Blog — lauhala hat

June and July blew by as I just realized it's August! I've been catching up on stuff, trying to get lauhala processed, keep up with weeding, and some bona fide galivanting. I got to take my new-to-me holomū for a spin in a pīkake themed outfit. Had lunch with girlfriends Cara and Kimi. Kimi is wearing the vintage Mamo Howell mentioned in a previous blog entry. It fit her better and she just happened to have a lei hulu pīkake of her own that perfectly matched the holomū. Then Cara got me hooked on DeStash Hawaii's Instagram... and I experienced my first online video conference...

This post is not about lauhala, but we're all wearing pāpale lauhala so it kind of counts? In my last post I mentioned that I would help wrap pāʻū at the Kailua-Kona King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade. Things changed. I was asked to ride with the Daughters of Hawaiʻi unit and it is very difficult to say "no" to Barbara Nobriga, my former Napua O Holo Lio 4-H Club leader. Turns out, the "Daughters" unit was the first pāʻū unit in the parade line up so I was not able to help wrap other riders. Fortunately, there were SO MANY behind the scenes...

The Mauna Lani re-opened after a big renovation and COVID-19 shut down. This was their first May Day/Lei Day celebration in a couple years. I was the only lauhala weaver that was able to attend this time. In the past I would bring whatever project I was working on and weave and talk story with the other weavers and visitors. I decided to change things ups and take 1/8 inch mauʻu bracelet kits and invite Cara to drive out with me to make bracelets. I forgot to take pictures of our finished lauhala bracelets. We dolled up with pāpale, lei, and vintage...

Wow, this month turned out to be eventful as things opened up from COVID-19 restrictions. Especially with Merrie Monarch and Earth Day. While I still generally wear masks while out in the world, it was strange but nice to see friends' full faces again. First off, the Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona weaving conference has been scheduled for September and registration packets became available. This year it will be held at the Outrigger in Keauhou a.k.a "the Old Kona Surf."  The hotel is on the verge of a much needed major renovation, but the pool has a slide. This year...

I stopped by Kimura's Lauhala Shop the other day to pick up our coffee. Yes, I buy our coffee from a lauhala store. We drink 100% Kona Coffee. It may be considered premium coffee, but it tastes great "black" and we love supporting local agriculture. Also, the natural caffeine levels in fresher coffee makes it more cost effective and convenient, IMHO, as one doesn't have to drink as much to get the same wake up kick in the morning. Kimura's prices are very reasonable. The coffee doesn't travel far from farm to roaster to their store. I digress... Stopped by for...