Pattern: GALA by rokoYarn: Pierrot Cotton Neat in Yellow, 8.5 skeinsNeedles: US 8 (5mm) needlesDetails are here: (Click)Just finished GALA tunic on Friday. It was a fun and quick knit!I finished a sweater in May, a tunic in June. It feels pretty productive these days.
Taken photos of the finished sweater (by my sister) yesterday. I really like it. The color is pretty in person, and the alpaca/merino yarn is comfy. It even obscures many errors I made. Pattern: Folded by Veera Välimäki Yarn: Madelinetosh Eyre Light (fingering weight, Merino/Silk/Alpaca) in Fragrant colorway, 1.85 skeins (approx.860 yards)Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) Circular/DPNsSize made: S (2nd smallest, and it turned out a bit too loose)Mods: Skipped one last increase round on torso. Added 2 extra rows of stockinette and 1 purl row to the neck line before binding off. Made sleeves shorter. I am also half done with the yellow tank. It’s such a fun pattern to knit, so one panel was knit up quickly…. then I found… Do you recognize the…
Peonies, along with camellias, are one of my most favorite flowers (my least favorites are tulips and lilies … it’s got to be something to do with their shapes and smells). Peonies can be found in most florists in Japan right now, and I discovered that a big portion of them are grown in the northern part of Japan. It’s not for eating, so I don’t have to worry about the radiation and such. Besides, they are full of dreams and faeries. I love drawing very complicated flowers with simple lines. I think this has been my style since long time ago. Let me show off some of the gifts I received for my birthday this year. Above, a preserved rose (I don’t know…
Since finishing a sweater in 3 weeks, I feel more and more motivated to knit something that I can wear now. Something in cotton, but not like the 4-ply torture (I finished the back panel, but the front is still hibernating), something enjoyable and fun. Then I remembered that last year the master-knitter Roko-san gifted me her GALA pattern. This is it! So I ordered a yarn and pounced on it.I chose this yellowish / mustardish color, only because no one has ever used it for GALA as far as I know. But I am glad. It’s looking pretty. Yey! On the other hand, I am still knitting this Fall-Away-Cardigan. It’s more than 60% done, but you see, the last of 3 balls of…
The Bible of Illuminated Letters This amazing book became a member of my library several days ago. When I was in pre school, I used to check out all the typeface books from a local library, and tried to learn how to draw proper fonts. Wish I had this book back then. This book helps you draw something like this… As artists, I know many people try new styles, but I still love those classic styles. It is interesting that historic styles (Romanesque, Gothic, Neo Classic, etc) in typeface seem to have followed slightly different patterns as in architectural styles. I am still drawing and above is my first trial of a street scape. Totally enjoyed it and hope to do it more. Still.drawing.
Sandy, the author of a book called TotalIy Tangled, and I have met at Squam Art Workshops last September in New Hampshire. That time, I had no idea what Zentangle was, and I wasn’t much into drawing anyway.Since I started to draw, I feel like to draw all the time, and sometimes, I just want to draw “something”, just doodle on paper. Zentangle is perfect for that. You’ll get something nice to look at, while all you have to do is doodle. It’s called Zentangle for its meditative effect. You kind of forget everything else while tangling. I love the simplicity of black and white, too. Above are my very first trial, after finally acquiring Sandy’s book from Amazon.You can of course draw these…
I stumbled upon this quote through “StumbleUpon” (how did they know I am into quotes these days?) and thought it’s a perfect description of this weekend. So, I went to this performing art event, one of which performers was a friend of mine. He shoots films and takes photos, so performing was new to him. On the other hand, watching such performing art was completely new to me. In some instances, I didn’t know whether I should laugh, stay put, or respond to the performances. For me, the whole interactions of people, among the performers, and between the performers and the audiences, were intriguing and interesting. Today, I went to watch Never Let Me Go with a good friend. The movie was truly and…
I got myself a new lens. It’s not an automatic focus one, but the light is great. Loving it.Last night’s post helped me sleep, but I hated reading it this morning, so wanted to add something as soon as I can.A long time friend invited me to his performance tonight, and I am going. Can’t wait. See the light?
In addition to Danny Gregory books (this & this) that I highly highly recommend, I have been reading many art and drawing related books these days.It’s like when I was a consultant – we usually start with reading a pile of books in the related industry and subjects. I need this much passion for my work too. I know. Now I probably own more than 100 knitting books and magazines, which I collected in the past 3 years. I hope the same thing won’t happen with drawing… Drawing for PleasureThis turned out to be too basic for me, I didn’t find much new in this book. Victorian Goods and Merchandise: 2,300 Illustrations (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)A great resource for design and art journaling! Heraldic…
Not sure why I waited until last Sunday to watch it. I knew it would be a wonderful film, and yes it was, but it was beyond my expectation. Actors were all very charming, I am a big fan of all of them – Colin Firth, Jefery Rush, Helena Bonham Carter (except for her role in Harry Potter series – too good that she’s too scary). I discovered that I love drawing people. People as a subject is very tricky. Harder than landscape or flowers, in which you really don’t have to draw exactly as they are. You can add a petal or two, a house or 10 houses, and no one will notice. It’s easy to notice the difference between the picture…
Sparkles*United