MOONSTITCHES

Aufnahme

picking up the thread (den Faden wiederaufnehmen)
contacting (Kontaktaufnahme)
audio recording (Tonaufnahme)
snapshot in time (Momentaufnahme)

Hello there.

I am not going to write I am back because I don't want to make you say Welcome back! for the hundredth time... I'll just continue posting.
Again the break wasn't intended. Despite my thought that after we defeated the mould everything would return to normal, it just was easier to not pursue blogging but to concentrate on spending time with my little girl during the longest summer vacation she might ever have had in her life.

Six months altogether. Busy months due to the move, a little frustrating and tiring when we fought humidity and mould, exhausting during August, when the weather was truly paralysing.

Being here, doing all the ordinary stuff that has to be done to keep things running was enough to fill the days. Some crafting, yes, because that is necessary to keep me running, but not bothering with blogging about that. Not enough energy or time. Summer.
Trying to do it all and keep blogging might have led to two very unsatisfied girls, so I just let the blog be. And, see, it is still where I left it.

This week school started. We have a first grader in this house :)
So great to watch the excitement and happiness only a child can experience!
And with Dagny being in school I now have plenty of time to engage in all kinds of selfish activities again, so, here I am.

It still is mostly hot here in Yokohama. The cicadas haven't stopped making their deafening noise and I am surprised how long they stick around this year. Maybe though it's just like every year, it only feels worse because it's happening right outside the door, in the many trees. And it really is loud.
If you play the audio (hope it works, took me some time to figure out how to embed it here... not so talented with technical matters at all!), make sure to turn up the sound until it hurts, because that is what it does.

As for the actual threads I have been picking up, it's my Summerly Swallowtail (ravelry link) I had been starting a while ago.
Would have liked to wear it last Summer, or this Summer... maybe next then.
Is it the cotton I am using or simply the fact that I have to count, pay attention to what I'm doing, whereas I'd rather stare out of the window and watch the trees?
I don't know, but I am not enjoying the knitting.
Might even pick up one of my unfinished quilts to have some fun in between...

Wishing you well!

PS: The illustrations are by Teikichi Miyoshi, from a book about insects in the forest and the field I found a few weeks ago in a recycle store. , mori no mushi to nohara no mushi, from 1966, really adorable. All the little creatures in there and also so much very typical scenes of Japan.

70%

Yes. Speaking of the partial solar eclipse we were lucky having the opportunity to witness today. It was very cloudy and I almost thought we wouldn't catch a glimpse of it.... but suddenly this moon-like crescent peeked through the clouds!
The other reason I am mentioning those 70%?
Humidity. Humidity over 70% that apparently promotes mould growth.
When mentioning the overwhelming rain we had during this year's rainy season I didn't think that the rain would have had such an effect on us... Shortly after the last posting we found a suit and a pair of shoes here in our new, shiny home that had developed some mould. Just the beginning of getting mouldy but clearly a warning for us to check all our things, clean each and every corner, have an eye on the humidity... which was at times more than 90%...
Phew. Just phew. I was so exhausted by all the checking and cleaning... just started to remember I have a blog at the beginning of this week when there was a national holiday ("Day of the Sea") and we ventured out to Yokohama Bay to remember how much we like this city.

And calm down.

After all that panic we can say that the situation was much less threatening than we initially thought and we have all under control now.
Dealing with the heat, humidity and all the spores that beautiful little forest around the house provides us with was obviously something we had to learn. Even after this long time here in Japan. New place and everything is different.

What we are not happy about is the fact that we had to give in and have to get air condition for our home. First we got dehydrators and now air condition...!
We were glad to be able to live without a car and air condition until now and it seems like losing when we now get those machines installed all over the place.
Fortunately summer isn't lasting too long here and we will be returning to a more natural mode eventually.

I hope you are all well, enjoy crafting and having a great time! (I sure did have a good time when I discovered the advantages of a densely packed closet of fabrics... and crafting supplies in zipper bags and plastic boxes. Not one loss on my side :)
Take care!

water

Hi. I am back. A busy weekend, a little journey to my old dentist on Monday, two days of having a cold, a rainy day spent at the Yokohama History Museum around the corner and finally reunited with the blog again... This year's rainy season really is worth its name, it's pouring down almost everyday. Making everything grow like mad and looking fresh, to say the best about it.

Looking up in the sky, I'd say we are in for another of those grey days...
Maybe today we will be staying at home. If so, there will be sewing and knitting. Sewing and knitting! And cooking and laundry, of course.
You have a great day, too!
Oh, and thanks a lot to CRAFT and Jena over on Modish for featuring my craft room!

A Room With A View

Not necessarily a craft room, my room, just a small room (a little bit over 10 m²), with some storage space, two desks, two sewing machines and a view.
Pretty fabulous view if you have an idea of how not-so-fabulous views can be here in Japan.
So what is outside the window makes me most happy.
Amazing sound when it's stormy, by the way.

The room, suitable for crafting.

With exception of a lamp I got nothing new for the room, just put in what I already had. Actually, I took my things and tried to move into that space without causing too much of a stir. Keeping it simple, trying not to overdo things. Maybe it will change over time, perhaps there will be curtains, pictures on the walls or other kind of things that will be added to enhance the cosiness of the room (or those that simply are accumulated and lead to clutter sooner or later)... we'll see.

Hopefully not the beginning of clutter, my inspiration pile. Containing future projects. And sleeping projects, like my hexagon blanket. So it's a pile to not only inspire but also remind me.

A stool I had got some foam and wool. I like it better this way and it is more comfortable.

A drawer I found on the street a year ago. Keeping my scissors, rotary cutters, threads and items like that.

The desk is quite small, so this is how it looks with my sewing machine on it.

It's possible to place the serger next to it when needed, it does work.
And there also is space left for those little things we all need to surround ourselves to make us smile because they remind us of something or someone.

The same goes for the wall behind the desk... little pieces with a history.

On the other wall (the room has two walls I could do something to, the remaining ones are occupied by the window, door and a huge built-in closet), there is that old kitchen you already might have seen on Flickr.

With the pullout desk.

And space for the machines.

I like to put away the machines while not working on something with them.
My knitting needles and crochet hooks aren't on display either all the time - gives me room to think in all directions, or daydream better.
Who if not me would not have enough time to get all those things out when actually staring to sew, knit or crochet?! I am so slow in all I am doing, I really have that extra minute to open the cabinet doors and get the needed items out.
Like the thread for my serger... would be getting too dusty in the outside anyway.

And there is that little drawer on the floor which I keep the buttons in... a found item again, like most things that surround me.
I hope to find and old wooden desk and stool some day, to replace those two pieces I have now, but I will patiently wait until I stumble upon them.

Something absolutely new and completely boring yet highly pleasing are those built-in closets I use for storing my books, fabrics and yarn.
2.20 m high, very deep and altogether 2.50 m wide... Part of my closet is outside my room, in the hallway just opposite to my door, unburdening my little space of a great deal of matter - so good!
Here a look into my closet in the hallway.

I apologize for the load of pictures but I am just too happy about my room to not go into detail here. Even more photos, larger, too, and some additional explanations over on Flickr.

Take good care of yourself!
Good night.

holidays and laundry

I just realized our seemingly endless summer holidays are in fact more than half over, only 72 days left! Japanese kindergarten ending in March and German school starting late August brought us the impressing amount of 162 free days. Finding a balance between play and what needs to get done to supply everybody here with nutritions and clean underwear is my daily struggle. Guess you know how that is...

Anyway, we are having fun everyday and the laundry is under control, too. Only blogging about all of that and writing mails still doesn't work well.

But I have come to think that it is not a lack of time that is keeping me from it (or the constant doubt if anybody would still be interested to read about what I am doing because after more than three years of blogging I can only repeat myself). The greatest obstacle rather might have been sitting on the floor with crossed legs, bending over to reach the keyboard that's placed on the ground, too. Until yesterday. When I decided to give in and vacate my beloved but unfortunate position, moving the whole thing upwards... No more numb legs, typing so much easier and it's better for my back, too.

Yes, I have reached that age...! But this stool I am now sitting on really does wonders :)
I type!
A picture of my desk is here.
The rest of my room tomorrow, off to bed now.

Take care!

PS: You asked for a recipe for the mochi?
Add water would be my answer.
I am making the no fuss shiratama dango (mochi dumplings), using a little package of shiratamako (a lumpy glutinous rice flour) and water. And as topping either ready made kuro mitsu ("black honey", not really honey but syrup made from unrefined sugar), like in this photo, or a mix of brown and white sugar together with kinako (ground roasted soy beans). Not much to it. As to many things here in Japan.

My room...

must wait.

Hi, I said I'd be back with the photos of my room but I thought it would be a nice exercise to get back to more frequent blogging by showing you more of that everyday not so exciting that's going on in this house instead.
Early afternoon means snack time here in Japan and of course that darling girl of mine expects something sweet to be presented on that occasion... today's oyatsu (snack) was homemade mochi with a blend of kinako and two kinds of sugar, emphasis on the kinako (soybean flour).

And there was some knitting on the table, too. I started making a simple cardigan for me in Beaverslide Fisherman Weight (old 2-ply), Granite, lovelovelove that yarn.
This year's summer is strange. So slowly getting warmer, often still chilly enough to wear cardigans or woolen sweaters, even during the day... a bit odd. Maybe it's only here in my area? I think I have a good chance to wear my new cardigan before next autumn, when I am hurrying a bit with the knitting.
However, now it's time to go to bed.
Bye!

It's raining, we are at home and after reading this I feel totally inspired to tell you about our plums.
For years I have been wanting to make my own ume shu and finally, finally it's happening. It only took me nine years to get to that point... a few more months and we'll be enjoying this delicacy... worth the wait.

I have been making things and taking pictures of my room but there never seems to be time to show you. But I guess it is just as Rebecca said, it's all about making time.
Making time and start working on my to post list, one thing at a time. There are tons of photos waiting to be uploaded onto Flickr. Having them waiting here on the computer has the same effect on me like those 8170 unread postings over on Bloglines (which I just marked as read, to start afresh).
So, I'll be back with the pictures of my craft room later and hope you all find the time to cherish something beautiful today.

Take care!

So much to blog about but then again, what should I actually blog about?!
What I am making these days seems so boring, my craft room doesn't look exciting, my new neighbourhood lacks of the charm my former one seemed to burst with... I'll do it anyway and start at the beginning, where I picked up crafting after the big move.
I did feel a little overwhelmed by the whole relocation because we had to go through and pack so much stuff. Our old place was filled to the brim and things seemed to become more and more when we pulled them out of closets and shelves... horrible. Having to deal with a small space should make you be more selective and less attached to things instead of letting you become a champion in squeezing stuff into every little corner of your home.

So after I finally had get rid of a lot and moved what I wanted to keep, I felt tired of everything that seemed detailed, embellished or complex. Simple was what I was longing for. So when I first started crafting again, I stitched together some very plain coasters and mats for different purposes. Mostly by hand, because it seemed obvious to make something with the fewest efforts in order to slow down and regain some serenity.

Pretty unspectacular, the whole process and the result.
Just what I needed.
Oh, and all went into use directly, not lingering around somewhere before being photographed... I am trying to not waste time or material by waiting for the right moment anymore. Life's too short.
Take care!

Not the first time this is happening... whenever I take a break it's difficult to write again, write that first posting, reply to mails that were written ages ago and maybe long forgotten.

Old Scarlett just kept thinking of tomorrow and indulged herself in living a good life, perfecting her baking skills, sewing simple things like cushion pillows, coasters or the occasional night gown, not bothering to blog about anything...

The fact that I damaged the hard disc I use for storing my photos when attempting to unplug our fridge (but instead pulling the plug of everything that was on or beneath my desk) two days before our move did contribute to not blogging for some time. But at some point a new disc was bought and uploading photos wasn't a problem anymore... also I managed to find enough time to craft with Dagny being around all day (kindergarten ended in March and school won't begin until late August)... so there would have been something crafty to talk about, yet blogging seemed far, far away.

I guess I really enjoyed having left our old, way too cluttered apartment that never felt like ours, getting an actual home instead.

Anyway, now that I want to write again it appears not to be so easy. I think it has to do with the fact that I don't feel blogging really is essential (to me). Not as needless as Twittering maybe but life can be pretty good without both. (You may blame my age, because when e-mails were new and I was still young younger I wasn't as sceptical.)
However, I don't think I will give up blogging soon because I like being connected to you, so I will publish this posting, no matter how little interesting it might be.

...............

Or I could keep writing and show you one of my simple sewings I did recently, so this would actually turn into a posting about making something (beside butter rolls)...

So here is a simple nightgown I made for Dagny. A short sleeved smock out of checkered and dotted double gauze, Burda pattern from 2005. A few modifications like no frills at the hem and sleeves, overall more simple looking. Nothing original and I even have made it before, but Dagny wanted a new one, just like the one she had. And again two different fabrics had to be used because those one meter pieces we have stocked in abundance just don't do it anymore.

The above photo was cropped in order to not show too much of my dear girl. As much as I, as the proud mother that I am, would love to post pictures of her, I usually make her move around to take photos with her face half hidden or from behind.

Explaining the move around, please to her, she suggested this and stayed like it for a few minutes...

Also pictured the new cushions (linen on the back, pillowcase style), by the way. Rather flat ones to sit on. The chairs were some of the very first pieces of furniture we got about nine years ago. Holding up well and quite alright for our tatami room here. What we could use now would be a little table... oh, the pleasure to make yourself a cozy home :)

I will go to bed now.
Take good care of yourself.

Hi, hope you had a good time in the meantime...?!
We surely did. Two weeks in our new place and feeling like being home already. Despite the 53 boxes that are still untouched sitting in our bedroom. Those, mostly filled with books, records, yarn and fabrics, will remain there until we have shelves. We are in no hurry though and sleep in our わしつ　- washitsu (japanese room) for the time being. Haven't got a bed anyway.

I must say that this new home with all that it is coming with - the space inside, my new craft room, the many built-ins to put away all things you have but mustn't have around, its surroundings.... - feels so good, I actually did not think of blogging or taking photos for a while. Just enjoying being here. Sewing a bit (yes, the cushion covers!) and thinking about what to make next, totally chilled out.

Feels as if we did the right thing.

Have a great weekend!

PS: I have a new email address, too, it's on the bottom of the answers page here on the blog, in case you want to update it.

Time for plums

It's raining, we are at home and after reading this I feel totally inspired to tell you about our plums.
For years I have been wanting to make my own ume shu and finally, finally it's happening. It only took me nine years to get to that point... a few more months and we'll be enjoying this delicacy... worth the wait.

I have been making things and taking pictures of my room but there never seems to be time to show you. But I guess it is just as Rebecca said, it's all about making time.
Making time and start working on my to post list, one thing at a time. There are tons of photos waiting to be uploaded onto Flickr. Having them waiting here on the computer has the same effect on me like those 8170 unread postings over on Bloglines (which I just marked as read, to start afresh).
So, I'll be back with the pictures of my craft room later and hope you all find the time to cherish something beautiful today.

Take care!

Catching up

So much to blog about but then again, what should I actually blog about?!
What I am making these days seems so boring, my craft room doesn't look exciting, my new neighbourhood lacks of the charm my former one seemed to burst with... I'll do it anyway and start at the beginning, where I picked up crafting after the big move.
I did feel a little overwhelmed by the whole relocation because we had to go through and pack so much stuff. Our old place was filled to the brim and things seemed to become more and more when we pulled them out of closets and shelves... horrible. Having to deal with a small space should make you be more selective and less attached to things instead of letting you become a champion in squeezing stuff into every little corner of your home.

So after I finally had get rid of a lot and moved what I wanted to keep, I felt tired of everything that seemed detailed, embellished or complex. Simple was what I was longing for. So when I first started crafting again, I stitched together some very plain coasters and mats for different purposes. Mostly by hand, because it seemed obvious to make something with the fewest efforts in order to slow down and regain some serenity.

Pretty unspectacular, the whole process and the result.
Just what I needed.
Oh, and all went into use directly, not lingering around somewhere before being photographed... I am trying to not waste time or material by waiting for the right moment anymore. Life's too short.
Take care!

rendered speechless

Not the first time this is happening... whenever I take a break it's difficult to write again, write that first posting, reply to mails that were written ages ago and maybe long forgotten.

Old Scarlett just kept thinking of tomorrow and indulged herself in living a good life, perfecting her baking skills, sewing simple things like cushion pillows, coasters or the occasional night gown, not bothering to blog about anything...

The fact that I damaged the hard disc I use for storing my photos when attempting to unplug our fridge (but instead pulling the plug of everything that was on or beneath my desk) two days before our move did contribute to not blogging for some time. But at some point a new disc was bought and uploading photos wasn't a problem anymore... also I managed to find enough time to craft with Dagny being around all day (kindergarten ended in March and school won't begin until late August)... so there would have been something crafty to talk about, yet blogging seemed far, far away.

I guess I really enjoyed having left our old, way too cluttered apartment that never felt like ours, getting an actual home instead.

Anyway, now that I want to write again it appears not to be so easy. I think it has to do with the fact that I don't feel blogging really is essential (to me). Not as needless as Twittering maybe but life can be pretty good without both. (You may blame my age, because when e-mails were new and I was still young younger I wasn't as sceptical.)
However, I don't think I will give up blogging soon because I like being connected to you, so I will publish this posting, no matter how little interesting it might be.

...............

Or I could keep writing and show you one of my simple sewings I did recently, so this would actually turn into a posting about making something (beside butter rolls)...

So here is a simple nightgown I made for Dagny. A short sleeved smock out of checkered and dotted double gauze, Burda pattern from 2005. A few modifications like no frills at the hem and sleeves, overall more simple looking. Nothing original and I even have made it before, but Dagny wanted a new one, just like the one she had. And again two different fabrics had to be used because those one meter pieces we have stocked in abundance just don't do it anymore.

The above photo was cropped in order to not show too much of my dear girl. As much as I, as the proud mother that I am, would love to post pictures of her, I usually make her move around to take photos with her face half hidden or from behind.

Explaining the move around, please to her, she suggested this and stayed like it for a few minutes...

Also pictured the new cushions (linen on the back, pillowcase style), by the way. Rather flat ones to sit on. The chairs were some of the very first pieces of furniture we got about nine years ago. Holding up well and quite alright for our tatami room here. What we could use now would be a little table... oh, the pleasure to make yourself a cozy home :)

I will go to bed now.
Take good care of yourself.

resting/ nesting

Hi, hope you had a good time in the meantime...?!
We surely did. Two weeks in our new place and feeling like being home already. Despite the 53 boxes that are still untouched sitting in our bedroom. Those, mostly filled with books, records, yarn and fabrics, will remain there until we have shelves. We are in no hurry though and sleep in our わしつ　- washitsu (japanese room) for the time being. Haven't got a bed anyway.

I must say that this new home with all that it is coming with - the space inside, my new craft room, the many built-ins to put away all things you have but mustn't have around, its surroundings.... - feels so good, I actually did not think of blogging or taking photos for a while. Just enjoying being here. Sewing a bit (yes, the cushion covers!) and thinking about what to make next, totally chilled out.

Feels as if we did the right thing.

Have a great weekend!

PS: I have a new email address, too, it's on the bottom of the answers page here on the blog, in case you want to update it.