C10 Sampler Ball

The sampler ball I've been working on is completed.  The idea of undertaking the sampler ball was to experiment with a bunch of patterns and ideas that I wanted to try out but didn't want to commit to stitching a whole temari of.  I stitched 6 designs on opposite poles and this is what it ended up looking like.  I could have done 12 designs on this ball (or changed the colour sequences) and maybe next time I do this experiment I will.

I think I am officially over this set of colours and they are going into the back of the drawer for a nice long rest. I like my experiments with the layered star and lazy daisy.  I can't say I've seen  a temari with this type of layered daisy stitch (of course I am sure it has been done) and I have seen the other patterns in pictures but some required me to work out the stitching path like the Sakasa Uwagake Kagari (top left face) thankfully I could work it out this time since learning about this stitch when undertaking the Cosmo #3 P3 project. 

My next project is to measure the Sunflower #2 class ball and mark it out for stitching... but right now I have a hot date with the grocery store before school pick ups so I better run.

Perth Upmarket

Yesterday I went with my one of my besties, LouLou, to the Perth Upmarket.  It is a quarterly handmade artisan craft market which has been held since 2008 in the Perth Town Hall .  This year the market expanded to the University of WA's Winthrop Hall.  Image below from wikipedia

My favorites are Anna Hadwin's amigurumi, Craftapalooza's scrabble tile jewellery, Eucalypt Homewares gorgeous ceramic bowls, Mokoh Design's magnets and prints, and Tamara Harrison's and Pelava's awesome jewellery.  All I can say is WOW there are some talented people in our city!

I have been noticing something of a crafting trend over the last 18 or so months.  Just over 18 months ago it was all about CUPCAKES then about 6 months ago it turned into all things BABUSHKA MATRYOSHKA and this time it is all about OWLS.  I wonder how these trends start? And how it can be that so many individual crafters happen to have such similar themes.

There were several items that were made with fabric or paper the had temari printed somewhere on the design... there is a real Japanese influence in crafting materials here (maybe it is the same everywhere) but, having said that, there were nothing like temari or yubinuki items for sale... Maybe there will be one day?!

Weekend update! update!! update!!!

Sorry I've just been watching an old episode of SNL. My favourite weekend update(rs) were Tina Fey and Amy Poehler... and I liked Jimmy Fallon with Tina Fey too.  I can't think of TF anymore without hearing her say 'I can see Russia from my house!' Top points for her Sarah Palin take off!

Boy for someone who knows little to nothing about geometry I sure can go off on a tangent!!

Today is Earth Hour Day and we err... well... didn't actually participate this year.  I mean not tonight anyway... but we did have our electricity off for 7 hours on Monday night so does it count - being in the same week?  May...be... not!!! But I have only just put all the candles away from Monday night. I wonder how many people in Perth did participate this year...  On the upside I have finally taught my son to turn off the lights in any room he is leaving and I haven't used my clothes dryer since 2009 - I used to be a 365 day clothes dryer queen.  OK so now I don't feel so bad missing out on the symbolic gesture of Earth Hour Day when I am making actual life changes to effect our planet.

OK now focusing on temari! 

Today my Adult Temari Class ladies popped in.  I am impressed how their sampler balls are going... I have only done 3 faces but will finish mine this week.  I like the idea of a sampler ball because it allows lots of small areas to play with new ideas without committing to a big ball of the design. You can choose to experiment with one particular stitch and change the colours etc or change the way you apply the stitches to the ball. So far on my ball I have used a tsumu kagari (spindle) and  uwagake chidori kagari (herringbone) and still want to do a Shitagake Chidori Kagari (braided), a pentagon rose garden, and a hoshi kagari (5 point star) I was also thinking of experimenting with some type of layered lazy daisy inside a bordered pentagon... but that might not actually work out.  I will post pictures when the ball is finished.

Last reminder for Competition entries

Been thinking about entering our thread pack competition? You know the one we're running to celebrate our Blog's 1st Anniversary? Please don't miss out, there are just a few days to enter before the draw on April 1st.  You are in a really great position to win! Entry is quite simple.. just join our blog and select the option to be a public follower.  All the competiton details are found here in the original post.

Latest Temari

As you all know I have been taking Barb Suess' Sunflowers Class.  It is progressing really well, and I am enjoying it a lot.  So today I have some pics of the first completed ball.  I am glad to have discovered that I have a similar purple to the maxi-lock thread supplied in my own stash so I may make the biggie big ball in the same colours... if I can get the same stitching thread colours here.

I am loving this class and find myself salivating all day on Sunday at the prospect of the next installment the following day.  I am not surprised at all to see several names on the class data base of people who also took the Echo Stars Class early last year.  Also I noticed that there is one other Aussie.  Hi J.C. from NSW!!!

Also here is a SPOILER ALERT in case you are doing the TT March Mystery Ball.  My attempt is pictured below. I remember now that I don't really adore making spindles.  Perhaps I am too rough but they love to scrunch in on themselves at the sides (if that makes sense) when they are single.  I never (touching wood here) have this problem when making layered spindles which cross near the center.

Now I had heard of Crocus flower but had never, to my memory, seen one.  So after I stitched the ball I googled Crocus and here is what came up with.... the image below is from here and there are a bunch (pardon the pun) of really lovely flower photos at this site.  I think I will save this link to my favorites.

I think after all my current projects are finished I will make a temari and yubinuki set. I think it might be interesting to try to make a thimble to use as a stand for a specific temari.  Hmmm maybe something to think about..... (brain beginning to percolate with ideas...)

And We're back.... stitching temari.

Now that non-pioneer life has resumed for most of our city's residents (sadly some 20,000 homes still have no power & won't for several more days and others have mud within 3 feet of their ceiling - I don't mean muddy water here I mean compacted clay mud from a landslide) I have been able to complete the Soccer team bags Huzzah!!! As a reward I treated myself to stitching Flower One of my 1st Sunflower ball.  I really like it.  There is just a little more on the center stitching to go and It'll be done.

As an aside: Monday's storm was the worst we have had for 16 years and the first time I have EVER seen the sky turn that grey green colour I have read about in books.  We are pretty lucky in Perth (Yes I AM touching wood right now) not to have awful floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc so we are all generally unprepared for Mother Nature's fury when she unleashes it.  I have been taking an informal survey on what people fed their families last night when the storm hit without warning.  Some interesting ones have been Bread Rolls, Instant Ramen - cooked on a gas cooker at the dining table, Barbecued-whatever-they-could-find-in-the-fridge-that-didn't-need-to-be-defrosted on the BBQ dragged under the patio out of the rain, breakfast cereal....   So what is your favourite Blackout recipe?

Images from Perth Now Website.  These are all places I know really well.  The pic with the bike is taken by the freeway exit way near where Miho used to live in West Leederville - you can almost see the evening traffic in the background. This spot is at the bottom of two hills. The bus station is North of the City in Wellington St,  I must have walked through this spot a 100 times.  I think it is ironic that the ad in the bus shelter is for headache tablets.  The bottom pic is of our old ATO (Taxation Building HQ) - now it is a Ritzy hotel if you can believe it.  This is near the start of St Georges Tce.  See the cars at the left of photo?... that road (Victoria Ave) heads straight to the river... I bet it was flowing really fast down this road and I am surprised to see cars there.  I bet the cars turning right into this road haven't thought about what they'll find at the bottom of the hill. To the right of this picture (just out of shot) there is a fairly steep hill.