New persona

First, I wanted to make it to St. Valentine's Day.
Next, I set the due day to March the 1st.
I missed both, but now, at last.  On my 44th birthday.

I made myself a knitting (and hopefully, crochet) designer.
I can't say "professional" because I'm not paid.  I just set up a website and a blog.  When I said "my new office is still under construction", the construction was being made by none else by myself, and only on the cyber space.

Atelier PawPrint
https://sites.google.com/site/atelierpawprint/

and its blog, PawPrint on the floor
http://atelier-pawprint.blogspot.jp/

It's my place as an artist-kind-of-persona.
And, I'll go bilingual, writing every post, every pattern both in English and Japanese.
I'm not going to teach anything.  So, no "basics" or "101s".  There are so many wonderful books and teachers in the fiber world that I guess I don't need to set a classroom myself.

Until now, I have been posting occasional "not by a pattern" projects here, but I'll make them into words and post them on PawPrint website from now on.  I will not abandon this blog, nor am thinking of making a fortune as a designer. I am not a "creative" person in my honest opinion, but a "make-doer".  I am not a person of originality, but of small ideas. I think original designs should be traded at proper prices, but my ideas are none like that.  At least for now.  That's why I'm not selling anything on PawPrint website but asking donations if any of the visitors want to pay for my works.  Not asking for money is an excuse, too, of not making them in a perfect package for downloading and all.  (It's a terrible pdf now, but this is the best I could make for now.)   I'll learn more to make them better, of course, as soon as possible.

Here, I'm a knitter who has too much stash and too much "other stuff".
There, I'll be an artist who can't stop expressing herself through fiber-ish materials.
I hope having these two places does me good.

PS. I noticed I have written many "not"s above.  What do I want to deny?

Let it go.

My daughter has turned to six years old. I still remember the blue clear sky I saw from the hospital room window just before the delivery. She came to this world in the full blast of Texas sun (of course the room was ACed, though).

This year, our home baker (my husband) was not available (just couldn't make the day off, didn't have to stay extra-time on his daughter's birthday. Not so bad deal as a Japanese office worker.) He, got a piece of artisan from a patisserie nearby his office.

(Am I a paranoia to edit the pic to erase her name on the chocolate plate? Maybe. Maybe not.)

The cake was only 12cm in diameter, so we figured out it's the right size for us, family of three to clear it up on one sitting. It was good. VERY good cake, with a perfect balance of sweetness, bitterness and fruitiness. It was moist, delicate and light.

But still, my husband is determined to bake his own for his daughter next year. His baking is, a sort of, like my knitting. He does it for himself and for the family who appreciates it.

On her 6th birthday, I made up my mind on a difficult issue in my stash/WIP.

It's my Watermelon Cardigan project. I fell in love with it, My daughter saw the picture and said "Cute." I got the pattern and all the yarn I need for the largest size (JUST in case I am not so quick) and made half a sleeve. Then, it started to seem... she doesn't like melons as food. She says it's "too sweet" or "not sweet enough" every time I give a piece for her. She "doesn't like the softness."

A while ago, I asked her if she wants the cardigan, and she said no, she'd rather want a slice of knitted watermelon toy.

Even after it was clear that I can't make the cardi for her anymore, I couldn't do anything on my Ravelry project page or the yarn. Until yesterday, when I noticed that she almost outgrew the largest size in the pattern.

It's over. I'll let it go. The yarn could have a better way to go than a overdued, grown-out sized, not-finished-at-all-even-one-sleeve cardigan. Sad. But a good dicision, I guess. (sob)

Now, it's time to hit Ravelry pattern search. (grin)

40 years ago

On March 11th, 40 years ago, it snowed in Osaka.

I don't know if I like or dislike more if I were not born on a snowy day.  My feelings to snow is "normal" as a person who was born in a place where she has just one or two snow every winter - a child in me gets verrry excited, and an adult in me, not so much.

Anyway, I love snowflake pattern.  Especially now I'm pretty confident about stranded knitting.

Turning to 40 is - not so exciting, in any way.  It's not good nor bad.  It's just another day.  And I love it.