Weekend Temari

On Saturday I taught my first non-beginner class, and I think it was a great success. There were four students, and all four of them made great strides in completing a temari. We studied the Kiku design. I love to look at the colors everyone chooses, and I hope I get the chance to see the finished temari some day.



I hadn't planned on stitching, but fortunately, I had an extra mari and my baggie of orts along, and I came up with this:







I am so pleased by how it turned out! I see a whole bunch of threads that need to be adjusted, but I think the colors work really well.

When I opened my e-mail this morning, I saw that a new Thimble picture tutorial was posted this weekend. Every step is included for making a base. Now I just have to get to stitching.

Very Boring Post

To go along with a very boring life.

The sun is out! It may get up to 40 degrees F today! (You can tell it's bad when we are getting excited about 4 degrees C.)

Nothing to see here: I put about a bajillion sequins on one piece of felt last night.

Nothing else to see, I stitched about 3 triangles on a temari ball (it needs 20).

I'm feeling an awful urge to do some cross stitch. I know, sit down quietly until the urge passes... I would like to work on my alphabet sampler (it's been calling to me) but I'm also being tempted to start the Holland springtime mandala. See a picture here. I have all the threads and the fabric. It's by the same designer as my Indian Summer Afternoon that I finished last year.

I think it is spring fever. It could also be rebellion at my "have to" finish my temari balls for JTA, even though that is something I chose myself. I have a small child living inside that does not like to Have To do anything. Such a spoiled brat!

Guild meeting

I had guild meeting last night, and had a very nice time. I tell DH I love to hang out with people who get excited about the same things I do. People were all excited about the Japanese thimbles.

I got a gift from my "secret stitcher." It must be someone who reads this blog, because who would know I like crochet otherwise? A pattern book, and some very interesting microfiber yarn. Now, of course, the question is "what to make with it?"



I am working away at the Christmas stocking, in spite of not having much time at home. I am on piece 12 of 38, which I figure is about 30% done. It sounds like this one will take less time to stitch than C's.

Nice Weekend

I had a very nice weekend, but did not get anything finished to show you. I started P's stocking:



I can't decide if it is going to take longer than the last one, or not. There are about 1/3 of the number of pieces, but those pieces have more embroidery on them. This is the top band. P was very eager for me to get started on it; and once I picked it up C bustled around to help me get set up. She got the markers out, and colored each sequin symbol on the pattern. (I had done that on her stocking because the sequin colors were much more confusing. There are only 3 choices on this pattern.) She also got out the step-stool and brought me a dish out of the cupboard to put the sequins in. She remembered the kind and size bowl I had used for hers! I didn't realize she was paying that much attention.

Here's the family: Grandpa (DH) and P



Momma (DD2) and C (with her new haircut that makes her look elfin)



DD 1 also was able to come home this weekend, even though I didn't get a picture. It was wonderful to see everyone!

I also started on my second thimble, and I decided that I have to get much better at this before I start making thimble bases for others. I think the one I made is going to work, but it's not pretty. Fortunately, Chloe Patricia is selling thimble bases (with instructions!) on her etsy site for a very reasonable price. (She said she is willing to make more kits, so if it looks sold out, just drop her a note.) For the give-away of the extra one Chloe Patricia gave me: it goes to Moonsilk Stitches.

It's my birthday!

I wasn't going to say anything about my birthday, but I got such beautiful flowers from a co-worker that I had to share them. They are right in my line of sight for my computer, so I am enjoying them tremendously. They smell sweet too.



This temari is completing two "obligations/challenges" at once. In one group we are looking at HHG (Hite Hude Gake) stitching, also known as continuous path stitching. In this method, once you set up your path, you can stitch it all day without having to worry about layering, colors, changing threads, or stitching things out of order. (It turns out because of that it is very relaxing to stitch.) The other challenge, from another group, was to use Olympic colors or themes in a temari. I really love the colors that Vancouver is using as their theme colors in all the venues and contestant bibs, etc. so I found those colors in my stash and went ahead to use them.

Here's the result:



This is a 32 face temari. The south-bound path was started with dark blue, the northbound with dark green. After 3 rounds, I changed the southbound to light green, and the northbound to light blue for 2 more rounds. Using the darker color underneath, and the lighter color on top (and switching the colors around) really blurred the typical NNG bi-color look, and made this ball very pretty. I think if I had used the lighter colors first, and the darker colors on top it would have looked more like I was expecting. That's why making temari is so much fun, it will surprise you all the time.

This ball is fun to study, you can look for the 5 point or the 6 point stars, you can look at the negative space flowers and hexagons, or you can follow the color patterns spiraling around the ball. All in all, I am very pleased with this one.

Requests

Today I will be responding to requests and questions.

My fans (thanks mom!) want to know how big the thimbles are. Here is a picture of them on my hand. (My hands are not beautiful, but they are capable, and I'm very grateful for them.)

This is where they would sit on your fingers to use them as thimbles, pushing the needle from the front or from the side.



DH wants me to show you why the mittens are as warm as they are. They have floats added in on the inside with very bulky yarn. The floats are why they keep their shape so well also. The pattern called for skeined roving, but this bulky yarn works fine. The yarn shop didn't carry any roving.

My First Thimble

Here are a couple of poor pictures of my first thimble. It looks better in person too, because you can't see through the stitching into the color behind as much. I need to work at packing the stitching closer together. Other than that, I'm very pleased with it.



The stitching around the edge is quite even (if I do say so myself) except I just discovered I was making the stitch backwards. But I'm still looking forward to making another.



Thank you again, Chloe Patricia!