Pohihihi

Whenever I have been able to grab a few minutes of machine time this week, I've been working on the Debbie Caffrey quilt from the cruise which she named Pohihihi.  That is the Hawaiian word for “mystery” and the kit was presented as a mystery during the cruise.  This quilt does not require paper piecing and its components are larger than those of the other two designs, so it is going together fairly quickly.  I’ve completed all the blocks and hope to start laying them out this weekend.

During the trip I learned that the Hawaiian alphabet has only 12 letters.  That’s why there is so much repetition in Hawaiian words like “pohihihi” and “humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa.”  I will not attempt to retype that last word.  I had to cut and paste it to get it right the first time.  I am told this is the Hawaiian word for trigger fish, the state fish of Hawaii, and also the longest word in the language.