TAST 63 - Scroll Stitch

This week’s TAST on Sharon B’s pintangle blog is the scroll stitch.

My samples include

1)   a variegated #5 perle, first done in a straight line, then I tried to do two scallops.

2)   Next, I used Soy Luster in a line, then back to back.

3)   I tried a Needle Necessities thread 50/50 cotton/rayon, but I think the knots look sloppy because of twist of the thread.

4)   Finally, I tried #8 perle cotton in a straight line, then tightly packed. The tight stitches lose the definition of the stitch.

Japanese Numbers

I don’t know how Japanese children ever learn numbers, let alone learn to count.

The year is 2013, but Japan has a secret code for years.  This is the year 25 in Japan.  I think it has to do with the Emperor and the year of his being the emperor, but I’m not totally sure about that.  1950, was also year 25, so I don’t know how they keep it straight.

Time is usually told in what I would call military time – 24 hours instead of two 12’s.  If you want to meet someone at 8:00 pm, it’s best to say 20:00 not 8:00, which means eight in the morning.  If you learn 24 hour time to start with you are probably better off.  I’m always trying to subtract 12 from all the numbers over 13 to see what time it is.

Likewise, metrics are probably best learned rather than trying to convert them all the time. Fabric is sold by the meter or you can get cuts of 10 cm or more.  I have no idea what the equivalent of a fat quarter is.  I can figure out distance without a lot of trouble because running races are usually measured in kilometers, such as a 10K is 6.2 miles.  I don’t try to convert temperature, though. I have a centigrade to Fahrenheit chart in my kitchen. If someone tells me they were sick and had a fever of 39, I have no idea if that’s normal or bad. In the summer it sometimes gets as hot as 27 or 28 here. It doesn’t sound very hot does it?

Counting things in Japanese is the real problem for me. The ending of the number depends on what it is you are counting. (Plus there are irregular number words on top of the endings).  If the thing you are counting is a flat thing, like a paper of a leaf, the ending is mai. If the thing is long and skinny, like an umbrella or a pen, the ending is either pon, hon, or bon.  A cup of coffee is pai, hai, or bai, depending on how many. The ending for number of people is nin. There are word endings for small things, for age, for time, for machines, for little animals, for every different thing! By the time I figure all of this out, I’ll be too old to count anything.

I carry this around where ever I go and have managed to work on it quite a bit.  I’ve been making it up as I go along and I’m very happy with how it is turning out.  I really like the little pulled stitches in the diamonds, but please don’t ask me to count how many there are.

Pirka Kotan Tour

My Japanese teacher told me about a free bus tour sponsored by the Teine Rotary Club and the Sapporo International Communication Plaza for foreign nationals to visit Pirka Kotan, the Ainu Culture Center and onsen.  There were only 20 spaces and a lottery would be held to determine who could go on the trip.  There were 80 applicants and Ted and I were chosen to be among the 20 to go! We were quite excited to be chosen, but as with most things really didn’t know what it was we were doing until we were doing it.

There were five Americans, Ted and me, Jamie from my Japanese class and her husband, and a woman we met on the trip who is from Hawaii, among the group of 20 foreigners. The group of 20 Japanese Rotarians and 20 foreigners met at the International Plaza across the street from the famous Sapporo Clock Tower to catch the bus.

 

The big group was divided in two when we arrived at Pirka Kotan and each group was given a tour of the Center. Our Ainu guide spoke in Japanese and one of the Japanese staff members from the International Center translated his words into English. The exhibition area was a hands-on museum with everything Ainu from clothing to tools to boats.

 

Outdoors, there were several Ainu houses and we went inside one of them.

 

After both groups had seen the inside and outside areas, we met in the auditorium and were treated to Ainu music and dance. The traditional instruments were first demonstrated, then more modern Ainu music was played.

 

Lunch was incredible.  Each person received this two layer treasure box of a Japanese bento lunch, filled with all Japanese traditional food, plus miso soup, soba noodles, and dessert.

 

After lunch, those who wanted to go to the onsen (us!) did and those who didn’t could go back to the exhibit area. Snow fell while we were in the outdoor onsen area. The water temperature was 42 C and snow was falling on us! After the onsen time, we met back in the room where we ate lunch and people could talk more or exchange business cards or email addresses.  Before getting on the bus, there was time for more photos, then we headed back to the International Plaza.

 

Ted was a big hit with the Rotarians

We really had a good day.  I was able to get to know my classmates better and we met and talked with many interesting people, plus experience the Ainu Cultural Center and onsen. A big thank you to the Teine Rotary Club and SICPF!

A Few Yuki Matsuri Photos

The Snow Festival in Sapporo was two months ago, but I didn’t get around to posting photos. The festival ran from Tuesday until Monday.  Ted and I attended Friday afternoon and evening.  It was cold and blizzardy, so my camera stayed in my pocket.  Saturday Ted attended without me and took about a million pictures.  Monday, we both went back and Ted took more photos.  Because he took so many pictures, I didn’t take very many.  Here are just a few I took. Better late than never, right?  Now that the snow is melting, it's kind of fun to see what we had back then.
 

JALT Hokkaido Meeting

Last weekend, I took the bus and the subway to get to Hokkai Gakuen University for the Japan Association of Language Teachers – Hokkaido meeting.  The featured speaker was Paul Nation, Professor Emeritus, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and the topic was “What are the ten most effective vocabulary activities?” The presentation was interesting and I met a few people, so it was a successful day. After I returned home, I looked up Paul Nation's website and googled his name and was pleased to have been able to attend the presentation of someone so well-known in the field.  There are a number of free resources on his website.

I was very interested in the speaker’s definition for fluency because I’ve always thought of fluency in a language as mastering the language. Mr. Nation said one can be fluent at any level, that fluency is making the best use of what you already know. I came away with several new activities that I will incorporate into my university classes. I also learned some things that apply to my learning Japanese.

On Pins and Needles

I’m still working on my pins and needles accessory book.  I’ve finished the cover and the stitched top of the pin mattress.  I’ve stitched the edging of one needle page.  I’ve decided not to do five pages of needles so that I can have room for something else.  I'm still working on the details and hope to have more of it done to show you the next time!

Every Day is a New Adventure

I go to Sapporo once a week for my classes. First, I walk about 20 minutes to get to the bus stop.  Busses come about every 15 minutes, so I don’t keep track of the exact times. I just know one will soon arrive.  When you get on the bus, you pull out a tab with a number that tells you where you got on, so you know how much to pay when you get off.  This week I got on the bus and pulled the number, like I always do.  When I sat down and looked at my tab, I saw it said 6 not 2 like it usually does.  I looked up at the board at the front of the bus and saw the fare for 2 was already 730, when the fare for the entire trip to Sapporo is 770. I don’t read kanji but I can recognize the kanji for Sapporo. It begins with a character that looks like a treble fish hook.  There was no fish hook on the sign at the front of the bus.  My first thought was “taihen desu, I’ve gotten on the wrong bus!” The only thing I could understand from the bus driver’s announcement was kosokudoro (highway).  We were on the highway, but I couldn’t tell if we were going toward Sapporo or away. The windows on the bus were all fogged over, so I couldn’t see out to see if I recognized any landmarks or signs.  To make a long story shorter, I did get to Sapporo.  The bus I usually take goes between my town and Sapporo.  The bus I was on this week was a once a day bus that originated in another town, but still stopped in my town and in Sapporo. I’m glad I didn’t end up elsewhere.

After Japanese class, I met my friend Miwako for lunch and we went to a Gruel Restaurant.  I’m not entirely sure of what gruel is, but I think it is something like porridge – you know three bears and Goldilocks. There were different kinds of gruel on the menu and different choices in the lunch set menu. 

 

There were three gruel choices without meat – spinach and bean, shrimp and tomato, and my choice, pumpkin with crab.  Pumpkin in Japan is more like butternut squash than orange pumpkin in the US.  The gruel was delicious and I chose a shrimp and squid side and mango custard for dessert. I'm not sure what Miwako ate, but I think it was something with meat.

 

 

I am enjoying my afternoon children’s English classes.  I have eight 10 year olds in one class and four 5 year olds in another.  The 5 year olds are quite entertaining and surprise me with how much they know.  The sock boy from last time came in with his shirt up around his neck.  I asked him to pull it down and he did -- for about 30 seconds, then pulled it up again.  I didn’t say any more about the shirt, figuring he would pull it down when he got cold.  I was right, about ½ an hour later he pulled it down.  The three hours I was there flew by and the bus ride home was not as eventful at the morning.

One Day Ornament - No "L" Sampler

This ornament is stitched on Zweigart 28 count ice blue Cashel Linen.  The designer is Eileen Bennett of the Sampler House. I think the No “L” – Noel play on words is very clever, although very un-Japanese. I’m using a sampler print fabric from my stash for the backing.

 With right sides together, I stitched around three sides, then cut off the extra.

 

For the insides, I glued thin batting to both sides of a piece of thick cardboard.

 

For a hanger, I attached a small piece of cording.  I put the inside in the ornament and stitched the opening closed.

 

Here is the finished ornament.