Name & Age: Lynelle Tarter, 30
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Current Neighborhood: Multnomah
How do you pay the rent and what is your slash? By day, I work in the operations department of a small, locally owned investment advisor, reconciling investment accounts (basically, glorified checkbook balancing for large investment portfolios). By night, I am a singer, knitter, seamstress, runner, Oba (that’s Aunt to you) and daydreamer.
What do you create? Memories, in knitted form. Also wall hangings out of men’s ties, costumes for the Lewis and Clark College opera workshop. Oh, and Japanese threadballs called temari. And some other things.
How did you land in Portland? I came to Portland to go to college. Though I was born in California, I only lived there for four years spread out over 18 years. The remaining fourteen years were spent in Japan. I only expected to be here for a few years but Portland was the first place, aside from Tokyo, where I felt at home so I stayed. It was the first place in the States where I felt I belonged. I’ve now lived in Portland longer than anywhere else in the States and can’t really imagine living anywhere else.
What is the last book you read? 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff and In Search of England by H. V. Morton. I’m planning a trip to London so most of the books I’ve been reading recently have something to do with England or London.
Name your favorite tattoo. Right now, my favorite tattoo is the three dragonflies I am planning to get on the inside of my right wrist in celebration of my 30th birthday. I plan to add a dragonfly every subsequent decade.
What was the last thing you ate at a food cart? Cool Harry’s Mango Frozen Yogurt but before that I had some of my friend’s order of the Piggy Fromage at Snow White House Crepes… soooo good.
Oregonian, Willamette Week, or Mercury? Oregonian at work but I really get most of my news from BBC Online
What is your favorite bridge and why? There is a green suspension bridge over the Tamagawa outside of Tokyo that I absolutely love. It’s for pedestrians only and if you skip across or walk really heavily, it “wiggles” up and down. As children, we always stopped half-way across the bridge to feel it sway. Now that I think about it, it looks a little like the St. Johns Bridge on a much smaller scale.
Stumptown Coffee or _________? I don’t drink coffee. I can’t stand the taste although I love the smell. However, (please, don’t hate me) I like chai lattes from Starbucks. I’m working on my own masala chai recipe so as to wean myself away from said corporate giant but mostly so I can save money.
Coast or Mountains? Coast. I love walking in the waves, even in January, but I don’t like swimming in the ocean. And, having grown up watching the sun rising over the ocean, I am still amazed watching it set in the ocean.
Only in Portland moment? I was once stopped on the street by a crewman from the TV show Leverage because I was knitting and walking at the same time. I was walking past a hotel downtown where they were filming that day. He thought it was the coolest thing that I was “multi-tasking” by knitting, walking and watching what was going on around me. I think I may have been his “only in Portland” moment.
A favorite local business? Knit/Purl. It’s my favorite yarn shop. I love to go on my lunch hour and knit the hour away. And I spend entirely too much money there.
Are you a car person or a bike person? I don’t own a car but I am a Zipster (Zipcar member to those of you who aren’t in the know). I have a bike but I don’t ride as often as I would like. Really, I’m a Trimet-and-my-own-two-feet kind of person.
If you could change one thing about Portland, what would it be? This is a silly thing and it doesn’t really affect me as my employer buys my bus pass, but why don’t the fare machines on the Trimet buses give change? Buses in other countries and, I’m sure, other U.S. cities have been giving change since before I was born. I know the technology is out there.
And finally, where can we find you on the web? www.underarabbitmoon.blogspot.com and www.etsy.com/obaknits but I’ll warn you, I’m still working on the etsy page.
