Work In Progress Wednesday

 Linda Driskell Hardanger progress

The Tale of Genji progress

Stitch Group Sunday and My Birthday

My stitching friends are incredible. They are so good to me.  

We met on Sunday to work on our biscornu fobs. They finished the cross stitching at home between last time and this get together.  We needed to attach the beads, make the cording (also known as guru guru), and put the two sides together with the cording and stuffing to make the fob.

We look like we only stitch, but we also have a lot to talk about and I learn many things.

Please notice the pins worn by the stitchers on the right. The bell is bargello and the maple leaves, Brazilian embroidery, made at earlier get togethers.

The two center fobs were completely finished at this get together and the other two had just a little more to do.

Next, birthday cake and pizza made in the wood stove.

They treat me like a queen - my favorite carrot cake, homemade pizza, even tabasco! They also sent me home with pizza and cake to eat for days.

They also gave me wonderful gifts in addition to the fabulous party.

I am fortunate to have met up with these stitching friends and thankful that we continue our friendship and stitching over nine years, so far! I appreciate them more than they know.

Monday Morning Star Count - Small Hexagons

I found some smaller hexagon shapes that I hadn’t used much. I cut some fabric from the “Crumbs” box (fabric scraps less than 2 1/2 inches wide) to fit the smaller size hexagons. I have an idea for something new. 

This shows the size of the cut fabric and three finished 16 mm hexagons. My usual size is 26 mm hexagons.

Bear Insurance in Japan

Bear sightings, attacks, and damage caused by bears have soared in Japan this year. Practically every day there is something in the news about bears. Bears enter grocery stores and other businesses with automatic doors and cause damage. In tourist areas with bear sightings, the lodging facilities, campgrounds, golf courses, and other leisure services have had to close, causing loss of profits.

This month, the Japanese insurance company, Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Company will begin selling policies to tourist businesses that cover profits in the event they are temporarily unable to operate due to bear intrusions. The policies will offer coverage for loss of profit  caused by reservation cancellations when facilities are forced to close due to bear intrusions, as well as covering the costs of installing electric fences to prevent future incidents. Up to 10 million yen will be paid out on the condition the insured business publicly announces the facility’s closure and shows proof, such as surveillance camera footage. The insurance premium is expected to be 100,000 to 500,000 yen per year, depending on the scale and location of the business. 

In September, the  company also began selling a policy that provides coverage caused by stray bullets during emergency bear shootings in populated areas.

Arrested For Not Paying Bar Bill

A 61 year old man was arrested by police in Niigata City on suspicion of fraud when he said he couldn’t pay his 10,120 yen bar bill at the end of the night. According to police, between 6:30 and 10:30 pm on a Thursday evening, he was alone and consumed 10,120 yen worth of food and drink at the bar. When he was ready to leave and was presented with the bill, he said he could not pay. In fact, he had only 100 yen on him, so the bar employee called the police. The police said he had no intention of paying, so he was arrested. 

Sad situation, if you ask me.

Photo from the internet, not actual man.

Friday Finish - Beaded Glass Ornaments

I made this beaded ball a while back as a gift.

I decided to make a few more, and made these six.

New Rules on Kirakira names

Japan has imposed new rules on the pronunciation of children’s names. Kanji characters can be pronounced different ways, and flashy or unusual pronunciation, known as kirakira names, seem to be causing problems. Enforcement of the revised law requiring all names in the family registry to include phonetic readings, will ban interpretations which are considered too disconnected from the characters used. Only widely accepted readings are allowed under this law. This prevents parents from giving name readings unrelated to the meanings or standard pronunciation, which can cause confusion in schools, medical institutions, and various public services. Authorities are sending postcards to households with unacceptable names and residents can request corrections within a year. Parents of newborns may need to explain readings, and be referred to legal affairs bureaus if the name/pronunciation is unclear. 

Is this too much government control? I can understand that a flashy pronunciation that doesn’t look like the characters could be difficult in situations such as schools or hospitals. I feel like this law is different from parents giving the baby a name that is easy to read and pronounce, but considered strange, like Nutella. Maybe the child with the kirakira name would feel bullied when their name is difficult to pronounce or feel it is too cutsie as the child gets older. I don’t know how difficult it is for an adult to change his or her name. What do you think about kirakira names?

Work In Progress Wednesday

The Tale of Genji progress

Hardanger progress

Lunch and Scrapbooking With Friends

Sunday I had a fun time with friends! We started with a delicious healthy lunch prepared by our hostess.

I have been a scrapbooker for many years and wanted to share what I love about it.

They are a creative group.

After cleaning up from scrapbooking, it was dessert time.

I’ve never seen a dessert like this before. It was beautiful and delicious.

They also surprised me with a birthday cake!

Two delicious desserts!

We had a fun time and they were very creative with their scrapbooks.

We are planning another basket making session in January. Check out our Santa basket making last year at this post.

Monday Morning Star Count

This week, I cut more 2 1/2 inch squares of fabric and made all the hexagons in the box lid.