… you finish a project! Before I started knitting, I fell in love with this book, and started crocheting with thousands of tiny beads (literally “thousands”, for a small purse like below, I used 4500+ beads).The finished fabric was sitting in my craft tool box for about 3 years, and I finally found enough motivation on finish up the most tedious part – sewing the fabric to the metal frame.And yey! I feel great. This is the book: But it was so tedious, especially the “threading 4,000 beads before starting the project” part, that I decided to knit instead. Knitting is 100 times easier. My second accomplishment for tonight only took 15 minutes. I bought this kit at Droguerie 3 or 4 years ago,…
knitting and slow life in Kyoto
Posts from the “8. Craft” Category
Since I am officially going to SAW (Squam Art Workshops in New Hampshire) next month, I decided to start a small project in preparation. Last year, I didn’t bring my name tag, and I can’t remember what other people were wearing. This time I am determined to make my own name tag! I found a very pretty embroidery book at a bookshop today. Sketching, sketching.
Categories: **ENGLISH**, 8. Craft
わたしの家族は北海道との関わりが本当に薄くて、親戚の殆どは東京か九州だし、家族旅行なども滅多に行かなかったし、自分で旅行と言えば海外ばかりなので、去年の冬まで一度も北海道に行ったことがありませんでした。なのですが、最近は北海道に住みたいなあ、と思う日々。（まあ、北欧とかカナダとか、取りあえず涼しいところであれば良い。） アイヌといえば、イメージは無骨なクマの彫り物とか、風変わりな言葉とか。いや、何も知りませんでした。図書館をぶらぶらしていて、本棚を上から下まで、端から端まで眺めていて、ふと、本田勝一さんの「アイヌ民族」と発見。 本田さんといえば大学時代の社会学の授業で「職業としてのジャーナリスト」を読まされてから、なんとなく尊敬してたまに著作を読みます。このアイヌ民族は他の本当は違い、あまり本の目的が良く分からないような散文的な内容なのですが、初めて知ることばかりで面白いです。 日本に侵略されるまでは本土に比べて本当に豊かだったんだな、とか、文字が無いからなのか、言葉のもつ重みやスピリチュアルな世界が日本と全然違うんだな、とか考えたこともなかった。 本の真ん中は殆ど伝承の記録なので結構飛ばしていますが、読んで良かったなと思える一冊。 友人が「アイヌ刺繍が習いたい」と言っていたので、上の本を読んでいたこともあり興味を持って買ってみた一冊はこれ。パターンは少ししか載っていないんだけど、ステッチの仕方が細かく説明されています。普通の刺繍ではめったに使わない縫い方もあり、面白い。 パターン自体はスゴく素敵なんだけど、アイヌの民族衣裳を縫う訳にもいかないし（使い道が無い）、小ちゃい小物にアイヌ刺繍、っていうのも折角の迫力が出なくて詰まらないなあ、と、結構応用が難しいなあとは思いました。アイヌ刺繍と織物なんかを上手く昇華して新しいものが作れたら面白いかな。 来年から、京都工芸大学の通信で染織を学ぼうかなとぼんやりと考えているこの頃。今の収入では学費をひねり出すのがちょっと大変だけど、授業の目録を見ているとワクワクしてくる。
My last post for tonight. I have been very busy, because in addition to trying to read a lot, I have been trying to knit a lot, too. Little time left for output… As I have written some time ago, a beloved knit wear designer, veera, is letting me test-knit her new sweater. This is the sweater and her blog.I really love her design. It’s warm and simple and full of Nordic feeling. This yarn looks pretty black, but it’s actually a very very dark and deep navy with hints of blue and brown. The other project is a Mystery KAL (knit-along) shawl, organized and designed by a celebrity knitter Westknits. Mystery, because you don’t know how the project will look like until you…
Categories: **ENGLISH**, 8. Craft
Marge is a small yarn shop in Kamakura. (Kamakura is an old capital of Japan back in 12th century, just 1.5 hour away from Tokyo.) My friend took me to the mind-blowing place. It’s a tiny tiny shop. One large rack on one side, one small rack in the middle, and a shop owner sitting at the back, making his own yarn (!) and knitting samples. The shop owner, a middle aged guy, totally masculine and athletic (and buff and tanned), was the sole creator of all the yarns sold in this shop. (My friend was trying hard not to laugh at the mismatch :D) After a lot of going back and forth, I picked these 2 yarns. Everything is one of a kind,…
Categories: **ENGLISH**, 8. Craft
Project: Girly Purse designed by Naoko Shimoda Yarn: Hanamaka Eco Andaria Pink and Red Crochet hook: 3mm Started a year ago, finally felt like finishing it. Perhaps I will make another one in different colors. Project: Fall Away Cardigan designed by Heidi Kirrmaier Yarn: Madelinetosh Pashmina in color Mineral, approx.970 yards Needles: US 3 & 4 Started in February 2011, finished July 17 Project: Vest designed by Lutz & Patmos (From Vogue Knitting) Yarn: Natural Fantasy Seta (silk ribbon) 2 skeins Needles: US 15 Started and finished in July (took about a few days) I have been looking for a suitable yarn for this project, finally found one in NY at School Products Yarn. So happy to be able to knit Lutz…
Categories: **ENGLISH**, 8. Craft
Back from my vacation!Now I am totally devastated and am thinking about quitting my job. Seriously. How can I live in such a hot and humid place? I am a winter person! Anyway, this black cardigan was completed on the 2nd day of the vacation, and has been pretty useful during the trip. Pattern: Empire Waist Cardigan by Pam Allen (from CEY New Harbor book)Yarn: Pierrot Tsubaki Cotton DK in Black, 8.5 skeins (approx. 765 yards)Needles: US 6 (4mm) circular needlesRaveled here – modification details Since I didn’t have enough yarn, I decided to make the sleeves slightly shorter and the skirt part less flared. In the original design, the skirt part looked a bit too heavy. I am very happy about the results…
One last thing. I won this bag after the knit-along in May (a pink sweater I made a few weeks ago). The organizer selected a winner of each prize randomly. It’s a handmade knitting project bag sold by Jen (YarnPlayCafe on Etsy).I never win anything, at all, so this is pretty big for me. And the bag is cute. Surprisingly, in the same week, I also won a pattern (design instruction) of this very cute sweater by sheer luck. I sincerely hope that I haven’t used up all my luck for the summer! Photo courtesy of the designer, Elizabeth Wolden.
My French school, L’institut Franco-Japonais a Tokyo, is hosting a small exhibition of Yve Sant Laurant’s old black and white photographs. (Original photos by Jeanloup Sieff)When he was young and just released a new fragrance line, he decided to use his own nude photo for the advertisement, and commissioned Sieff the work. Yve and Sieff worked together for many years and left these amazing, classic, chic photographs. The show is still on until July 31st.
As I may have written before, I had been sewing a very simple linen dress these past weeks. Last weekend, my sister’s family were traveling to Seoul, while I was dog-sitting and borrowed her sewing machine as well. It’s a wrap dress in dark navy linen. A splash of purple in it. While I was sewing the hem (the finishing), one of the dogs, Rey, climbed up my niece’s (baby) chair on her own. So cute. Still sewing. The dress looks like this, it’s hard to make out, but it’s a wrap dress and there is a bow-tie in front. Here are something extra: some shots from this afternoon stroll in an old neighborhood not far from Akihabara (Tokyo). Lovely wall gardens.
Sparkles*United 