Six Weeks Left

There are six weeks left in the year and I still have three projects unfinished on my New Year’s Resolutions list.  Doesn’t look good for getting them finished, does it? This week I pulled out my Plum Panache beaded shawl and worked on it.   

 

As much as I want it finished, and especially want it finished by the end of the year, I don’t know that I’ll be able to continue working on it now to get it done by the end of the year.  I’ll try for a few more days and see how it goes.

Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour

Sunday, Ted and I met three Outdoor Life students from the university for the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Sapporo. We were glad we bought tickets ahead of time because the 700 seat theater was sold out. The seats were general admission, so we arrived early and were able to sit in the fourth row.

I thought it would be good, but it was more than good. The films were exciting and inspiring and some were really scary.  While I was never the extreme outdoorsperson depicted in these films, I have had my share of outdoor adventure.  Seeing these films did give me a feeling of nostalgia and a realization that I’m older than I think I am.

There were two sets of six films, one at 1 pm and the second at 5:30 pm.  My favorite film was Crossing the Ice about two Australians who decide to try to be the first to ski from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, unsupported.  They were not as well prepared as others who had tried and failed in the past, but their friendship and determination made the difference.

You can see clips and info about the films here.  Check out the schedule for this World Tour – I highly recommend seeing it! 

Flat Tree Finish

This has been such a fun project! Since I last posted about this, I added some little bells,

Some snowflakes,

A little panda bear,

 

And the yellow binding. (I also made a sleeve for the back, but I forgot to take a picture.)

 

Ta Da!  The finished tree – done in plenty of time for this year’s holiday hanging. (To see how the presents open, check out this post.)

TAST 89 Twisted Satin Stitch and 90 Twisted Satin Stitch with a Bead

Take A Stitch Tuesday 89 is the Twisted Satin Stitch.

TAST 90 is the Twisted Satin Stitch with a Bead.

 

Here’re both side by side, done with perle #8 (below the other stitches).

 

 

To see more examples of these stitches, check out Sharon B's pintangle blog.

Snow Keeps Falling in Hokkaido!

Let the yuki kaki begin.

First Snow and Weekend Stitching

The first stick to the ground snow has fallen and we are expecting more tomorrow.  I think winter is here.

I had a busy weekend – square dancing Friday, the Culture event in Yuni Saturday, the Branff Mountain Film Festival Sunday (I’ll write about that later this week), so I didn’t get a lot of stitching done.  I did carry along my hexagons and worked on them a bit (see yesterday's post).  I also made a yellow binding for the flat tree, following the tutorial on Molly Flanders Makerie.  I’ve pinned a small section to show you what it will look like.  I plan to get it stitched this week and to put a sleeve on the back so Ted will have it to hang in his office this December.

One of my former English students who was also on Ted’s Nature Watching trip to the US made each of us a little bag of cookies.  Ted ate his before I could take a photo, but here are mine. Thank you Ayumi!

bag says: Hello Kitty
Dressing up and relaxing at home is my hobby.

Kawaii desu!

Monday Morning Star Count - 191

 

This week I have ten new flowers to show for a total of 191.  I’ve completed a second bed length strip of flower clumps and have enough clumps to make a third.  I thought five strips would do it, but now I’m thinking six would be better.  I guess I’ll be cutting more fabric and making more hexagons.  Check back next Monday.

Minyo and Shamisen

We attended a wonderful cultural event with some of our English speaking friends yesterday in Yuni Hokkaido.  There are only a couple of trains a day to and from this tiny town so we had to be careful about the time.

 

The event was held in a community center and except for the seven of us the audience was mostly older Japanese people.

 

I don’t know if the event as a whole had a name, but I do know that the singing is called Minyo and the stringed instrument, Shamisen. Minyo is the traditional Japanese folk songs, with each area of Japan having its own distinct style. The shamisen is a three stringed Japanese instrument. The Japanese bamboo flute instrument is called a shakuhachi and there were also drums, but I don’t know what name they have.

 

The performers were all ages. It was announced that one of the men singing is 91 years old.  The singers seem to have been the stars because after each performance, flowers and gifts were brought up to the stage for the singers. There was one dancer with a parasol who was a special guest performer from Tokyo.

 

It was a very interesting day and I’m very happy we were able to attend this event.

The Japanese Language Teachers

I’ve written before about the Japanese language class I take once a week. I really enjoy the class, my classmates, and all of the teachers.  The volunteer teachers are part of the Hokkaido International Women’s Association and are all such patient and generous women. (The teachers probably wish I would stitch less and study more, but they never say so.)

Frequently, I am the recipient of omiage and other Japanese food treats.

 

This week, one of the teachers gave me this Japanese persimmon (kaki). I had never seen these in the US, but they are very popular in the fall here.

One of the Japanese language teachers brought me these beautiful fall flowers last week and they are still looking fresh. We don't have an appropriate vase, so a tin will have to do.  We have them in the middle of our home and are enjoying them immensely.

Another of the teachers invited me to her square dance group.  I attended once in September and again yesterday.  Most people in the US are exposed to square dancing in school physical education classes or at summer camp or scouts, as I was. I always enjoyed square dancing but it was a long time ago that I last danced.  After the first time I attended the Sapporo Hearts dance group, I was sure they wouldn't want me back because I was so bad, but they did invite me back again. The teacher who invited me even wrote down the train schedule for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and the dancers.

I am thankful every day for the opportunity to be here and for the kindness of the people I meet here.

Japanese Family Names

I read an interesting article about Japanese last names (which come first in Japanese).  There are an estimated 100,000 family names in Japan, more than in many Western countries, but the common names are very common, which means many people have exactly the same name. In the US, most people have middle names, in addition to a first name and a family name, but not so in Japan. 

The ten most common Japanese family names and the number of people in Japan with those names are:

1.    Sato, 1,928,000

2.    Suzuki, 1,707,000

3.    Takahashi, 1,416,000

4.    Tanaka, 1,336,000

5.    Watanabe, 1,134,000

6.    Ito, 1,080,000

7.    Yamamoto, 1,077,000

8.    Nakamura, 1,059,000

9.    Kobayashi, 1,019,000

10.Saito, 980,000

 

Ted and I both have last names that are very common among names in the United States, so we understand about have a name which is the same as others.

I love my birthday! No, my birthday isn't here yet, but it is coming.  Margaret sent me a package of gifts to be opened one a week. I'm going to try to be good and open them on schedule.  This giant chocolate bar wasn't wrapped up, so Ted and I decided it could be eaten ahead of time. (In case you are wondering, yes, I share with him.)

 

Someone's Knocking at the Door

Nearly every day, someone is at my door when Ted is at work.  I’d say the majority of the people at the door are either trying to sell me the newspaper or they are religious people wanting to give me information in Japanese.  I have no idea why they think I can read Japanese.  Sometimes they bow and leave after hearing me try to speak to them. Other times, they will not let me close the door.  I know, I know, I shouldn’t open the door in the first place, but I do.  One young woman with bad teeth and false eyelashes was determined to tell me all of the presents available to me for subscribing to the local shinbun (newspaper) for different lengths of time. She was tiny, but the bag of presents that she was ready to give me was wedged in the door so that it would not close.  I kept telling her I could not read, but that obviously wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Maybe she gets paid by the number of times she can complete her speech.

I've heard that snow is predicted for early next week. Maybe that prediction will be wrong.  Just in case, I'm trying to enjoy the fall color before everything turns white.