Done, done and done.

I knit for my family and friends. Like my mother. My finished projects in these couple of months proof that.

four pairs of toe-less socks (Falling in Love by Anni Design, Pretty Petals Socks by Jeanie Townsend, Little Roses by Linda Fisher and Cat's Face Lace Socks by Jennifer Fleury, respectively. All links, after these, too, to Ravelry pages.) for my PTA pals (well, the last one was for me, indeed),

a sweater for my daughter (s15-11 Jersey with raglan and texture pattern in 2 threads Alpaca by DROPS design. collar was made frilly by the recipient's request),

a pair of mittens for my dear friend since collage (that means more than 20 years' friendship between us... oh, my. Well, pattern is Annemor #11 by Teri Shea, made into mittens instead of gloves by repeating main flower/snow patten twice and decreased on top, following one of skillful and kind Ravelrers' way),

a pair of ankle/wrist warmer for my daughter's kindergarten teacher, who was diagnosed with breast cancer and returned to her work this summer. The pattern I used is part of Graph 44 in Latvian Mittens by Lizbeth Upitis, because the recipient was baptized Margaret recently and this had the most "margaret-like" look in my library.

And, I finished this stash-busting crochet halfghan.

All acrylic, roll-it-kick-it-hide-under-it afghan. The patten is Wavy Blanky by Stephanie Gage. It's a very soothing, sort of meditative pattern. I started it a little too ambitiously with a little too many stitches. The idea of this project was to use up as much yarn as possible, in a more or less sophisticated color scheme. I got a huge success by using up the yellow (tell the truth, ran out of it and added about half the row amount of off-white yarn) and used most of the brown (which is two-stranded fingering/sports weight). I have pretty good amount of green (green/black mix actually), which I am planning to use in another blanket/afghan/whatever-covers-me-up project.

The hectic end-of-the-year schedule doesn't stop me. I think this happens to many knitters all around the world. The busier you get, the more you need your knitting to take the edge off.

Last week, I had to attend at a 1-1.5 hour seminar/lecture thing (PTA-related, and had stinky political air as I had suspected. I hate politics.) Thanks to this project, I didn't start screaming fiercely during the seminar;

Yum. Isn't it?

Child's Self-striping hat by my dear friend, Janet. With the exact yarn the pattern calls for. Procrastinating knitting it was my fault. My daughter's hat is almost as big as mine now, so I knit from top-down, increasing up to 120 stitches and knit, knit, knit until I ran out of whole one skein, and changed it to a white yarn of almost same weight to make long k2p2 ribbing.

Yeah, it looks little too big, but she could use some extra room when she has her hair "done pretty" (sigh.)

I'm in a mood for finishing WIPs right now. First up, Angora shawl for my mother (which I blogged in my 100th post.) Problem is, the yarn sheds like a sick cat. It gives me sneezes. I don't want to say this, but, I .... am not fond of angora.

"Tis the Season

Although Nov.23 is the holiday called "Labor Thanksgiving Day" in Japan, we don't consider it as a day (or a weekend) to celebrate with family member like in the USA. That means, our modern commercialized life is being filled by those red and green Christmas colors already, instead of brown and orange of turkeys and pumpkins.

It's the time of the year I give myself a good thinking about my religious view.

I celebrate Christmas. Partly because Christmas gives me a good excuse to indulge in cakes and good foods. And partly because I believe in Santa Clause somewhere deep in my heart (seriously).

And, partly because it's the birthday of Jesus Christ. He gives me the cue to my wandering into religious thought every year.

I am not a Christian, though.

I am not so uncomfortable to celebrate a religious holiday I don't really believe in, maybe because my religion (Shinto) is polytheistic. It's not that I consider the God in Christian (or Jewish, or Islamic) belief is "just one of our gods", but that I don't feel troubled to show my respect and awe to any holy power.

My openness to other religions comes from my curiosity, too. Curiosity. I know it's not really a good word when we talk about religious issues. But how else can I describe my excitement I feel when I learn about historic, traditional, and everyday life having been carried for hundreds of years in a far-away part of the world? The way people feel about life, and death, and what is right/wrong is so different but so similar. Sometimes I found myself agreeing the phrases in the Bible. Sometimes I get so fascinated by Jewish rituals or Islamic laws. I feel so connected to women lived way before me, and far away from here.

I was given advises after advises not to talk about religions with anybody so lightly, because it just calls for troubles, because I might lose friends, because I might become a target of a hate crime, etc.

But, boy, I can't stop thinking about how I live - how happily I live. When so many people believe in that the answer I search for is all in their faith, I would love to learn it. I just want to "just learn", without any promises for farther commitment. If I want to learn more, I would learn more. If I find "This is it!", I might change my relationship to my family and turn to "It".

The other reason I want learn about various religions is that I don't want to offend anybody by my ignorance. I don't want to offer hams to Muslim nor cheese burger to Jews. At least I want to have enough sense to ask what I can offer before I invite somebody who might feel uncomfortable on the stuff I take for granted.

I had opportunities to learn the Bible before. Every time, I was very impressed by the love I get from the words and between the lines. And every time, I found myself uncomfortable to be told to follow Jesus, just follow with all of my heart and soul. No. I can't follow somebody I don't really know. Yes, his words and deeds are in the Bible. No, I don't think they are all lies, maybe there're some degree of exaggeration, but it's written hundreds of years ago so it's OK for me. Yes, I found lots of good inspirations in it. But still, no, I can't follow a single person just because he is great and billions of people are following him.

And no, he is not my father.

Does he love me? Thank you. I kinda feel I like you, too, but that's all.

This year, the principal of my daughter's kindergarten (also a pastor) is giving us mothers a once-a-month Bible learning class. I enjoy it very much, and again, I don't think I would convert.

I had opportunities to talk with religious Muslims during my college days. They were students from Islamic countries studying science (earth science, to be precise.) I liked their attitude to Islam. They think Islam is a very well-considered guide to their daily life. It helps Muslim to avoid bad habits and temptations. Sounds like a good system overall.

I only read novels and basic books about Judaism and Jewish life. First, it seemed to me to be bound too tightly with rituals and rules. Then, I thought, if I was born as a Jew and have been lived as a Jew, those rituals must have become part of me. I would find that when I do everyday things comfortably, then it happens to be kosher. (Of course that would not be always the case, seeing there are endless arguments and Q&As about keeping kosher.)

Buddhism is familiar to me, since most of Japanese claims themselves as Buddhist. I thinks it's a good guide to live independently and helping each other, at the same time. Independently, because only how I live liberates me from the reincarnation cycles. Helping each other, because it's so hard to live through this life full of suffers, I would need somebody else's help in many occasions and I would like to help somebody else when I can. I ask the saints to give me the clarity of mind, and to lead us to a brighter and better direction. Sometimes Buddhism looks to have too much weight on deaths, and too less appreciations on daily joys, though.

Every time I think of how I live, what I choose to do, I think of my own father.

Am I doing what my father would be proud of? - this, is the very basic of Shintoism as I understand. It's a simple ancestor worship, and the closest ancestor is your father (and mother, of course). Parents are not perfect, so are not the ancestors before them, neither. But their thoughts, loves and cares, would be purified to become something we can rely upon after a long time. (This purification process might be the tendency of living humans to forget subtle errors, by the way.)

Yes, that's where I come back to.

Well, a long post.

These are the mind pathways I take while I sit and knit on the nights before holidays. They may cross or go parallel with my friends' paths. We see each other at the cross/closest point, and go to where we go. We might take separate ways, but where the road ends, we might find each other again.

I thank all of my friends and families, to share their love and thoughts with me. It's the essence of holidays, right?

Thank y'all.

I love y'all.

Chica

glove 2010 in and out

glove 2010 in and out
Originally uploaded by O'Chica

This morning, the low got to 9 degree celsius here in Kyoto. I watched weather forecast last night, and hurried to finish these gloves (one had been done, and the second was just 1/3 of the palm and fingers & thumbs to be done).

Pattern; I frankensteined Annemor #11 (cuff) and NHM #10 (palm) from Selbuvotter, and Butterfly sock by Coriander like I did before.
Yarns; KnitPicks palette (pink, blue and lilac) and Patons Purple Heather (7099, yellow) in my stash.
Needles; KnitPicks Harmony DPNs, US #0

My daughter didn't wear them when she got out of the front door at 8:20. Then, on the street in front of our apartment, she realized her hands were cold. We went back home, got gloves, and her hands were warm.
For, maybe three and a half minutes.
After that, they got too warm and the gloves got pulled off and tucked in her bag.

But, I am so proud of being a knitter and stayed up extra one hour to finish them, to keep her hands warm, even only for three minutes, on the first "really cold morning" in this autumn.

My sleepiness payed off.

Healthy egoism

Here's my new partner. Yes. My bike.

(The one next to mine is my daughter's.)

Thousands, no, tens or hundreds of thousands of mothers who have small children in Japan does her daily running-around on bikes like this, on busy streets like.... (I tried to find a good pic on the net to show how our neighborhood street looks like, but failed. I think this movie comes close enough. First 20 second or so is inside the Kyoto Univ. campus, but after that the camera comes out on the streets.)

When we came back to Japan, my daughter was already 4 years old, weighed about 15 kg (33 lb). Before Japanese kids grow up to that size, they are usually well adapted to be carried around on mom's bikes. My daughter was not. And I was not fully confident about the safety, me myself have not ever be carried on my mother's bicycle, neither. And my neighborhood has everything within 15 minutes' walk. Grocery stores, post office, banks, doctor's office, kindergarten, play parks, subway & railway station, bus stops, you name it.

So, I happily postponed purchasing my bicycle "until the time comes."

My daughter appealed to me again and again how faster and happier she can go to the kindergarten if only I buy a bike with big carrier on the back and carry her. Like her friends' mothers do.

I just kept saying no. I wasn't sure I can safely give a big girl like her a ride. All these walking to and back from the kindergarten makes our legs stronger, and we can have a lot of fun along the way, like poking the ice on a very cold winter day, like doing word games (almost always shiritori).

Now, the time has come.

My daughter wished for a bicycle last Christmas, and the wish came true. Her bike had those small supportive wheels, and her riding speed didn't go too far faster than my walking/light jogging. This summer, she suddenly decided to get rid of the support (I am very sure it's related to witnessing her friend's riding technique.) and had achieved it. Now she rides faster, farther and oftener. I needed some technological support to keep on safely chasing her around.

I went to a good bicycle shop (on foot, of course) and talked with the bike-loving guy there for almost half an hour. We agreed that;

1) I don't need a child-carrier. (I waited for two full years just to avoid that.)

2) I don't need an electric bike. (It's just too heavy to put up on the upper rack at the apartment bike space.)

3) I ride inside Kyoto city area, which has busy streets and lots of narrow streets crossing each other, that I need a bike that stops and starts easily, hence, smaller wheels.

4) I like it "sporty". (More than a quarter on my "follow" list on twitter are pro bike racers.)

5) I have a good supportive bike store (which I was in at the moment) very close by.

His recommendation, and my choice, is Pulmino made by Gios. (HP doesn't have it listed on their "bikes" page. Maybe it's only for exports to Asia.) My first Italian vehicle in my life.

I needed a front carrier basket, but they didn't have a matching blue one. I would have plain metal one but then, my artist daughter said firmly, "NO, mom, this green one is much, much cuter."

We tried it on my light blue bike, and surprisingly, the color went along so pretty.

Thank goodness, for her artistic sense.

And, she named my bike, too. It's a boy, and his name is Gino.

I'm so happy she has good linguistic sense, too.

Summary of this Summer

I had intended to post to this blog AT LEAST once a month. It's a shame I skipped September, and didn't noticed that until today.

Anyway.

I got some knittings done.

Pattern; Ishbel by Ysolda Teague, in Whimsical Little Knits, mine is an autographed copy, gift from my dear knitting friend.

Yarn; Dainihon-KeitoUniversal HI STAR (lace weight), colorway 135, 55 g , which used be in my mother's stash and adopted by me (very happily).

I think this yarn is at least 30 years old, and surprisingly in good condition.

Needles; JP 5 (3.6 mm) 60 cm (24 in) bamboo circular needles

I made this shawl in this delicate grey yarn right as a preyer for my husband's grandmother, passed away in June (in this post). I finished it before her "49-days service" and gave it to my mother-in-law.

During the hottest-in-100-years summer this year, I could hardly touch my wools. My hands reached for some cotton, and for the first time in my life, stainless yarn.

This test piece scarf is made from Avril stainless-silk(grey, thinner one - naturally) and cotton (pale green) yarns, double stranded. I brought it around to everywhere because the pattern is piece'o'cake-y easy and memorable, and the yarns are only one skein (small cone, actually) each. This pic was taken when I went to a baseball game with my daughter.

On the contrary to my first plan (just take a look how this stainless yarn behaves and move on to next project), this 20-stitches wide scarf took forever to knit - and actually, not yet to finish.

reason 1);The cotton yarn feels like paper, which itself is not so bad, but needs a little care to pick up with the needles.

reason 2);The stainless yarn began to tangle badly after my careless tugs at 80% progress.

reason 3);I was busy to teach sawing to my 6-years old daughter.

This, is her first sawing swatch. I taught knitting before and she liked it, but holding two needles is a little bit too much for her little hands. Sawing needs only one tiny needle to manipulate. She LOVES sawing now.

During the summer break, she made several "pockets" and "mini-bags", and embroidered this bag;

See the stitches?

Blue line shows the ocean, and the yellow circle above is the sun. (by the stitch artist)

Yellow "pocket" is "to put in various small stuffs - train ticket, hair ties, and candies!"

I love this little crafter/artist in my family.

While she was at it, I made these (and the bag on pics above, for the record);

A new smock, and

a humongous hair-accessory.

She wants to be strong and cute like Cure-Sunshine.

Now, having a couple of weeks of autumn-ly weather, I'm back to my wools. Between the meetings and organizing a seminar on 10/30 with kindergarten PTA pals, my little non-toe socks projects are being done.

Little by little, one by one, as always.

Nice'n'slow

These couple of months, I'm trying to lose some weight, not really so successfully. Maybe I set my target too far away, to achieve too slowly (lose 8 kg = 17.6 lb until next spring, means, one kilogram per month). Maybe I'm taking the way too ineffective (No meal replacements, No fasting, No non-anything like non-carb/non-oil diet).

Or, maybe it's my life.

I have a six-year old, healthy and active girl to whom I want to show that "Life is good." It's very important to eat right, and, eat with joy. It's OK to have ice cream. It's perfectly OK to have doughnuts. Unless you're having too much of them (sigh.)

So far, my daughter is picking up good eating habit (fresh fruits after the bath) and good shopper's literacy ("Mom, I'll have this yogurt 'cause it says 4.2g of protein, which is the most in this shelf."). Doing oh-so good. As of today, she's about 21 kg and 113 cm (46.3 lb and 44.5 in). Right in the middle of the growth chart.

As her parents, my husband and I want her to keep on growing, keep on putting healthy weight. I heard some of her classmates at kindergarten talking of "getting too heavy on thighs" and it's so unhealthy of a six-year old. We want to and need to set a good model for her.

Problem is, we are both overweight.

My husband is doing pretty good. He walks to a farther train station, about 3 kilometers, most of weekdays. On weekends, he goes to driving range and once a month, goes out to golf. Or takes that active six-year-old to a nearby playground. He eats less carbs than his feeling wants. He has lost more than 6 kg since January. It's about halfway to his target weight.

Me? Uh. Lost mere 1kg in 2.5 month. It's still a long, long way to my target weight.

I bought a new pair of walking/running shoes. I never say "No" to my daughter when she wants to go to playground as long as we don't have any weather/air-pollution condition to stop us. I am keeping this policy for about a year already, but the major change recently is, I don't take my knitting to the playground any more. I do stretch, light exercise and jog instead. This seriously affects my productivity (.. or not really..), but I feel my metabolism is getting improved. Just feeling. It doesn't show, oh boy, it's so frustrating.

I eat smaller than before. Just I don't cut anything. I eat three times a day, and when I feel too hot, I even eat popsicles. Every time we eat, I talk with my daughter about what food does for us. Some food, like chicken breast and lean beef, make us muscle-er. Some, like doughnut, make us happy and energized. But they could make us chubby if we eat them too much.

I would try walking and jogging more if I don't need to take her with me everywhere I go (Summer break!). I would try harder diet regimen if I don't need to eat with her. And I would lose weight more effectively.

But, without her, I wouldn't have tried to live healthier, to live longer.

I feel OK not so successful about weight problem right now. It's not the number shown on the scales today. It's about my health twenty years later.

Because if my daughter becomes a mother at the same age as me, I'll be seventy years old when I hold my first grandchild. I'll have to be a very healthy old-ish lady to have lots of fun.

About the productivity, I would be able to knit more if I live longer.

Mittens and more (The one with a lot of links)

Since I gave up knitting Watermelon Cardigan, I now have 4,287 yards in total (minus half a 4-yr sized sleeve, but it's usable, too, in need), 13 colors of Knit Picks Palette.

This amount of yarn can be a burden. Or a joy.

It's simply a joy for me. Naturally.

One of my favorite knit designers, spillyjane uses Knit Picks Palette a lot. I did a quick pattern research, and found 23 mittens and socks of her design with Palette. So far, only a couple of them (Swedish fish and Willistead) are on my queue. My Palette stash is very heavy on greens and purples because, before Watermelon, I tried Tulip socks as a practice piece (sad over-preparation.) I don't have a lot of vivid colors such as orange and red. But I have a good amount of accent/background colors such as two balls of black and more than one and a half balls of white.

I thought I am out of my stranded colorwork phase, but, apparently, I'm still in there. My favorite designers list on Ravelry (SpillyJane, Kathleen Taylor, Nanette Blanchard, Eunny Jang, Tuulia Salmela ...) tells me so.