Work In Progress Wednesday

 Scarf progress

New Start - Lizzie Kate ornament

Japanese Pattern 43

Golden Week Starts Today

April 29th is Showa Day, the day that honors the birthday of the late Emperor Hirohito, who was the Japanese emperor during the Showa era. 

Constitution Memorial Day is May 3rd and celebrates the day the Constitution of Japan was enacted on May 3, 1947. 

May 4th is Greenery Day, which is a day to appreciate nature. 

Finally, May 5th is Children's Day, the day to celebrate and honor children's health and happiness. 

Golden Week is one of the longest holiday periods of the year in Japan. Since many people travel during this time, trains and highways, hotels and tourist sites, are all busy and crowded. Over the years that I have lived in Japan, I have stayed home some years and I have traveled other years. The older I get, the less comfortable I am in crowded places. This year, I plan to stay local. I might go for a hike, or visit a museum, or I might just stay home and stitch. 

If you had a week with no work or other responsibilities, what would you do?

Monday Morning Star Count - Year Four Finish

 

Day Care Faces

Shimizu Seibo Nursery School sign

Is this really what a class of young children look like?

Azalea Garden at Komuroyama Park

The cherry blossoms are gone, but the azaleas are gorgeous now.

This Cat Is Losing Fur

I think this was the first cross stitch afghan I made. The stitched date says it was finished in 1995. A strange thing is that one of the brown thread colors (DMC floss) is disappearing. It looks like this one color is falling apart, but all of the others are fine. Maybe I can fix it with new thread. Have you ever seen anything like this?

I Learned A New Japanese Word

 口寂しい - Kuchisabishii

“When you are not hungry, but you eat anyway because your mouth is lonely.”

Do you know this word?

Work In Progress Wednesday

Dogwood Afghan progress

Japanese Pattern 42

The Dressing Gown - 78 squares cut. I think Kate, at The Last Homely House, used 88 for the outside and the lining, plus a couple more for pockets. Also some pieces for the belt, belt loops, and a small strap to hang it on a hook. I will cut about 100, and plan to use lighter weight squares for the lining.

The Man Who Skied Down Everest

 

I watched the movie the Man Who Skied Down Everest on YouTube. The award winning documentary was about Japanese skier and alpinist  Yuichiro Miura, who was the first to ski down Mt. Everest in 1970. He skied 2000 meters in two minutes and 20 seconds and fell 400 meters, using a parachute to slow himself. During this trip six sherpa were killed in an accident and one Japanese member died of a heart attack. It was an interesting, thought provoking film. Why do people want to set or break records at such danger to themselves and others?

I knew of Yuichiro Miura because he “climbed” Mt. Fuji in a wheel chair with the help of others in 2023 at age 90. (I posted about it here). He climbed Mt. Everest several more times after 1970, the last time at age 80, when he had to be airlifted down. This was a Guinness World record. Some climbers dismiss this record, saying it doesn’t count if you can’t climb down on your own.

Monday Morning Star Count

 

I’m continuing to make progress with the hand quilting.  I have a few more lines at the bottom to do.  The binding is made and waiting to be attached. I see a finish in the near future.

Knitting

To begin with, I learned to knit when I was young - just basic knitting, nothing difficult. I made a few small things, but it never became my crafty thing.

Many years ago when I lived in Carbondale, Illinois I had a very good friend named Bea who was a knitter. We met through the University Women’s Club and even though she was a bit older than I was, we hit it off. In addition to all the different club interest groups we both belonged to (Antiques Group, Book Club, Knitting and Stitching, Quilting, etc.),  we went out to lunch once a week and did other things together outside the club. We had the same blood type and when she had knee surgery, I donated blood specifically for her. She was very opinionated and often gave me advice on all kinds of things. At some point, she and her husband moved to California to live with her son, daughter in law, and grandson. Later, my friend and her husband both passed away in California. 

Long story to get to the knitting part.  Her son emailed me recently and said he had come across his mother’s knitting needles and asked if I wanted them. I said yes, seeing it as a connection to his mother. He sent me all of these needles and the tin his mother kept the needles in. Wow!

I bought some inexpensive cotton yarn and thought maybe I could make a dish cloth or a coaster to start.

I cast on a bunch of stitches and did a few rows to practice. The tension is very uneven, but it is just practice.

Even if I never advance to making anything real, I can remember my friend.

Serizawa Keisuke Art Museum

I took the train to Shizuoka City to visit the Shizuoka City Serizawa Keisuke Art Museum. The museum is a 40 minute walk from Shizuoka Station in pretty much a straight line, so it’s easy to get to. It is a gorgeous museum in a beautiful setting. The entry fee is only ¥420 for adults.

I’ve been to this museum before, but this time there was English in the exhibit descriptions. Photos are not allowed inside the museum, but I bought some exhibit postcards in the museum shop.

This is the flyer from the exhibit.