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Hello again. Nine pictures I took yesterday while visiting Soga Bairin near Odawara. A place and a lovely matsuri (festival) I never get tired of. The festival will continue until the end of the month, so, if you happen to be anywhere close, you could still go. Be sure to check the calendar for special events.
Food and people tomorrow, maybe.
Wishing you a good day, evening or night, depending on where you are on this globe.
Soga Bairin set on Flickr.
Did I say talk to you soon?!
The beginning of a new school term got in the way and I had a bit to prepare my classes. I am now teaching three classes, girls and boys from age six to thirteen and feeling quite happy being given this great opportunity.
Now that those classes are underway, I can think of all the rest, even quilts.
I started going through the photos I took at this year's quilt show and chose to share some detail shots with you first. I assumes you have seen most of the quilts by now somewhere else, fortunately you don't have to rely on me, but maybe you can discover a few new things here and there.
This year was my 7th year at the show and I must say, I wish I was a child again, quilt-show-wise. Once more feeling that overwhelming excitement when entering the hall. Feeling stunned by amazing craftsmanship, smiling at quilts because they make me happy...
I went twice and of course, I did see many fantastic quilts. Even a lot of quilts I would have liked to take home with me. Quilts that inspired me. But overall I had a feeling of being saturated and wished for less embroidery, glitter, less sequins and beads and less ambition. Why not make more simple quilts?
Maybe seven years ago those overladen quilts seemed flamboyant to me, while today they often simply looked cluttered. Can't I appreciate a gorgeous quilt anymore because all the talks about decluttering your life?!
Here are my first pictures from the show, I will add more over the next days and weeks.
I liked this photo - I am curious what you see.
Bye!
Again I am talking about knitting and yarn again, when all I should think about are quilts...! Somebody come over and take away my needles because I can't put them down.
Knitting a pair of simple wristwarmers in the most beautiful, woolen-spun, lace-weight Elsa Cormo.
I don't care a great deal about soft, in fact I LOVE honest and slightly scratchy when it comes to wool, but this yarn's softness is something I'd like to cover myself with from top to toe. So dreamy. Good I am in Japan because nobody here would care about me wearing knitted trousers... but seriously, I have enough yarn to make myself a sweater (fingering weight) and am tempted to cast on for that soon.
The chair I recently found in a thrift store and it was mine for only 200 Yen (1.7 Euro or 2.5 US Dollars). It was fairly scuffed and in need of severe cleaning, oil and polishing, to get rid of the rust on its legs. But it is well recovered now and a great addition to my craft room. It is low and quite wide, perfect to sit cross-legged on it and knit.
What a lucky find, don't you think?!
The fabric you see on top of this little drawer is from a thrift store as well. I have 5.70 m of this beautiful asa no ha (hemp leaf) patterned cotton and it came with instructions to make a jacket for wearing indoors. But I'd rather like to make an apron instead, if I ever manage to dig out my sewing machine again.
Keep your fingers crossed because I really would like to have that apron!
While I'm at it, I could show you another addition to my craft room.
Last year I made a footrest/ doorstopper. It originally was a little bean bag I bought at Muji, just to have the filling, because it would have been more expensive to get the filling in a craft store. I made a new cover for it, using fun, brightly coloured fabrics. Some of them tenugui, some vintage, some leftovers from sewing clothes for Dagny when she was little.
Proof that it is used as footrest indeed. Dagny loves it!
Next time there will be quilts, talk to you soon!
Second time around the Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief actually ended up being a nice and simple triangle!
Not switching to larger needles halfway obviously was the key... again one additional repeat, Holst Supersoft in Redwood, just 40 g of it, 3.6 mm needles and a few days of knitting, mostly on the train on my way to the quilt show which I visited twice last week.
The shawl is really light and feels so cozy around the neck. Honestly I would not have expected it softening up so nicely after being washed.
It was the first time for me to use this yarn and I was so curious about it - it is as good as they say and I will definitely knit with it again. I might even try it for crocheting since it seems to have just the right weight for that.
It is 125 cm wide and with its long sides the shawl is perfect to wrap around the neck...
...and tie in front.
But it's good this way, too.
I want to thank you all for the nice comments on the non-triangular kerchief!
Let me know if you make a similar one. I'd like to hear about it. Maybe instead of switching to larger needles one could do increases over the row... keeping the same gauge might look not so bad...
Have a beautiful day!
Bye.
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