Visions from Turkey

Jill and I were provided with an opportunity to travel to Turkey for a week and it took us about 2 seconds to say, "yes." Turkey has been on my list of places to visit, and we hope to host a Y2Knit Experience in this wonderful country soon.

We joined Hal and Jean from Universal Yarn (perhaps Hal got tired of us asking to travel with them on one of their trips to Turkey) in Charlotte, NC and flew into Istanbul. Hal took us to a restaurant on the Sea of Marmara (paradise!) and introduced us to some Turkish dishes. He was most proud to share the Iskenkar gyro, made famous in Bursa, where we were headed next. He was very gracious about my being a vegetarian!

We took a ferry from outside Istanbul, across the Sea of Marmara, to the south shore, where we drove to Bursa. Most of our time in the van was with a great driver, Shefeq, who has a reputation of "getting there on time," even if there's not much time to get there. We think he was concerned we might miss the ferry, so the last stretch of windy, hilly road was covered quite quickly!

I loved the drive from the ferry to Bursa. We passed one of the world's largest acrylic factories, then drove through hilly country with olives and vineyards, reminiscent of Tuscany. Fruit stands boasted melons, peaches, apricots and other seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local olive oil. Shefeq does not stop (except at stop lights).

Once we settled in at the hotel, we all took a walk and Hal pointed out some sights in the neighborhood. We stopped at a hilltop cafe with outdoor seating for a snack. While enjoying the scenery, we ate ice cream served in a melon, an answer to Jill's statement that she would love some fruit or ice cream.

Back at the hotel we put robes on and headed for the thermal baths. I removed my contacts, so I really don't know the reactions of the guests who were there for the wedding. The baths (hamam) are awesome, the water coming from natural mineral springs. You soak for a bit, then an attendant scrubs you. This major exfolliation left us feeling satiny and renewed. It was easy to sleep after that!

Monday meant work, and we spent the next three days in the offices at the mill. I will just say here that seeing major manufacturing of yarn was interesting and educational.

Tuesday morning we visited the women who knit samples. We had met Shukran on Monday. She has taught women to knit, found other knitters, and created a knitting school. The knitters meet in an apartment and spend time together while they knit. They can get help and share techniques.

I had insisted that we have this opportunity as I had heard about the knitters. Hal went with us and was able to translate, though this proved to be almost unnecessary as we discovered the universal language of knitting works very well for communication.

Within minutes we were showing each other what projects we were working on. Thanh's yarn was tangled, and she immediately had help. We "talked" about our knitting style (I think that every style was represented in the room), what kinds of needles we like best, and, of course, what kind of yarn we like.

One of the women shared that she had been one of the first to learn knitting through Shukran and that she loved getting together with other women to knit most days. When her husband lost his job, they were grateful for her income. She has even taught her 12 year old son to knit. She said, "I love knitting!" Apparently, having a place to go to knit is an excellent motivator for getting housework done. The faster you move through that, the sooner you can sit down and knit with your knitting friends.

The sock sample knitter turns her heels a bit differently than US knitters, so she came in and demonstrated while Jean and Jill took notes. Shukran is seated in the background. She was very quick and told us that she has knit socks on a quick deadline when necessary, starting a sock (always toe up) after putting the family to bed and finishing at 3:30 in the morning. I think she was the one who told us she hurries through her housework and cooking so she can knit.

This was a rich experience I'll hold for the rest of my life. I look forward to visiting the knitters again. They told us they'd teach us some cooking next time, and we're all over that!