More Parade Pictures

Since I had people asking for them, here's a post of more pictures from Saturday night.  Some of the costumes were a bit ... fanciful.  I think he's supposed to me a Mardi Gras Zulu warrior.  

These dancers were with the all-woman candombe group.  It might be why their constumes are less skimpy than the others.

And here are the women again, La Melaza.  They stopped and played right in front of us.  Of course, they had to wait for the fireworks to stop.  Did you know you can set off pretty much any firework in the middle of town without consequences here?   Okay, legal consequences.  If you don't do it right, you might injure yourself.

I'm not sure if these guys were meant to be drum majors or baton twirlers, but nearly every group had at least two.

More skimpy outfits.  These ones had really flouncy skirts that the women used in their dances.

And the last picture of this set - some of the stars and moons.  These were in front of each group too, but each decorated differently.  Not sure why.

Finished Ornamentally

As you know if you read my One World One Heart post, this ornament is going to go somewhere after I draw the name on the fifteenth.  Trying to be prepared, I finished the ornament this past week.  The canvas and directions had come with a "Flying Needles Finishing Form" from Dallas, Texas.  I had never used one before, and it was not what I was expecting.  The package said it was easier to use than doing it yourself.  I found it harder, actually, following their instructions.  The only step it saved was cutting out the round forms from mat board.  The rest was the same, and a bit harder because of the hollow of the forms.  On top of that, they were not exactly the same size, so they were harder to stitch together. 

This wasn't a product I'd buy on my own.  I'd never heard of it before using it this time.  I wonder if anyone's had any better experience with it.

Still on the Second Row

I've still got some work to do on the second row, but I should be able to finish it up next week, I hope.  Then it'll be all rectangles!

Desfiles des Llamadas - All Drums, No Pipes

 Crowds gathered for the Parade of the Calls Saturday night near downtown Montevideo.  The parade was supposed to take place on Friday, but was rained out.  We were lucky enough to be on a rooftop on the parade route - food and drink included.  This parade has been split up into two nights because there are so many drumming groups that want to take part.  We went to the second half.  It was awesome.

The group from Maldonado, near Punta del Este, had a representation of a famous piece of architecture in Uruguay.  An artist has a work in progress on the coast.  It's an all white house with no right angles and is constantly being added to. 

La Melaza is the only all woman candombe (drumming) group in Uruguay.  This is a picture of them.  Most of the groups have no women whatsoever.  You can also see the crowds encroaching on the street.  There are no real barricades and policing, yet the parade goes through.

Like Brazil, Uruguay has its share of scantily-clad dancers in its parades.

Sponsors for the groups and the groups themselves have huge flags that they wave over the crowds lining the streets.

Yet more dancers.  Even though this is technically an Uruguayan black history parade, most of the participants aren't.  On the other hand, they all have a good time.

And here you see the very first group we saw.  Yes, their hats are sunflowers.  The sound from these candombe groups can be heard blocks away as they march up the street.  When they're right in front of you, it's a wall of sound.

If y'all want to see more pictures of this, comment.  I have more that I'd love to use, but I don't want to overwhelm you!  Oh, and we're going to at least two more Carnaval events this week, so expect more pictures...

Still Crossing Down

I've resisted doing aught but cross stitches again, and I am getting a bit farther along.  Now to find more time to stitch.

Twirling About

The last thing I added to my rotation was a UFO, as I try to alternate between new and old to clear out started but not finished things.  So, I came across this small one - Pirouette in Purple from The Sweetheart Tree.  It'd been started quite a while back and not much else, so I worked it into the rotation.  It shouldn't take too long.

Kaleiding Again

I've started working on the Kaleidoscope Mandala again from Tracey Horner with Marquoir.  This time I have five squares to complete, so it's going to take a while.  It's still looking pretty good, I think, and people who see it in person really admire it.