Finished Project # 2 - the secret project...

You may recall a while back I mentioned a secret project I was on with - this was corset related and for myself and a friend... you may also remember I mentioned it was very girly... well, the project is now finished and  I can finally reveal it to you...

For any girls who grew up in the eighties, I think you will appreciate these...

I think it is what Hasbro would have wanted...

Finished project # 1...

I have been very busy lately what with the Japanese study and work etc, however I have managed to get one of my projects completed -

This is a knitted jacket which is from a Kim Hargreaves pattern... I knit it up in Bamboo cotton instead of tweed however and so it has come out softer than perhaps it was supposed to - still I suppose I could always get the starch out!!!

Overall, I am pretty pleased with it though!

Konnichiwa...

I have decide to start learning Japanese.  Partly because I have always had a fascination with Japanese culture - the kimono, the fabrics, the martial arts (I studied kendo and Iai Justsu for a year a while back) and now mostly because I want to be able to speak to my sister in law in her native tongue so she doesn't have to do all the hard work of translating to English!

Speaking more than one language is something I have always had a huge amount of admiration and respect for in others and decided it was time I gave it a go myself!
I speak a little German which I learned in School, and phrases just pop into my head every now and again - it is strange what sticks with you.  The lyrics to O Tanenbaum and giving directions to the Krankenhaus and what not...

So I have enrolled at University and have started my breakthrough, beginners Japanese course.  When I signed up, either through my own naiive assumption (because the class is in the evening), or through lack of information, little did I realise that this is NOT actually a night couse per se.  I have actually managed to get myself on a proper Degree module... hmm.  I did feel a little bit overwhelmed when the tutor mentioned that we should be putting in a good 18 hours a week of study...  OK so I work full time and cannot possibly devote the same time a full time student can. The Tutor recognised this and basically said - just go with it and do your best!

At the end of the day this is not somethign I have chosen to do for qualifications or credit,  it is purely because I want to learn, so I figure marks and passing exams won't matter all that much anyway.  I am going to give it my best however and trust that I am actually more disciplined than I was when I was at Uni myself (seriously the 18 year olds in the class just seem so... young and unfocussed!) 

So currently I am learning my Kana, which is what the scripts are collectively called.  I started studying the Hirgana before the course started, and I have now moved to Katakana.

By the end of the course I should be able to discuss basic things like where I am from, what I do etc but most of the time is really spent learning to read the language and rules of grammar and apparently we even start to learn some of the Kanji -dum dum duuummm!!! (that was my ominous sound effect of doom btw)
So wish me luck!

Sayoonara!

The Sky...

 I decided to start collecting the sky.  Here's what I have caught so far...

The onset of a particularly spectacular thunderstorm brought this strange, fast moving, rolling black cloud - behind it came the storm with purple lightening which streaked across the sky - unfortunately I couldn't capture the lightening..

half an hour after the storm had passed the sky looked like this...

and here are some more beautiful skys I have collected...

catch up...

Well, I haven't been on much lately as it has been just so hectic over the last few weeks.  From a long visit from my brother and sister in law to poorly bunny needing veterinary care (she's fine just a bunny cold we can't seem to shift) I just don't seem to have found time to get the computer out!

I took a week off of work to use up some annual leave and take a break. I decided that I was going to spend the week doing only hobbies.  It was bliss and made me wish I could find a way to make a living from my art and craft pursuits, where I excel, rather than plugging away each day with the bordeom of admin. To update you on some of the projects I managed to complete, as usual I have added a couple of pictures below!  I also began the pattern drafting for my latest corsets. The corsets are a secret project which I will reveal upon completion. Suffice to say however they are part of a special set of outfits for myself and a friend for the Whitby Goth Weekend which are going to be extremely girly :-)

Amongst other things, I finished the miniature patchwork box lid...

 I finished the quilted fan wall hanging kit and made a bag from Japanese cotton.

The most surprising event of the last few weeks is of bunny origin.  I haven't updated much on the bunnies for a while.  The little tykes have grown fast and are pretty much full size. They have been gradually learning the ropes of being house bunnies, although Flo still insists that litter trays are for losers and leaves us little presents around the flat... hoping that age will put a stop to this.  The time had come to get the bunnies spayed as girl bunnies sadly have a 70% chance of developing uterine cancer by the age of 4.  Also it helps them get along as the hormones kick in otherwise they do get rather stroppy and can fall out with each other.  The day came and apprehensive though I naturally was about the possible risks with anaesthetic, off the bunnies went to see the vet.

We had a little bit of a surprise getting the bunnies back. Upon opening Flo up the vet couldn't find a uterus.  This is because Flo is in fact a boy!  Poor little man had not developed properly in the little boys department and we didn't know!  Flo or Flops as his now rechristened has now been castrated by a very sheepish vet who had previously told us Flo was a girl.  To be fair to the vet she hasn't handled Flops for a while and given the lack of obvious evidence can be forgiven for thinking that the bunny was a girl as previously thought.   Both bunnies are recovering remarkably quickly and are already happily hopping around.

The Great Yorkshire Show... Part 3

And the moo cows...

It's amazing to see Cows up close - I do know they are big, but it isn't until you get up close you realise just how enormous they can be - especially the big beef breeds' bulls. But my favourite are the highland which tend to be slightly smaller and the calves are unbearably gorgeous...

As a vegetarian, I am torn between feeling very sad that these poor creatures get eaten and the knowledge that if they weren't they probably would not be around at all. The best I can hope for therefore is that they get a good life before that unfortunate day.

The Great Yorkshire Show... Part 2

And here are some sheep...

Hi - Vis Sheep

Dougal sheep

Monkey Sheep

I would not want to double cross this sheep...

Naaah...  cutie pie

The most awesomest sheep in the world - sadly very rare.

A very sheepy, looking sheep I think.

Sheepy can't see...

these horns are amazing - bet they would continue to spiral...

Sheep are great because they are cute and they give us wool to make things with... :-)

The Great Yorkshire Show... part 1

Have also been meaning to add a few snaps from the excursion to theYorkshire show.  Doohie has already put most of the animals up on 'nothing much to say, but..' but here are a few which haven't already been put up...

First the bunnies - because you know they are my favourites...

Not a tribble - there is actually a bunny under there...

close encounter...

...of the avian kind!

I decided to get out for a breath of fresh air today at lunchtime and I had an unexpected surprise...

You will have to excuse the quality of the photos, I only got hard copies and the scanner wasn't working so had to take a picture of the photos to show you!

Little owl...teeny tiny but actually 10 years old!!!

Barn Owl

Eagle Owl - 7 pounds - my arm was a little uncomfortable after a while!

 The most amazing creatures - I was very chuffed :-)

There was also an little African Scops Owl - he had a little moustache which bizzarrely made him look Scottish! Also a little noisy Sparrow Hawk.  Poor Little Sparrow Hawk was very young however and looked a little unsettled so I decided not to hold him and make him unhappy.

Metal or Bamboo...

I have been in a wool mood so have been doing a bit of knitting... My friend told me her Mum had started knitting again and that her Dad has bought her a new set of bamboo knitting needles. This piqued my interest as I had never used bamboo knitting needles and thought I would get a pair to see what they are like to compare.

4mm metal needles in the middle of making a cable neck warmer...

4.5mm Bamboo needles with the beginnings of a tension swatch....

so what do I think to them?

I had heard that they are quieter and this appears to be true. I have also heard they are good for people with arthritis – they are warmer and less rigid so I suspect this is also the case... They are much lighter to hold which is easier on my hands. Note - I knit using what Mum always said is the 'Yorkshire Method' with the right needle slung under my arm. This does ease up the tension in the hands a little but I still find myself gripping a bit too hard which can occaisionally give me cramp in my left hand. The lighter needles alleviated this a little I think.

However, being a tight knitter I also found that as I pull the stitch off of the left needle onto the right the tip of the right needle scrapes around the left – in metal needles this doesn't matter because they are durable enough to take it. In the Bamboo I found it resulted in grooves appearing on the needles! Oh no!!! here is a picture although it may not show up very well...

Having realised this and attempting to slacken off my tension a bit, this problem seems to have been averted... Hmm, so bamboo not as durable as the steel – which is not surprising when I think about it but still something to bear in mind when purchasing frequently used sizes.

I like the feel of the bamboo and they look very appealing and despite somehow expected them to have ridges as you can see the grain of the wood, they are of course completely smooth! I have found that Acrylic did seem to stick a little but having not tried real wool on them yet perhaps this is more to do with the quality of the yarn rather than the needle.

So a mixed experience but I like both and would select bamboo or steel depending on the project. Not sure what expert knitters think?

So what else have I been doing this weekend? I have started to make a miniature patchwork cover for a box...

and I have been cooking -

Goats cheese, cherry tomato, shallot with olive tapanade tarts... I concocted the recipe but I confess I didn't make the puff pastry, I just bought some ready made because it is quicker. Yum yum.