get a hand loomed, reversible one for under $30.

If money were no object, this store would have afforded me the option to look as lovely as some of the staff who joined us for dinner last night

This is the prelude to yet another binging incident.
Must...find...stretch...pants

But what is a blog post about India, without the obligatory cow?

It has been my goal to attempt to get my picture taken next to one of these fellas. I'm informed that no native would every consider having her picture taken next to a cow. I pointed out that most New Yorkers wouldn't deign to have their picture taken in front of the Statue of Liberty either. It's all part of tourist adventure. If it happens, you’ll all be the first to know.

Now back to the salt mines for me.

We here at Marnie Talks would just like to apologize. Apparently a raving lunatic commandeered the blog yesterday and had her way with it. I want to assure you all that I'm in full control of my mental and physical faculties and was not the least bit responsible for that outburst.

Yesterday was a long day, starting with a wake up call at 4:30 AM and finishing with a quick phone meeting at 9:30 PM (luckily, with someone I enjoy talking to). That being said, there was a lot of downtime yesterday. We checked out of the hotel in the morning, had meetings until 2 PM and then began our trek to Mumbai, with a business stop along the way.

There were a couple of other detours, though:
Meet the Water Buffalo

These guys roam the streets freely. Unlike the cows, they are very mild tempered and were a perfect set piece for my vision of touristy goodness. The cars were stopped, cameras locked and loaded and I sprinted to my destination.

As you can see, though, the person charged with my camera managed only to get me in the shot. I swear, there is a buffalo near by. No, seriously, there is. I promise, others got pictures, I'll prove it to you soon.

In defense of the photographer of the above photo, I was rather lacking in decorum at the moment, resulting in a none-too-pleased buffalo. There was a moment; I am bounding over puddles and shrubs, Ms. Buffalo was partaking of a salad, she lifted her head to see what the commotion was and our eyes met. I'm not sure if it was fear or confusion but whichever it was, it did not bode well for the photo op. I would step a bit closer, she'd amble out of frame. This repeated a couple of times until she finally decided that pastures were greener elsewhere.

So my muddy feet and I got back in the van and we all headed towards Mumbai. It speaks to the human ability to adapt that I feel the ride was relatively uneventful. Playing chicken with oncoming traffic whilst attempting to pass the traffic in your own lane is simply par for the course, I believe I may now completely filter all noises that exist at the same frequency as the average car horn and even sights like this seem more or less normal.

I will admit to an inordinate amount of pleasure in being able to see some monkeys, though.

Ok, so the picture is grainy enough to end up in an Oliver Stone documentary on the assassination of Cornelius but you can sort of tell they are monkeys, right?

There was one moment, though, when my heart dropped a little. Our driver took a wrong turn and moments later, was pulled over. Immediately, I had visions of all of us being hauled off to who-knows-where for a cavity search or some such indignity. Of course, nothing of the sort happened but I have a relatively active imagination. While our driver hashed things out with the horde of local police, I sneaked a little picture through our back window.

A couple minutes and 100 rupees later (about $2 US) we were back on the road and on our way to the hotel.

I have many many more pictures to show but not another moment to spare, so for now, I'm signing off. It's time to eat and then spend the say shopping.

Hi, yah, it's been a hot day, I know, and the airport appears to be ill equipped to handle the actual volume of people. Trust me, I was pretty shocked when I saw how long the security line was to enter the Luftansa terminal. In fact, I would suspect that most of the mob of people in line were feeling a little bit punchy. I, for one, have only had a couple hours of sleep in the past 36 hours and have spent most of that time in weather that would make your average steam room seem like Siberia.

I admit it, I do, indeed have business class tickets, which, obviously, makes me a bad person, this goes without saying. And, indeed, I AM American which means I have no apparent social graces and I'm selfish. It's all so very obvious.

You see, this is where my logic failed me (it’s because all we Americans watch only American Idol and eat McDonalds) what bothered me was that I was standing in the First Class/Business Class line for security and I'd been waiting there, with the folks I was traveling with, for quite a while. My bags were heavy and when you and your wife decided to skip the process of waiting in line and begin to wheedle your way in between the party with whom I was traveling, and me, I didn't think it was terribly inappropriate to, noticing your economy tickets, point out the line to which you may wish to proceed to.

Your reply, something along the lines of "What, do YOU have first class tickets?" was certainly a valid question, I'm just not so sure that it supported your argument to then berate me for having the correct tickets for the line. When you then asked why I mentioned which line you should be in, and I pointed out that you had just tried to cut in front of me, saying "The plane won't leave any faster because someone cut in front of you." Didn't strike me as a compelling argument. The fact that you were now yelling at me, though, did garner us plenty of the spotlight.

I noted your change of tact though, asking me how I "KNEW" that I had been cut in front of, was certainly a novel approach, but when I then pointed out that you cut between me and the other people with whom I was traveling, it may have been a good time for you to simply let the subject drop. It sort of surprised me that, instead, you used this as an opportunity to verbalize for several minutes, in monolog format, what you felt Americans would be inclined to do about the situation. You see, I had no idea that Americans, once in their own country, were prone to engaging in citizens' arrests for such infractions. I also didn't realize that quietly pointing out that you had cut in front of me was a far greater social infraction than the cutting itself. It's good that I have you, the Frankfurt Goodwill Ambassador, to enlighten me.

It was particularly charming to have you go on at length despite the fact that I had turned my back to you and proceeded on with my life, without ever needing to raise my voice.

It's was so useful to know that by following rules, keeping myself composed and generally respecting other people's personal rights as I would my own, that I had shown myself for the ugly American that I am. I'm sure that the many other patrons in front of whom you cut, were pleased that you had put me in my place.

Thank you guy in the Frankfurt airport who tried to cut in front of me and then yelled at me, you are a true humanitarian.

I am exhausted. I feel like this cat I saw in Mumbai.

I was able to sleep the whole night through, but it doesn't feel like it, it feels like I took one of those marathon naps instead. You know the ones. You wake up groggy, achy and a little slow on the draw.

Coming home was as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Leo took me out for a big salad and then I took a long hot bath and started unpacking.

I'm getting all my photos together to post an album. It was a really amazing trip and a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. There was no lack of work to be done, most work days started at 8 AM, ended at 5 PM and carried on into dinner. After that, I think all of us tried to do some work before bed and first thing in the morning, to catch up with the folks back in LA who would be just starting and ending their days, respectively. Even so, I am amazed at how much we could fit into the remaining free time. I think part of my exhaustion stems from never passing up on an opportunity to see the sights and shop the shops. Oh boy!

The downside to keeping so busy is that I have basically done no knitting at all. I didn't even have time to miss it. I'm hoping I'll have time between laundry, grocery shopping and other errands, to get back into the flow of things.

To all of you who posted comments during my trip, thank you. I know my blog has been entirely devoid of anything that most of you come 'round here to read about. It's like having a big circle of friends to kvetch with. And for any of my German readers out there, fear not, I definitely did not consider that guy representative of the average German. Heck there are jerks just about everywhere.

Well, I can't show you everything I got because much of it is gifts for people who read this blog. No need to give them a sneak preview. But I can show you a few things I acquired for me.

These books were gifts from the hosts. I haven't had a chance to crack them open but I'm looking forward to it.

But books, smooks, you want to see the fabric, don't you?
I bought myself 2.5-4 yards of each and they are all silk.

This is a gorgeous iridescent green and purple fabric.

I should stop right now and explain that I have no idea what any of these will be used for. I think this one would make a great lining for some hand knit or crocheted purses, but who knows what it will actually become.

This is some light light sage green raw silk. The color is very hard to capture, trust me, it's a lovely shade.

This stuff was so cheap, I'm embarrassed to say how much I spent on it. I have 4 meters of it and I think it's about a 48" width. I think it'd make a beautiful structured mandarin collar jacket with princess seams, but, again, I reserve the right to completely change my mind about that.

These next two fabrics were a little pricier but so beautiful, they make my heart skip a beat.

I think I might like to turn one into a gored skirt maybe with some black chiffon insets or with some contrast piping. Did any of you even know that I know how to sew? Well, I do, though I'm not incredibly good at it. I have more vision than skill, that's for sure.

And yes, I did buy a sari.

No, I'm not going to model it for you. Not yet, at least. I think I've figured out how to do the standard drape, but it's pretty crude, sort of the equivalent to one's first fun fur scarf, if you know what I mean.

Finally, I bought shawl/wrap type things. The first two are a very soft wool. If I recall they are pashmina but not of the super fab variety. Both are reversible, in the way that double knit is reversible. The dominant color within a section of the weaving becomes the secondary color in the same section on the back.

The last one here is silk and hand dyed. They use a tie dye type process and the result is a light and crinkly silk scarf that is surprisingly warm when needed.

All three are about 2-3 feet wide and at least 6 feet long so they are perfect for casually throwing about the shoulders when there is a little chill in the air, but the fold up small enough to fit in a decent sized purse when it's warm.

Oh and jewelry is quite a bargain in India too. There is gold aplenty, but I prefer silver for sure.

Much of these have or will go to friends, but I don't think any of them wander by my blog. All are sterling silver with semi-precious gems.

Oh, and by the way, I did work on one sock while I was there:

It's a bit small. If after blocking it's still tight, I may actually have to rip it out.

I finally got my India pictures sorted and posted online. You can pop yourself on over to the gallery if you like.
You'll get to see some of the cool gothic architecture of Mumbai.

See the gateway to India

Go with me on a tour of the Prince of Wales Museum.

See the Hanging Gardens

And join me for my last meal in India.

All of this without having to brave the hot sticky monsoon weather. It's a bargain at twice the price.

Well, I did promise that there were pictures of me near a water buffalo. However, it appears that none of them are terribly good representations of our bonding experience. Really, I did actually stand still next to said buffalo and, well, yes, I did scare her quite handily. I maybe, perhaps, did not actually want to be standing in a muddy (I hope it was mud) field so perhaps I wandered off when things seemed not to be going according to plan.
I haven’t lost hope though. I’m told that my boss has finished her roll (yah, like one of them old fangled film cameras) and is sure she has a better picture of Big Birtha and me.

Well, it looks like I'm headed back to India for a couple weeks, starting on Wednesday or Thursday. So now, I will be away from Leo and Panda, my two little rays of sunshine AND El Matchador, my new constant companion (is it just me or does "constant companion" sound like a personal hygiene product?). I expect this trip to be much more intensive and less fun all around, but I still hope to make the best of it. I'm a touch nervous about going without anyone I know and as the sole representative for my company. But let's not talk about work, let's talk about freshly spun yarn.

The Red Maple roving worked up quickly at a nice thick and thin, mostly worsted weight yarn, once plied. Do you want to see something amazing? Here are the two bobbins after I finished plying them.

Please excuse the lighting, it was evening when I did the plying.

I had all of maybe 12-18 inches of singles on one bobbin when the other emptied. There was no planning, no trying, just magic. *sigh* It'll never happen again.

I thought the red purple would look nice against the cement of the back patio.

It's a thick and lofty yarn, with out too much spin, and the results are every bit as squoochy and sproingly as you'd want it to be. I already have plans for some of this.

Panda gives it a due air of elegance.

After the merino, I pulled out some more roving dyed by Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks (alas, still no website) that I bought from Carolina Homespun. The colorway is "Purple Haze" and it's a heavenly mix of purples and steel grays. The blend is Merino/Bombyx and I had 2 ounces worth.

I spun it up pretty finely because I wanted to try to use the Navajo Plying technique. For those who haven't tried it before, Navajo plying is a means of achieving a three ply yarn off a single bobbin by, in essence, working very long crochet chain stitches. It takes a touch of coordination, but with a little practice, it's actually quite fun. I started with some scrap yarn I had and got the motion down, before trying it with my new singles.

The results are nice; a nearly balanced 3 ply with lots of sheen and a soft hand.

There's a lot I'm going to miss while I'm away.

A lot indeed.

Went to OFFF today, will post about that soon.

I'm in a bit of a fog with all I have to do before I leave tomorrow, so this post will be a bit haphazard. That said, let's get to it.

I stopped by OFFF on Sunday for just a little while. Leo and Panda drove down with me but when we found out dogs weren't allowed even to the outdoor sections, Leo and Panda went off to check out the town and I wandered the booths.

My first and favorite stop was Janel's of Chameleon Colorworks and Spindlicity.

Hey Julia, see that big bag on the left, that's all BFL, baby!"

I walked around all the other booths and showed surprising strength of will, even when passing the Wooly Winder stand. Mmmmm, Wooly Winder.

But what would a flock and fiber festival be without some flock?

I'm not crazy about livestock but I can't help but appreciate these guys.
I didn't take a ton of pictures of the festival, knowing they'd be a dime a dozen online. But let me tell you, there was much to be seen. I'll have my calendar marked for this event again next year.

After the festival, Leo, Panda and I were thirsty and ready to find some lunch. Leo spotted this place on his way back to pick me up.

I enjoy a beer as much as the next person but Bud?

On the way home, I fondled my new rovings. 4 ounces each of 4 different colorways from Janel's booth.

Here, from left to right, Optim in colorway "Pearl," Merino/Viscose in colorway "Autumn" and a one-off colorway that I simply think of as "Peach" in the same Merino/Viscose blend.

Also, on the wheel and nearly completely spun up, some alpaca in colorway "Iris."

It's spun at a pretty fine weight and has a range of shades from nearly yellow green to blue to purple and all sorts of in-betweens.

I don't know about you, but when I spin these beautifully dyed colorways, there's always one color that makes a minor cameo amongst all the more dominant shades. Usually, it's a color that on its own, may not impress me, but mixed in with all the colors, it just sings. With this colorway, the shade is a soft dusty blue, more subtle than the dominant blue shade you see in the pictures. When I see that special blue coming up to my fingers, I always get a little excited. I felt the same way about the pink shade in my Autumn Spice roving. I hope to finish spinning and maybe even plying this fiber before I leave, but if not, I know I’ll be coming home to a relaxing treat.

Here I am, 14 hours after I left the house this morning, in the Frankfurt Lufthansa lounge. I don't know how many of you remember my last layover in Frankfurt, but I'm hoping this one is far less exciting. So far so good.

I haven't slept yet, so there has been knitting, there has been reading and there has been a bit of bad movie viewing. I'll probably grant myself a nap once the sleep deprivation hallucinations set in. Weeeee! Better than the free booze for entertainment. All this in hopes of getting close to the 12.5 hour time difference in India. I realize this may be an ill conceived plan as my work schedule these next two weeks is not yet finalized. I may end up actually needing to work a 9-5 PDT which is overnight in Pune.

In the mean time, Leo is taunting me with pictures and audio from home.

Nothing like a little puppy face to make you homesick.

Crappy segues brought to you by Jetlag® (A wholly owned subsidiary of Wonky Moods Inc.)

So after my internet session expired in Frankfurt, I decided I needed to up the dork factor while I passed the time.

Let's be honest, it's pretty darn dorky to be blogging, taking pictures of yourself blogging and listening to .wav files of your boyfriend and doggy back home.

But why not crank out the ol' ipod and listen to science podcasts while spinning on a drop spindle? Short of bringing along a TRS-80 and a butter churn, there are few things I could have done that would have been less cool.

Sorry guys, hands off, this girl is taken! When it started to get too crowded to comfortably spin, I reverted to knitting and listening to the Unger Report.

Finally, 1:45 rolled around and I boarded my flight to Mumbai. Since I was already 17 hours into my 22 hour travel itinerary, I wasn't expecting much of note for the last 5 hours. The plane was definitely rockin' the ol' school business class, but it was roomy and they kept us well fed, so who am I to complain, but I did find one things particularly blog worthy.

Do you see that woman's tray? Note that we are in business class, which means that anytime other than those when the plane is actively taking off or landing there are folks pushing free booze your way. And if, perchance, you happen to feel a thirst coming on during the 5 minutes that the beverage cart isn't at your side, any of the flight staff will gladly hand deliver the liquor of your choice. However, this woman must have feared they'd run out before they reached her again. She has not one, but TWO glasses of white wine and a glass of cognac on her tray. I'm not sure what the glass of water is doing there. Maybe she thought it was vodka.

I passed out for a fitful 3 hours of sleep after the meal and woke up in time for the next meal and a little tea. Now I'm in my temporary hotel room for a couple hours before heading back to the Mumbai airport to fly to my final destination.

The room is nice, though for 5 hours, probably more room than I need. Heck, I never thought I'd feel this way, but if the Mumbai airport had those chest of drawer style sleeping quarters that they have in Japan, I'd have been perfectly content with that. But hey, I’ll enjoy it while I’m here. Wanna see a shot of the pool from my room?

Don't you think that would make a banging night club? Did I just say "banging night club"?

Man, I need some sleep. I'm almost out of internet time, so I'll sign off for now. Presuming my hotel near the office has internet connection, I'll be posting more soon.

I left Mumbai after a breakfast of coffee and toast and hopped a small plane to Pune. This involved another trek through various security check points. Not the least of which was the "Ladies' Frisking Booth." How's that for a friendly how do you do?

It wasn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. It's more your standard issue wanding by security.

After a short wait we were all bussed to our plane in which they'd piped the smooth sounds of musak. La Bamba played as I entered and began again right before we disembarked. I guess they save money by keeping the music rotation just about as long as the flight and pass the savings on to the customer.

I landed, collected my things and headed to the hotel.

Ahh the hotel.
Remember the view from my Mumbai room? Here's how it looks in the day:

Pretty,huh?

Here's my new view:

But it's got internet access, a shower and a bed, which should pretty much cover my needs. They also have the most amusing bottled water I've seen yet.

I don't find their water any more oxygen-y than any other I've had the pleasure to try but I'm reassured to know that it's got 300% more than "source water under standard testing conditions." Heaven knows, our doctors are always telling us to drink more oxygen in our diet.

But the amusement of reading water bottle labels wears off quickly which is where the internet access comes into play, and oh boy am I taking advantage of it. I'm not sure if it makes me more or less homesick, but Leo's been video conferencing with me when we're both awake. I don't have a web cam, but he and Panda do.

Panda doesn't love the web cam. It sort of confuses her to hear my voice coming out of, seemingly, nowhere

But that just makes her get all snuggly with Leo for reassurance.

I miss being with them but am glad they are doing well.

Well, it's time for me to try to catch a little shut eye. Yesterday, that was unexpectedly challenging. There's a festival going on right now, and my room is right next to a temple where they were blaring religious music most of the day. Luckily, I have a couple pairs of earplugs to help dull the noise.

Today and tomorrow, we have off and then it's back to the grind.

I hope to have something more interesting than airports and hotel room views to show you next time.

Today is day 4 of my 14 day trip in India. Having just acclimated to the time change, I'll be switching shifts once again, working 4AM to noon for the remainder of the week. If I were a wise woman, I'd be getting settled to go to sleep right now. But you know, if I were well rested, I wouldn't find things like this so amusing.

I've seen a lot of variations of floor numbering, but this is the first time I've seen floors 0 and -1.

But we did manage to leave the hotel for a little shopping and sight seeing yesterday.

Maya and her daughter were great guides to our shopping adventure

Walking around is a nice change from being in the car all the time. It gives you a chance to catch those little moments that are too fleeting to capture while hurtling down a dirt road, weaving through pedestrians and livestock.

Awww, sleepy puppies

But I know my audience, here. You might like dogs but what you love is textiles. These pictures cannot even begin to express how much fabric was in this store. It was two stories, floor to ceiling, of every imaginable fabric.

I think Clasonda is experiencing sensory overload.

After wandering through all kinds of great stores and finally finding a place that sells yarn (though it was closed, poo!) we packed into the car and headed back towards the hotel

In Boston, we had "make way for ducklings" in India, it's "make way for cows"

The day was great and ended with a delicious Chinese dinner with Maya and her family.

Today was a half day of work because it's Sunday in the states and a national holiday in India. When the words "lunch" and "Thai food" were mentioned, I had my things packed up and was ready to go in no time.

So as we drove through town, visions of curry dancing in my head, the heavens opened up, Flashdance style.

That's the river we had to ford to make our way into the restaurant

Soaked but still in good spirits, we sat down for lunch. Yum!

Why not a little semi-open air dining during a veritable typhoon?

The rain let up before the end of lunch which gave me ample opportunity to take pictures like the tourist that I am.

Well, if I plan to be of any use when they pick me up for work at 3:30AM, I best be getting some sleep.

• Wake up at some god awful hour which is a lazy arse late hour in the US, say 1AM here (12:30PM in PDT).
• Stagger into bathroom, remind self repeatedly NOT to put toothbrush under tap when brushing teeth.
• Come back out to bedroom/office/dining room/living room/blog central
• Turn on tv and brace self. Rapidly press volume down button in anticipation of it turning on at full volume.
• Wait for ringing in ears to subside.
• Get caught up in commercials and shows* spoken in language I am not familiar with *Quicktime required
• Flip through 37 overdubbed and local stations and sigh each time I hit the cartoon channels (also overdubbed)
• Settle for BBC World News or English language anime station
• Check if Leo is on IM
• Log into personal email
• Log into work email
• Work work work work work
• Realize still in jammies and will need to go to office
• Lament not being home in Portland where jammies are now normal work attire
• Ride to work in backseat of car with no seatbelts
• Thank lucky stars it's too dark to notice just how scary the drive is
• Work work work work work

• 8-12 hours later, pack into the car to go back to the hotel.
• See the cow with the groovy horns

• Fear for safety and wellbeing of all pedestrians, animals, and other motorists, on the way
• Make it back to hotel in what would be, by all accounts, record time
• Knit, spin and do a bit more work, and now thanks to a generous soul at the office (Thanks Ash!) I now have an iSight to use so that Leo, Panda and I can all see each other.

• Take shower
• Chat with Leo and Panda some more

• Blog and surf other peoples’ blogs
• Tuck self into bed in the afternoon
• Read
• Fall asleep to sound of rush hour horns expressing their disdain for the inevitable traffic.
• Rinse and repeat

Here in India, we are working the standard 6 day week, which means that when we leave work on Saturday, we are off the clock until Monday. I've been feeling a touch sick since yesterday morning, but I'll be damned if it'll keep me from enjoying my day off.

I moved out of my old hotel into one that offers a few more amenities. The last place had room service but only during normal meal hours which meant that those days in which I went to bed mid-afternoon and woke up well before sunrise...

This little guy greeted us early one morning, above the office entrance.

I often went 16 hours without a meal (though, luckily, our host always made up for the deficit, with plenty to spare). I will miss seeing "Chicken Alabama" on the room service menu, though.

I'm not from Alabama, but I don't think I've ever heard of a dish quite like that.

If you are wondering about those prices, they are in rupees. Divide by 45 and you get the approximate value in dollars. To make it easier for me (I'm not so strong with math) I just move the decimal place over two spots to the left and double it.

Some rupees.
635 rupees is equal to about $14, which could (theoretically) get me 4 servings of Chicken Alabama with something left over for tip.

Today, leaving all work responsibilities (well, maybe I did a little work in the morning) in the hotel room, Clasonda and I headed over to Panchami's house.

Yah, just a camel in traffic, nothing to look at here.

Panchami is a woman you hate to love (I mean that in the best way possible). She's successful, beautiful, a gracious host, excellent cook, phenomenal mother, loving wife, doting daughter, and generous friend. She doesn't work directly with my company but works in the same office as the people who do, and she simply jumped at the chance to host us at her house. So while she leaves us all feeling inferior, Clasonda and I knew we couldn't miss the chance to spend the day with her.

Could Panchami's mother be any cuter? I love her sari.

When drinks were done, we moved to the kitchen for a lesson in making stuffed naan.

She makes it look so easy.

We had our fill of her delicious food and then she draped a sari on me.

Yes, sure, I remember all those steps.

I think the socks and bra strap really make the outfit.

She topped off the look with a lovely necklace and a bindi. I'm not sure I'm going to trade in my trousers and blazers for saris, but I can see why so many women in India choose to wear these regularly.

You'd think with all this kindness, Panchami would feel content seeing off two full and grinning guests, but she wasn't done with us yet.

They were lovely little dishes used during the holidays. I plan to find a special place for mine at home.

After giving us gifts, she took us to the local shop where she bought her outfit and we did a little shopping.

Clasonda is getting some custom made clothing. This place rocks.

I would love to have had the time to get some outfits made before I left, but I was happy to settle for shopping vicariously through Clasonda.

Believe it or not, this is the abridged post. I have many more pictures, including some spinning to share with you. For now, though, I need some sleep.

Dear Brad,

I know that I've been on TV and I'm an engaging knitting personality, but we've never met, you simply cannot be stalking me around the world; kids and "wife" in tow. It's unseemly and I am in a happy relationship. I thought I'd put enough distance between us when I moved from LA to Portland, but that clearly wasn't enough, and now you are here, in Pune, the same town in which I am staying. I'm sorry to let you down, but don't worry, you seem like a nice person, I'm sure that in time, you will recover and be stronger for the experience.

Your's truly,
~m

No, I haven't run into them, they are a bit more stealth than that.

It's my last day in Pune and I'm marveling at how fast the two weeks seem to have gone. Everyone here, without exception, has been gracious and kind and made me feel welcome, despite the fact that there was much to do and plenty of work related pressure. But you know, I'm not sure I have much to complain about, work wise. It could be worse, I could have this job.

I'm not sure this position would pass OSHA's standards, but they do appear to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For my last little shopping excursion, yesterday, we went to the local market. The place was a mob scene, pure chaos and I loved it. The shops are tiny, with little room to move and one must dodge bikes, cars, scraggly looking cats and other obstacles, to enter the shop of choice, but if you want it, you can find it here. I even found yarn. Oh man, you have no idea how affordable yarn is out here. More on that later, for now, here are some pictures of our excursion.

Women carving stones into mortar and pestle and, I don't know, head stones?

Perhaps useful considering the risk to life and limb one takes, crossing the street.

The holiday, Diwali is just around the corner here in India and everyone is getting prepared. People buy vivid new outfits and colorful decorations in preparation for the Festival Of Lights. The markets are filled with items of every sort, in anticipation.

There's almost so much to look at, one can't decide where to start.

Flowers play heavily in the decorations, especially yellow and orange carnations.

I was able to find a last few items before packing my things and then we made our way back to our hotels for dinner. On the way, we encountered one of your everyday traffic obstructions.

If I were a bit more brave (read: stupid) I could have reached out my window and touched him.

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on a plane home and back to my sweeties. Speaking of which, you'll have to read Leo's response to some of your comments about his tattoo.

Just a quick note to let you all know that I made it home safe and sound. It was a shockingly uneventful trip capped off with big hugs and kisses when I got home.

Butter Naan

By Panchami Tamhankar

Feeds about 4

Ingredients

Bread dough

• 4 cups of refined flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tbsp of yogurt

Cooking ingredients

• 4 tbsp of oil
• 5-6 tbsp of softened butter

Garlic Naan

• 25 cloves of garlic
• Fresh chopped coriander

Stuffed Naan

• Filling of choice (should be dry and cooked). This can include meats, potatoes, or even sweets.

Preparing the dough

1. Sieve the flour and place in a large mixing bowl
2. Whisk egg, milk, yogurt
3. Add the mixture to the flour
4. Add all the rest of the ingredients; baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and oil
5. Knead the flour, adding water if required. The dough should be slightly sticky
6. Cover the dough in a dampen cloth and let it rest for 2 hours

Making the naan

Preheat oven to about 450º F Have on hand a small bowl of flour, rolling pin, marble board on which to roll, butter and any filling.
Whenever the bread or your hands feels sticky, apply a small amount of flour.

Take a small ball of dough in your hand. Dip into your dish of flour.

Note the bread dough is still wrapped in the wet cloth(left side of both images).

Place ball on marble board and roll out using very very little pressure. Ball should be about 4 inches in diameter

If you would like to stuff the bread, make your stuffing and allow to cool to room tempurature. Shown here is a mutton filling.
Cup your hand and place the dough on your palm. Place about 1.5 tbsp of filling into the center
Fold the edges in, sealing the filling in the dough

Place the dough back on the board with the seam on the bottom. Very gently roll out the dough, starting from the center. The only weight placed on the dough should come from the rolling pin itself. Do not lean on it, just gently roll it out. Turn the dough around, adding flour as needed. Flip the dough over, every so often.

If you have filled the dough, you should begin to see it as the dough stretches out and becomes more translucent. When you dough is about 6-7 inches wide in diameter, or the thickness that you would like (it will puff up a little while cooking), you may stretch out one end slightly, to achieve the oblong shape common for naan.

Spread softened butter on both sides of the bread.

For garlic naan, sprinkle chopped garlic and coriander on top.

Bake until the bread is as golden brown as you'd like.

Serve warm.

This recipe is made to produce a bread that will remain soft even as it cools. The dough is quite versatile and can be used in much the same was as pizza dough, so the skies are the limits. Panchami used something like a toaster oven, which kept the dough very close to the heat source. You may need to experiment with your oven to achieve optimal results. Her oven only allowed her to make a single serving at a time. If you plan to make a whole batch, keep the prepared naan moist until ready to cook by placing under a wet towel.

This meal was served with a yogurt dipping sauce and vegetable broth to help with digestion.

M for Monsoon!
It's monsoon season here in India and we are getting the full experience.
Apparently, this is not your normal monsoon, but instead it's of the "wrath of god" variety. Check out this headline.

Our 2-hour drive to hotel number 2 took us 4 hours. It was hard to get really good pictures, but these are the best of the bunch.

As you can see, it is entirely logical to be knee deep in water, with driving rains moving both vertically and horzontally, but to still bother with an umbrella.

There were roads that had been closed off due to land slide, gridlock (we spent 1 of the 2 additional hours, going in the wrong direction because there was too much traffic going in the correct direction), and various vehicles spilled or stuck throughout the roads. But, when you aren't in a rush to get anywhere, you can simply sit back and take it all in. As far as I'm concerned, it was all part of being in India. I am, however, pleased that my normal commute is far less arduous.

It's amazing to see the difference between the local shops....

And the offices...

Driving around made me feel, even more, that I couldn't wait for the work week to be over and the sight seeing and shopping portion of our the trip to begin. There is some pretty crushing poverty that is always hard to see, but there is also a lot that is amazing and beautiful.

Yet, while Ganesh was hanging out in the car to ensure a quick and easy ride...

... perhaps he sensed we were undeserving of such fortune, because our trip back from the office to the hotel showed us what gridlock really was.

Traffic was backed up for miles not only because some roads were impassible and this was the best alternative, but also because the rules of the road in India, should be more rightly called "suggestions." Stop lights, lanes, and other street markings need only be acknowledged if convenient. The horn should be used constantly if there are any other vehicles, pedestrians or bicycles around. I am not exaggerating in the slightest. We could be in a single lane of traffic, moving as quickly as it is going to move. Everyone would be honking the horn. One should honk both as a suggestion to others to move and in all futile situations in which no apparent entity is the recipient.

To underscore this rule, all trucks have some sort of saying such as this:

This is roughly equivalent to someone painting "blink" or "breath" on the back of their truck. While it might encourage you to do it more, there's really no chance you wouldn't have done it anyway. I cannot even fathom what someone would do if their horn broke in India. I suspect it'd be akin to losing a tire; one would simply be unable to drive the vehicle until the matter had been sorted out.

Now, where did I put that Advil?

I am very fortunate that I'm traveling with people far more important than I am. We got to fly in business class to India,

This was the appetizer for lunch, on the leg to Frankfurt.

I was more pleased than an adult should be.

The seats fully reclined but I didn't take advantage of this until the second flight because I was forcing myself onto India time. There's a 12.5 hour time difference between LA and all of India, which means that 8PM on Monday night (right now in LA) is 8:30 AM on Tuesday morning in India.

It wasn’t hard to stay awake, though. I started knitting a sock and had my pick and choose of in-flight movies to watch on my personal TV.

If you were wondering, I watched Rumor Has It with Arabic subtitles and Walk the Line with Japanese subtitles.

Flying over Germany, there was a part of me that ached to get off there and ditch the rest of my party. It looked so beautiful from above. This is what most of Germany looked like from the direction we came. Obviously, this wasn't the city itself.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the trip, but my focus will be work and all I want to do is see the world.

But we arrived without a hitch, exhausted, hot, slightly on edge but no worse for the wear.

At the hotel they greeted us with incense and placed the red dot on our forehead. I'm sure they told us why, but as I wasn't sure my name at the time, the message was lost on me. I've cropped out the exhausted to protect their innocence.

The sight of our hotel rooms was enough to bring a small tear to my eye. The rooms are beautiful, the bath was a delight and the bed had only 2 things missing.

Do you see it? That's right, no Leo or Panda. *sigh*

Alas, we don't stay here. We head to our final destination after breakfast. If the accommodations are half as nice, it'll be an easy stay (with due consideration that there'll be much work to do) and I should be able to post more pictures.

I am exhausted. I feel like this cat I saw in Mumbai.

I was able to sleep the whole night through, but it doesn't feel like it, it feels like I took one of those marathon naps instead. You know the ones. You wake up groggy, achy and a little slow on the draw.

Coming home was as wonderful as I hoped it would be. Leo took me out for a big salad and then I took a long hot bath and started unpacking.

I'm getting all my photos together to post an album. It was a really amazing trip and a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. There was no lack of work to be done, most work days started at 8 AM, ended at 5 PM and carried on into dinner. After that, I think all of us tried to do some work before bed and first thing in the morning, to catch up with the folks back in LA who would be just starting and ending their days, respectively. Even so, I am amazed at how much we could fit into the remaining free time. I think part of my exhaustion stems from never passing up on an opportunity to see the sights and shop the shops. Oh boy!

The downside to keeping so busy is that I have basically done no knitting at all. I didn't even have time to miss it. I'm hoping I'll have time between laundry, grocery shopping and other errands, to get back into the flow of things.

To all of you who posted comments during my trip, thank you. I know my blog has been entirely devoid of anything that most of you come 'round here to read about. It's like having a big circle of friends to kvetch with. And for any of my German readers out there, fear not, I definitely did not consider that guy representative of the average German. Heck there are jerks just about everywhere.

Hi, yah, it's been a hot day, I know, and the airport appears to be ill equipped to handle the actual volume of people. Trust me, I was pretty shocked when I saw how long the security line was to enter the Luftansa terminal. In fact, I would suspect that most of the mob of people in line were feeling a little bit punchy. I, for one, have only had a couple hours of sleep in the past 36 hours and have spent most of that time in weather that would make your average steam room seem like Siberia.

I admit it, I do, indeed have business class tickets, which, obviously, makes me a bad person, this goes without saying. And, indeed, I AM American which means I have no apparent social graces and I'm selfish. It's all so very obvious.

You see, this is where my logic failed me (it’s because all we Americans watch only American Idol and eat McDonalds) what bothered me was that I was standing in the First Class/Business Class line for security and I'd been waiting there, with the folks I was traveling with, for quite a while. My bags were heavy and when you and your wife decided to skip the process of waiting in line and begin to wheedle your way in between the party with whom I was traveling, and me, I didn't think it was terribly inappropriate to, noticing your economy tickets, point out the line to which you may wish to proceed to.

Your reply, something along the lines of "What, do YOU have first class tickets?" was certainly a valid question, I'm just not so sure that it supported your argument to then berate me for having the correct tickets for the line. When you then asked why I mentioned which line you should be in, and I pointed out that you had just tried to cut in front of me, saying "The plane won't leave any faster because someone cut in front of you." Didn't strike me as a compelling argument. The fact that you were now yelling at me, though, did garner us plenty of the spotlight.

I noted your change of tact though, asking me how I "KNEW" that I had been cut in front of, was certainly a novel approach, but when I then pointed out that you cut between me and the other people with whom I was traveling, it may have been a good time for you to simply let the subject drop. It sort of surprised me that, instead, you used this as an opportunity to verbalize for several minutes, in monolog format, what you felt Americans would be inclined to do about the situation. You see, I had no idea that Americans, once in their own country, were prone to engaging in citizens' arrests for such infractions. I also didn't realize that quietly pointing out that you had cut in front of me was a far greater social infraction than the cutting itself. It's good that I have you, the Frankfurt Goodwill Ambassador, to enlighten me.

It was particularly charming to have you go on at length despite the fact that I had turned my back to you and proceeded on with my life, without ever needing to raise my voice.

It's was so useful to know that by following rules, keeping myself composed and generally respecting other people's personal rights as I would my own, that I had shown myself for the ugly American that I am. I'm sure that the many other patrons in front of whom you cut, were pleased that you had put me in my place.

Thank you guy in the Frankfurt airport who tried to cut in front of me and then yelled at me, you are a true humanitarian.

We here at Marnie Talks would just like to apologize. Apparently a raving lunatic commandeered the blog yesterday and had her way with it. I want to assure you all that I'm in full control of my mental and physical faculties and was not the least bit responsible for that outburst.

Yesterday was a long day, starting with a wake up call at 4:30 AM and finishing with a quick phone meeting at 9:30 PM (luckily, with someone I enjoy talking to). That being said, there was a lot of downtime yesterday. We checked out of the hotel in the morning, had meetings until 2 PM and then began our trek to Mumbai, with a business stop along the way.

There were a couple of other detours, though:
Meet the Water Buffalo

These guys roam the streets freely. Unlike the cows, they are very mild tempered and were a perfect set piece for my vision of touristy goodness. The cars were stopped, cameras locked and loaded and I sprinted to my destination.

As you can see, though, the person charged with my camera managed only to get me in the shot. I swear, there is a buffalo near by. No, seriously, there is. I promise, others got pictures, I'll prove it to you soon.

In defense of the photographer of the above photo, I was rather lacking in decorum at the moment, resulting in a none-too-pleased buffalo. There was a moment; I am bounding over puddles and shrubs, Ms. Buffalo was partaking of a salad, she lifted her head to see what the commotion was and our eyes met. I'm not sure if it was fear or confusion but whichever it was, it did not bode well for the photo op. I would step a bit closer, she'd amble out of frame. This repeated a couple of times until she finally decided that pastures were greener elsewhere.

So my muddy feet and I got back in the van and we all headed towards Mumbai. It speaks to the human ability to adapt that I feel the ride was relatively uneventful. Playing chicken with oncoming traffic whilst attempting to pass the traffic in your own lane is simply par for the course, I believe I may now completely filter all noises that exist at the same frequency as the average car horn and even sights like this seem more or less normal.

I will admit to an inordinate amount of pleasure in being able to see some monkeys, though.

Ok, so the picture is grainy enough to end up in an Oliver Stone documentary on the assassination of Cornelius but you can sort of tell they are monkeys, right?

There was one moment, though, when my heart dropped a little. Our driver took a wrong turn and moments later, was pulled over. Immediately, I had visions of all of us being hauled off to who-knows-where for a cavity search or some such indignity. Of course, nothing of the sort happened but I have a relatively active imagination. While our driver hashed things out with the horde of local police, I sneaked a little picture through our back window.

A couple minutes and 100 rupees later (about $2 US) we were back on the road and on our way to the hotel.

I have many many more pictures to show but not another moment to spare, so for now, I'm signing off. It's time to eat and then spend the say shopping.

I'm pretty sure that some sort of torture is going on in the guise of hospitality. We wake up early every day (hello, 5:00 AM, nice to see you), eat a huge breakfast, waddle to our cars, begin our day of work, with a constant stream of coffee and cookies if necessary. Then, before you know it, a giant buffet of foods from traditional Indian to classic Italian will be spread before us. One cannot pass up traditional Indian food while in India, so down the gullet it goes. Ooooh, so good!

Meeting after meeting continue, with more coffee to artificially maintain momentum. Then we're broken off into groups where we sight see or shop until Dinner, which, of course, will be huge and run until all hours of the evening. One must be sure to simply sip the wine because the glass will be surreptitiously replenished when least expected. Then, it's back to the hotel, where exhaustion causes the bed to nearly sing to me (that's normal, right?) yet it is the start of the day back home, so there is much more work to do. I attempt to wade through the mountains of emails and sort out various issues before passing out cold.

If I don't completely explode from overeating, I'll surely go mad from exhaustion.

I say all this only to relieve my self of all obligation to put together a coherent and interesting blog post. Instead, I present to you, a rag tag selection of images with no apparently segues or useful narratives.

So without further ado...

For my crafty friends, here's a little fabric porn.

I'll only be showing you a fraction of what's inside. I'm pretty sure that after a certain point, I lose all sense of reality and go into some sort of silk related sensory overload.

These are all printed silks that are so cheap, one might be inclined to shed a tear. If you were to turn the corner, you'd have wall after wall of silk saris to choose from. If I hadn’t been mopping my drool up off the floor, you would see a pictures.

Along the other wall were their cottons

I'm pretty sure my host cannot fathom why I'd care about the cottons, but my god, for 12 dollars I could get enough fabric to recreate Princes Dianna's wedding dress, train and all. The printing is easily as beautiful as the silks yet with loads more practicality. Also inside were gorgeous pashmina shawls and other hand crafted textiles. If I told you the prices, you probably wouldn’t believe me. I recall seeing pashmina shawls in stores for over $100. Here, you can get a hand loomed, reversible one for under $30.

If money were no object, this store would have afforded me the option to look as lovely as some of the staff who joined us for dinner last night

This is the prelude to yet another binging incident.
Must...find...stretch...pants

But what is a blog post about India, without the obligatory cow?

It has been my goal to attempt to get my picture taken next to one of these fellas. I'm informed that no native would every consider having her picture taken next to a cow. I pointed out that most New Yorkers wouldn't deign to have their picture taken in front of the Statue of Liberty either. It's all part of tourist adventure. If it happens, you’ll all be the first to know.

Now back to the salt mines for me.

I finally got my India pictures sorted and posted online. You can pop yourself on over to the gallery if you like.
You'll get to see some of the cool gothic architecture of Mumbai.

See the gateway to India

Go with me on a tour of the Prince of Wales Museum.

See the Hanging Gardens

And join me for my last meal in India.

All of this without having to brave the hot sticky monsoon weather. It's a bargain at twice the price.

Well, I can't show you everything I got because much of it is gifts for people who read this blog. No need to give them a sneak preview. But I can show you a few things I acquired for me.

These books were gifts from the hosts. I haven't had a chance to crack them open but I'm looking forward to it.

But books, smooks, you want to see the fabric, don't you?
I bought myself 2.5-4 yards of each and they are all silk.

This is a gorgeous iridescent green and purple fabric.

I should stop right now and explain that I have no idea what any of these will be used for. I think this one would make a great lining for some hand knit or crocheted purses, but who knows what it will actually become.

This is some light light sage green raw silk. The color is very hard to capture, trust me, it's a lovely shade.

This stuff was so cheap, I'm embarrassed to say how much I spent on it. I have 4 meters of it and I think it's about a 48" width. I think it'd make a beautiful structured mandarin collar jacket with princess seams, but, again, I reserve the right to completely change my mind about that.

These next two fabrics were a little pricier but so beautiful, they make my heart skip a beat.

I think I might like to turn one into a gored skirt maybe with some black chiffon insets or with some contrast piping. Did any of you even know that I know how to sew? Well, I do, though I'm not incredibly good at it. I have more vision than skill, that's for sure.

And yes, I did buy a sari.

No, I'm not going to model it for you. Not yet, at least. I think I've figured out how to do the standard drape, but it's pretty crude, sort of the equivalent to one's first fun fur scarf, if you know what I mean.

Finally, I bought shawl/wrap type things. The first two are a very soft wool. If I recall they are pashmina but not of the super fab variety. Both are reversible, in the way that double knit is reversible. The dominant color within a section of the weaving becomes the secondary color in the same section on the back.

The last one here is silk and hand dyed. They use a tie dye type process and the result is a light and crinkly silk scarf that is surprisingly warm when needed.

All three are about 2-3 feet wide and at least 6 feet long so they are perfect for casually throwing about the shoulders when there is a little chill in the air, but the fold up small enough to fit in a decent sized purse when it's warm.

Oh and jewelry is quite a bargain in India too. There is gold aplenty, but I prefer silver for sure.

Much of these have or will go to friends, but I don't think any of them wander by my blog. All are sterling silver with semi-precious gems.

Oh, and by the way, I did work on one sock while I was there:

It's a bit small. If after blocking it's still tight, I may actually have to rip it out.

Well, I did promise that there were pictures of me near a water buffalo. However, it appears that none of them are terribly good representations of our bonding experience. Really, I did actually stand still next to said buffalo and, well, yes, I did scare her quite handily. I maybe, perhaps, did not actually want to be standing in a muddy (I hope it was mud) field so perhaps I wandered off when things seemed not to be going according to plan.
I haven’t lost hope though. I’m told that my boss has finished her roll (yah, like one of them old fangled film cameras) and is sure she has a better picture of Big Birtha and me.

I'm in a bit of a fog with all I have to do before I leave tomorrow, so this post will be a bit haphazard. That said, let's get to it.

I stopped by OFFF on Sunday for just a little while. Leo and Panda drove down with me but when we found out dogs weren't allowed even to the outdoor sections, Leo and Panda went off to check out the town and I wandered the booths.

My first and favorite stop was Janel's of Chameleon Colorworks and Spindlicity.

Hey Julia, see that big bag on the left, that's all BFL, baby!"

I walked around all the other booths and showed surprising strength of will, even when passing the Wooly Winder stand. Mmmmm, Wooly Winder.

But what would a flock and fiber festival be without some flock?

I'm not crazy about livestock but I can't help but appreciate these guys.
I didn't take a ton of pictures of the festival, knowing they'd be a dime a dozen online. But let me tell you, there was much to be seen. I'll have my calendar marked for this event again next year.

After the festival, Leo, Panda and I were thirsty and ready to find some lunch. Leo spotted this place on his way back to pick me up.

I enjoy a beer as much as the next person but Bud?

On the way home, I fondled my new rovings. 4 ounces each of 4 different colorways from Janel's booth.

Here, from left to right, Optim in colorway "Pearl," Merino/Viscose in colorway "Autumn" and a one-off colorway that I simply think of as "Peach" in the same Merino/Viscose blend.

Also, on the wheel and nearly completely spun up, some alpaca in colorway "Iris."

It's spun at a pretty fine weight and has a range of shades from nearly yellow green to blue to purple and all sorts of in-betweens.

I don't know about you, but when I spin these beautifully dyed colorways, there's always one color that makes a minor cameo amongst all the more dominant shades. Usually, it's a color that on its own, may not impress me, but mixed in with all the colors, it just sings. With this colorway, the shade is a soft dusty blue, more subtle than the dominant blue shade you see in the pictures. When I see that special blue coming up to my fingers, I always get a little excited. I felt the same way about the pink shade in my Autumn Spice roving. I hope to finish spinning and maybe even plying this fiber before I leave, but if not, I know I’ll be coming home to a relaxing treat.

I left Mumbai after a breakfast of coffee and toast and hopped a small plane to Pune. This involved another trek through various security check points. Not the least of which was the "Ladies' Frisking Booth." How's that for a friendly how do you do?

It wasn't nearly as exciting as it sounds. It's more your standard issue wanding by security.

After a short wait we were all bussed to our plane in which they'd piped the smooth sounds of musak. La Bamba played as I entered and began again right before we disembarked. I guess they save money by keeping the music rotation just about as long as the flight and pass the savings on to the customer.

I landed, collected my things and headed to the hotel.

Ahh the hotel.
Remember the view from my Mumbai room? Here's how it looks in the day:

Pretty,huh?

Here's my new view:

But it's got internet access, a shower and a bed, which should pretty much cover my needs. They also have the most amusing bottled water I've seen yet.

I don't find their water any more oxygen-y than any other I've had the pleasure to try but I'm reassured to know that it's got 300% more than "source water under standard testing conditions." Heaven knows, our doctors are always telling us to drink more oxygen in our diet.

But the amusement of reading water bottle labels wears off quickly which is where the internet access comes into play, and oh boy am I taking advantage of it. I'm not sure if it makes me more or less homesick, but Leo's been video conferencing with me when we're both awake. I don't have a web cam, but he and Panda do.

Panda doesn't love the web cam. It sort of confuses her to hear my voice coming out of, seemingly, nowhere

But that just makes her get all snuggly with Leo for reassurance.

I miss being with them but am glad they are doing well.

Well, it's time for me to try to catch a little shut eye. Yesterday, that was unexpectedly challenging. There's a festival going on right now, and my room is right next to a temple where they were blaring religious music most of the day. Luckily, I have a couple pairs of earplugs to help dull the noise.

Today and tomorrow, we have off and then it's back to the grind.

I hope to have something more interesting than airports and hotel room views to show you next time.

So after my internet session expired in Frankfurt, I decided I needed to up the dork factor while I passed the time.

Let's be honest, it's pretty darn dorky to be blogging, taking pictures of yourself blogging and listening to .wav files of your boyfriend and doggy back home.

But why not crank out the ol' ipod and listen to science podcasts while spinning on a drop spindle? Short of bringing along a TRS-80 and a butter churn, there are few things I could have done that would have been less cool.

Sorry guys, hands off, this girl is taken! When it started to get too crowded to comfortably spin, I reverted to knitting and listening to the Unger Report.

Finally, 1:45 rolled around and I boarded my flight to Mumbai. Since I was already 17 hours into my 22 hour travel itinerary, I wasn't expecting much of note for the last 5 hours. The plane was definitely rockin' the ol' school business class, but it was roomy and they kept us well fed, so who am I to complain, but I did find one things particularly blog worthy.

Do you see that woman's tray? Note that we are in business class, which means that anytime other than those when the plane is actively taking off or landing there are folks pushing free booze your way. And if, perchance, you happen to feel a thirst coming on during the 5 minutes that the beverage cart isn't at your side, any of the flight staff will gladly hand deliver the liquor of your choice. However, this woman must have feared they'd run out before they reached her again. She has not one, but TWO glasses of white wine and a glass of cognac on her tray. I'm not sure what the glass of water is doing there. Maybe she thought it was vodka.

I passed out for a fitful 3 hours of sleep after the meal and woke up in time for the next meal and a little tea. Now I'm in my temporary hotel room for a couple hours before heading back to the Mumbai airport to fly to my final destination.

The room is nice, though for 5 hours, probably more room than I need. Heck, I never thought I'd feel this way, but if the Mumbai airport had those chest of drawer style sleeping quarters that they have in Japan, I'd have been perfectly content with that. But hey, I’ll enjoy it while I’m here. Wanna see a shot of the pool from my room?

Don't you think that would make a banging night club? Did I just say "banging night club"?

Man, I need some sleep. I'm almost out of internet time, so I'll sign off for now. Presuming my hotel near the office has internet connection, I'll be posting more soon.

Here I am, 14 hours after I left the house this morning, in the Frankfurt Lufthansa lounge. I don't know how many of you remember my last layover in Frankfurt, but I'm hoping this one is far less exciting. So far so good.

I haven't slept yet, so there has been knitting, there has been reading and there has been a bit of bad movie viewing. I'll probably grant myself a nap once the sleep deprivation hallucinations set in. Weeeee! Better than the free booze for entertainment. All this in hopes of getting close to the 12.5 hour time difference in India. I realize this may be an ill conceived plan as my work schedule these next two weeks is not yet finalized. I may end up actually needing to work a 9-5 PDT which is overnight in Pune.

In the mean time, Leo is taunting me with pictures and audio from home.

Nothing like a little puppy face to make you homesick.

Crappy segues brought to you by Jetlag® (A wholly owned subsidiary of Wonky Moods Inc.)

Well, it looks like I'm headed back to India for a couple weeks, starting on Wednesday or Thursday. So now, I will be away from Leo and Panda, my two little rays of sunshine AND El Matchador, my new constant companion (is it just me or does "constant companion" sound like a personal hygiene product?). I expect this trip to be much more intensive and less fun all around, but I still hope to make the best of it. I'm a touch nervous about going without anyone I know and as the sole representative for my company. But let's not talk about work, let's talk about freshly spun yarn.

The Red Maple roving worked up quickly at a nice thick and thin, mostly worsted weight yarn, once plied. Do you want to see something amazing? Here are the two bobbins after I finished plying them.

Please excuse the lighting, it was evening when I did the plying.

I had all of maybe 12-18 inches of singles on one bobbin when the other emptied. There was no planning, no trying, just magic. *sigh* It'll never happen again.

I thought the red purple would look nice against the cement of the back patio.

It's a thick and lofty yarn, with out too much spin, and the results are every bit as squoochy and sproingly as you'd want it to be. I already have plans for some of this.

Panda gives it a due air of elegance.

After the merino, I pulled out some more roving dyed by Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks (alas, still no website) that I bought from Carolina Homespun. The colorway is "Purple Haze" and it's a heavenly mix of purples and steel grays. The blend is Merino/Bombyx and I had 2 ounces worth.

I spun it up pretty finely because I wanted to try to use the Navajo Plying technique. For those who haven't tried it before, Navajo plying is a means of achieving a three ply yarn off a single bobbin by, in essence, working very long crochet chain stitches. It takes a touch of coordination, but with a little practice, it's actually quite fun. I started with some scrap yarn I had and got the motion down, before trying it with my new singles.

The results are nice; a nearly balanced 3 ply with lots of sheen and a soft hand.

There's a lot I'm going to miss while I'm away.

A lot indeed.

Went to OFFF today, will post about that soon.

Today is day 4 of my 14 day trip in India. Having just acclimated to the time change, I'll be switching shifts once again, working 4AM to noon for the remainder of the week. If I were a wise woman, I'd be getting settled to go to sleep right now. But you know, if I were well rested, I wouldn't find things like this so amusing.

I've seen a lot of variations of floor numbering, but this is the first time I've seen floors 0 and -1.

But we did manage to leave the hotel for a little shopping and sight seeing yesterday.

Maya and her daughter were great guides to our shopping adventure

Walking around is a nice change from being in the car all the time. It gives you a chance to catch those little moments that are too fleeting to capture while hurtling down a dirt road, weaving through pedestrians and livestock.

Awww, sleepy puppies

But I know my audience, here. You might like dogs but what you love is textiles. These pictures cannot even begin to express how much fabric was in this store. It was two stories, floor to ceiling, of every imaginable fabric.

I think Clasonda is experiencing sensory overload.

After wandering through all kinds of great stores and finally finding a place that sells yarn (though it was closed, poo!) we packed into the car and headed back towards the hotel

In Boston, we had "make way for ducklings" in India, it's "make way for cows"

The day was great and ended with a delicious Chinese dinner with Maya and her family.

Today was a half day of work because it's Sunday in the states and a national holiday in India. When the words "lunch" and "Thai food" were mentioned, I had my things packed up and was ready to go in no time.

So as we drove through town, visions of curry dancing in my head, the heavens opened up, Flashdance style.

That's the river we had to ford to make our way into the restaurant

Soaked but still in good spirits, we sat down for lunch. Yum!

Why not a little semi-open air dining during a veritable typhoon?

The rain let up before the end of lunch which gave me ample opportunity to take pictures like the tourist that I am.

Well, if I plan to be of any use when they pick me up for work at 3:30AM, I best be getting some sleep.

Dear Brad,

I know that I've been on TV and I'm an engaging knitting personality, but we've never met, you simply cannot be stalking me around the world; kids and "wife" in tow. It's unseemly and I am in a happy relationship. I thought I'd put enough distance between us when I moved from LA to Portland, but that clearly wasn't enough, and now you are here, in Pune, the same town in which I am staying. I'm sorry to let you down, but don't worry, you seem like a nice person, I'm sure that in time, you will recover and be stronger for the experience.

Your's truly,
~m

No, I haven't run into them, they are a bit more stealth than that.

It's my last day in Pune and I'm marveling at how fast the two weeks seem to have gone. Everyone here, without exception, has been gracious and kind and made me feel welcome, despite the fact that there was much to do and plenty of work related pressure. But you know, I'm not sure I have much to complain about, work wise. It could be worse, I could have this job.

I'm not sure this position would pass OSHA's standards, but they do appear to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

For my last little shopping excursion, yesterday, we went to the local market. The place was a mob scene, pure chaos and I loved it. The shops are tiny, with little room to move and one must dodge bikes, cars, scraggly looking cats and other obstacles, to enter the shop of choice, but if you want it, you can find it here. I even found yarn. Oh man, you have no idea how affordable yarn is out here. More on that later, for now, here are some pictures of our excursion.

Women carving stones into mortar and pestle and, I don't know, head stones?

Perhaps useful considering the risk to life and limb one takes, crossing the street.

The holiday, Diwali is just around the corner here in India and everyone is getting prepared. People buy vivid new outfits and colorful decorations in preparation for the Festival Of Lights. The markets are filled with items of every sort, in anticipation.

There's almost so much to look at, one can't decide where to start.

Flowers play heavily in the decorations, especially yellow and orange carnations.

I was able to find a last few items before packing my things and then we made our way back to our hotels for dinner. On the way, we encountered one of your everyday traffic obstructions.

If I were a bit more brave (read: stupid) I could have reached out my window and touched him.

In less than 24 hours, I'll be on a plane home and back to my sweeties. Speaking of which, you'll have to read Leo's response to some of your comments about his tattoo.

Here in India, we are working the standard 6 day week, which means that when we leave work on Saturday, we are off the clock until Monday. I've been feeling a touch sick since yesterday morning, but I'll be damned if it'll keep me from enjoying my day off.

I moved out of my old hotel into one that offers a few more amenities. The last place had room service but only during normal meal hours which meant that those days in which I went to bed mid-afternoon and woke up well before sunrise...

This little guy greeted us early one morning, above the office entrance.

I often went 16 hours without a meal (though, luckily, our host always made up for the deficit, with plenty to spare). I will miss seeing "Chicken Alabama" on the room service menu, though.

I'm not from Alabama, but I don't think I've ever heard of a dish quite like that.

If you are wondering about those prices, they are in rupees. Divide by 45 and you get the approximate value in dollars. To make it easier for me (I'm not so strong with math) I just move the decimal place over two spots to the left and double it.

Some rupees.
635 rupees is equal to about $14, which could (theoretically) get me 4 servings of Chicken Alabama with something left over for tip.

Today, leaving all work responsibilities (well, maybe I did a little work in the morning) in the hotel room, Clasonda and I headed over to Panchami's house.

Yah, just a camel in traffic, nothing to look at here.

Panchami is a woman you hate to love (I mean that in the best way possible). She's successful, beautiful, a gracious host, excellent cook, phenomenal mother, loving wife, doting daughter, and generous friend. She doesn't work directly with my company but works in the same office as the people who do, and she simply jumped at the chance to host us at her house. So while she leaves us all feeling inferior, Clasonda and I knew we couldn't miss the chance to spend the day with her.

Could Panchami's mother be any cuter? I love her sari.

When drinks were done, we moved to the kitchen for a lesson in making stuffed naan.

She makes it look so easy.

We had our fill of her delicious food and then she draped a sari on me.

Yes, sure, I remember all those steps.

I think the socks and bra strap really make the outfit.

She topped off the look with a lovely necklace and a bindi. I'm not sure I'm going to trade in my trousers and blazers for saris, but I can see why so many women in India choose to wear these regularly.

You'd think with all this kindness, Panchami would feel content seeing off two full and grinning guests, but she wasn't done with us yet.

They were lovely little dishes used during the holidays. I plan to find a special place for mine at home.

After giving us gifts, she took us to the local shop where she bought her outfit and we did a little shopping.

Clasonda is getting some custom made clothing. This place rocks.

I would love to have had the time to get some outfits made before I left, but I was happy to settle for shopping vicariously through Clasonda.

Believe it or not, this is the abridged post. I have many more pictures, including some spinning to share with you. For now, though, I need some sleep.

• Wake up at some god awful hour which is a lazy arse late hour in the US, say 1AM here (12:30PM in PDT).
• Stagger into bathroom, remind self repeatedly NOT to put toothbrush under tap when brushing teeth.
• Come back out to bedroom/office/dining room/living room/blog central
• Turn on tv and brace self. Rapidly press volume down button in anticipation of it turning on at full volume.
• Wait for ringing in ears to subside.
• Get caught up in commercials and shows* spoken in language I am not familiar with *Quicktime required
• Flip through 37 overdubbed and local stations and sigh each time I hit the cartoon channels (also overdubbed)
• Settle for BBC World News or English language anime station
• Check if Leo is on IM
• Log into personal email
• Log into work email
• Work work work work work
• Realize still in jammies and will need to go to office
• Lament not being home in Portland where jammies are now normal work attire
• Ride to work in backseat of car with no seatbelts
• Thank lucky stars it's too dark to notice just how scary the drive is
• Work work work work work

• 8-12 hours later, pack into the car to go back to the hotel.
• See the cow with the groovy horns

• Fear for safety and wellbeing of all pedestrians, animals, and other motorists, on the way
• Make it back to hotel in what would be, by all accounts, record time
• Knit, spin and do a bit more work, and now thanks to a generous soul at the office (Thanks Ash!) I now have an iSight to use so that Leo, Panda and I can all see each other.

• Take shower
• Chat with Leo and Panda some more

• Blog and surf other peoples’ blogs
• Tuck self into bed in the afternoon
• Read
• Fall asleep to sound of rush hour horns expressing their disdain for the inevitable traffic.
• Rinse and repeat

Just a quick note to let you all know that I made it home safe and sound. It was a shockingly uneventful trip capped off with big hugs and kisses when I got home.

Butter Naan

By Panchami Tamhankar

Feeds about 4

Ingredients

Bread dough

• 4 cups of refined flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsps sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tbsp of yogurt

Cooking ingredients

• 4 tbsp of oil
• 5-6 tbsp of softened butter

Garlic Naan

• 25 cloves of garlic
• Fresh chopped coriander

Stuffed Naan

• Filling of choice (should be dry and cooked). This can include meats, potatoes, or even sweets.

Preparing the dough

1. Sieve the flour and place in a large mixing bowl
2. Whisk egg, milk, yogurt
3. Add the mixture to the flour
4. Add all the rest of the ingredients; baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and oil
5. Knead the flour, adding water if required. The dough should be slightly sticky
6. Cover the dough in a dampen cloth and let it rest for 2 hours

Making the naan

Preheat oven to about 450º F Have on hand a small bowl of flour, rolling pin, marble board on which to roll, butter and any filling.
Whenever the bread or your hands feels sticky, apply a small amount of flour.

Take a small ball of dough in your hand. Dip into your dish of flour.

Note the bread dough is still wrapped in the wet cloth(left side of both images).

Place ball on marble board and roll out using very very little pressure. Ball should be about 4 inches in diameter

If you would like to stuff the bread, make your stuffing and allow to cool to room tempurature. Shown here is a mutton filling.
Cup your hand and place the dough on your palm. Place about 1.5 tbsp of filling into the center
Fold the edges in, sealing the filling in the dough

Place the dough back on the board with the seam on the bottom. Very gently roll out the dough, starting from the center. The only weight placed on the dough should come from the rolling pin itself. Do not lean on it, just gently roll it out. Turn the dough around, adding flour as needed. Flip the dough over, every so often.

If you have filled the dough, you should begin to see it as the dough stretches out and becomes more translucent. When you dough is about 6-7 inches wide in diameter, or the thickness that you would like (it will puff up a little while cooking), you may stretch out one end slightly, to achieve the oblong shape common for naan.

Spread softened butter on both sides of the bread.

For garlic naan, sprinkle chopped garlic and coriander on top.

Bake until the bread is as golden brown as you'd like.

Serve warm.

This recipe is made to produce a bread that will remain soft even as it cools. The dough is quite versatile and can be used in much the same was as pizza dough, so the skies are the limits. Panchami used something like a toaster oven, which kept the dough very close to the heat source. You may need to experiment with your oven to achieve optimal results. Her oven only allowed her to make a single serving at a time. If you plan to make a whole batch, keep the prepared naan moist until ready to cook by placing under a wet towel.

This meal was served with a yogurt dipping sauce and vegetable broth to help with digestion.