Another Mini Exhibition

The Weavers are back again. Today, even Mom. She has 10cm to go on her leftover red cushion covers.   

A gentle, narrow wool scarf by Mrs Y.

Knotted wall-hanging by Mrs T.

Plain Weave wooly scarf of many colors by Mrs T.

Crispe cotton piece by Mrs. T; it was very nicely woven with just one lifting mistake. Sorry, I was taken by the colors I didn't notice I had that one mistake in the middle of the pic.

Everybody's fav from 2012: Mrs E's deliciously plump wool scarf. I couldn't capture it in my attempts to photograph these, but the variegated weft created not stripes but lovely areas of colors all over the piece.   

Unlike during my last visit, everybody is keen to learn more structures and weave patterns. While two-shafts sit quietly in the closet, all the shaft looms are in high demand. So, only the Rigid Heddle left for me, again, this trip. But this time Mom keeps me busy making up drafts and coming up with warp color plans, so perhaps there is no time left for weaving.

My To Do list has five weaving-related items at the moment.

Day 24/39

Dad's been good. He has good days and bad, and cold days and rainy days are bad. Today happens to be both. But on good days we laugh recalling the antics of family, friends and his past students, (he was a Chemistry professor,) until I fall off the chair and we're all crying in pain. I'm not sure how many more months/years we'll have these chances, but we don't worry about that too much; we're lucky we know funny or silly people, (mostly ourselves,) who do things we can laugh about decades later.

When I get mad at Dad, I try to remember the good things about him and our relationship. Without a doubt at the top of this list is how he's always been financially generous with our education and interests. Mom's most recent loom acquisition is case in point. Mom and I had a LOL moment when one day last week Dad came home from his rare solo outings irate, because I haven't been spending enough of his money since I've been back!!

Mom is better, cheerful and has gotten over a bad cold she had a few weeks before I came home. She has been weaving consistently, but does get tired, and her forgetfulness is a bit shocking. She is aware of this, and, like me, keeps making notes and tiny reminders but sometimes can't remember where we put them. Once again I'm reminded that aging is a gradual and steady loss of abilities we take for granted, and as she reminds me, we are at our youngest today.

I'm starting to get used to my parents' ways a bit; strange how I have to relearn their likes and dislikes every visit. At times I get a bit tired of their stubbornness and unreasonableness, but I know they like to do things their ways so I try not to challenge them. Too much. And then go back and do things my way when they are not looking. Sometimes.

* * * * *

On Sunday, I went to an exhibition of Japanese wooden chairs, in a museum I had never heard of, Yokosuka Art Museum.

From the road in front of the museum, we could see all the way to the Port of Yokohama and beyond to the right, and Chiba Prefecture's industrial area facing Bay of Tokyo. It was a rare warm, sunny day and there were quite a few folks out enjoying the view and a long walk by the sea, hopping into the museum, in some cases, only to check out the museum shop and perhaps have a cup of coffee in the Italian restaurant within.

The chair exhibition was wonderful, displaying hand- and factory-made wooden chairs of the last 150 or so years. It was lovely to learn that in some institutions, chairs made in the early 1900's were still in use. I loved the hand-crafted, somewhat ornate ones from the 1910's. Sorry, no pictures allowed.

What surprised me more was the quality of the paintings in their possession, and how much I enjoyed them. Again, the early 1900's were my favorite, and I never imagined Japanese artists painted wall-sized oils in such vivid colors back then. What a treat.

* * * * *

In Japan, department stores put on interesting art exhibitions and wonderful trade expos. At the tiny, and not so up-market department store we frequent, there was a wee craft show last week and Mom and I met lovely boxwood workers, Mr and Mrs Andoh.

In Japan, boxwood is usually used for making one thing: combs. But in Oita, Kyushu, a tradition of boxwood carving thrived for generations; now there are only a handful of crafts people left, making traditional items such as netsuke, but the Andohs have included accessories and more modern pieces in their product mix, and have managed to expand and thrive. Mr Andoh is the third generation in his family involved in boxwood carving. (He's also a mountain rescue volunteer.)

Mrs Andoh kindly took time to explain to us the special characteristics of boxwood which I can't recall, but the Andohs experimented beyond the traditional use/techniques and developed in particular what is called the "transparent" look where the shapes are left but gaps taken out, as in the first cherry blossom necklace seen here.

This was my favorite, a large peony brooch.

Boxwood darkens with use and age. As pieces gets handed down, they will darken with a slightly reddish brown. Lovely! And it's always a wonderful thing to be able to spend time with other makers.

Day 17/39

I've been busy, not completely with housework as our 2011 visit, but with some cooking, grocery shopping, and quite a lot of weaving-related activities. Dad is, well, difficult, indifferent, and sporadic slips into alarming senior moments, but as we head for early spring, longer sunlight hours and warmer temperature help his psyche. I don't know how Mom does it, though her dad was also difficult, so we laugh at her very low expectations of men.  LOL.

It's been cold but not that bad for me. We finally had snow on Tuesday but it didn't stick around. Further northwest, in Niigata, Aomori Prefecture, they've had record snow of well over five meters, resulting in railroad workers having to manually shovel so the snow-plow trains can get out and get to work.

It started as heavy rain, than became vertical slush.

A few hours later, it was real snow.

This is Mom's wee veggie patch seen from upstairs. There was a wee bit more the next morning but by 10AM Wednesday, it was gone.

Mom got her second 8-shaft Ashford table loom on Monday and has been busily working on her first, "Leftover Red Wool" project. All yarns used in this project are thrums and other leftovers from past projects, and not only has this been a fast, inexpensive, risk-free project, but also a nostalgic one, every thread reminding her of the pieces she made, people she gifted them to, and in many cases, the two looms she's given away in preference for smaller, lighter ones. She's making two cushion covers.  Mom also has two more projects planned, one a pink and blue cotton scarf with rectangular lace windows for herself, and a cashmere scarf for Mrs Suzuki, one of the women who helps her with housework.

Before I got home, Mom complained she had a hard time thinking about weaving except when her students come fortnightly. (Although all she needed was a loom to weave on.) Coincidentally Ben noticed a whole heap of photo paper specifically for a tiny photo-only printer during with a half-used ink cartridge during our last visit. So I came ready to make a bunch of photo buntings in her stash/work room, her walk-in closet, (which used to be one of us kids' bedroom,) and her loo. I've done the first and the last space, but not her closet. So far I shot images of textiles around her stash/work room, and of her favorite pieces of clothing, and she and her students have been pleasantly surprised how different they look from a different perspective. (Thank you, Kathryn, for the idea.)

Mom had one class session two days after I came home. I helped two students thread.

Here are Mrs Endoh and Mrs Yamaguchi; hay fever season started with gusto this week.

Mom showing Mrs Tahara how to select warp ends from cross sticks for threading. Previously Mom did the threading for them, but Mrs Tahara is ready to do it herself. 

I've spoken to Mom and her students a little about different ways of looking at twill, of using eight shafts to create two or three blocks, and of using the entire width of a piece as one repeat of, you got it, twill threading, i.e. undulating and networked, but haven't made any tutorial handouts. Mom's classes are so casual it felt foreign to hand out pieces of paper. I may still get around to writing something for the Japanese blog, but we'll see. I've also consulted Mom on many possible projects using what cashmere she has; we cleaned and reorganized her equipment, books and magazines, and her notes; and we reorganized her silk chest. We have a big chest of drawers of her sample pieces to go. As for her wools and cottons, I suggested she continue to go through them with her students a few times a year so they can put dibs or keep them in mind for future projects. They have such fun doing it anyway.

I've been trying to draw, but it's usually at the end of the day when we're watching the telly. Dad sits very still so he's easy to draw, but Mom keeps working until she goes to bed so I don't have any of her yet. I brought my tiny book on Italian but haven't touched it since I got it out of my pack. I've been having fun at art supply and stationary shops, though not so much in bookshops. Cost of living in Japan started to go down about the time Ben and I left Japan, (1994) and every time I came home I went crazy shopping in these places, but inflation since the earthquake two years ago has gone insane, and I notice that most markedly in book prices. As well, things have gotten smaller; for e.g. I found stationary/letter papers as small as a business card, with matching envelopes, as well as twice that size. These things were always available, but at times I feel hard pressed to find anything of "normal" sizes. This goes from toys to cars to food, and I, at 145cm, feel like a giant sometimes.

Oh, Heather, Jane and Julie are keeping me company, too.I'm sorry we haven't been anywhere interesting.

I haven't been to any exhibition yet; there seem to be not a whole lot I'm interested in, but there is one wooden chair exhibition in Kamakura, Yokosuka, and I'm still keen to go see the model looms at the Ag University. And Mom and I are planning a trip to one yarn store of, according to her, not very exciting wools. LOL. 

Hi from Yokohama

I arrived here on Monday night and had a thrilling Tuesday stocking up on food with Mom as we were expecting to possibly be snowed in Wednesday. (Did I mention we live on top of a very steep hill?) Alas, came Wed and we had a bit of rain and that was it. How disappointing! But I'm told by multiple sources we have snow forecast for next Wed also.

I dreaded coming home in a way because the last time we were home in Nov/Dec 2011 was in retrospect exactly when Mom and Dad were having to adjust to a new, down-graded or lower-keyed (depending on your point of view,) lifestyle. If you could call it that. Mom and I were doing housework and serving/caring for Dad and his new potassium-free diet from 7AM to 9PM every day without 20 minutes rest for a cup of tea, and I was expecting to do just that again. However, it's hasn't been as hectic at all. Mom is more used to Dad's diet, Dad is healthier, and both of them are now used to tax-assisted helpers coming and going almost every weekday. The arrival of the cold season is the worst or both of them, which is usually sometime late Nov/early Dec, so I think I am more useful then. By now it's much colder but everything is set up for winter.

That Dad is healthier means he's also "back in control" of Mom's and my lives, which creates a lot of tension; he's bullies Mom to no end, so it's a good thing both are hard of hearing and forgetful. It didn't take long for Dad to start picking on me this morning, Day 4, but if lightens the load on Mom for the next six weeks, so be it. I feel sad for him for never having developed an interest outside work; reading the newspaper, watching the telly and picking on Mom are about the only things he has to fill in his days. Mom, Sister and I tried for about 40 years to introduce him to various musical instruments, art and craft, sports, special interest books, but nothing ever worked. And now that he's on a special diet, he can't even enjoy normal meals, so his is a very constricted way to spend the last few years of life. And though it is of his own making, Mom and I keep trying to get him interested in something, which from his perspective, is a lot of unnecessary noise. Still, I'm going to propose one more project that involves grandchildren and see if he finds it interesting. 

Watching and talking to Mom, though, I'm reminded once again that the body will never be healthier than it is now, so if I want to loose weight, if I want to get fitter, I really have no time to waste. Even with regular use, and Mom was far fitter than me all of her life, the body and mind only deteriorates in time.

But fear not. We're having a lot more time for weaving talk this trip. Tuesday night I showed her some samples I brought from last year and discussed, among other things, weaving in blocks and network threading, but now I have to write a simple but illustrated tutorial, in Japanese, so Mom can remember and if need be explain to her students. She also showed me recently purchased yarns; I'd seen them in our weekly Skype sessions but it's lovely to be able to feel them. And though there are only a rigid heddle or a similar two-shaft loom available now, (her students are using all the four-and-more-shafts looms,) I'm wondering if I can come up with a project. After the tutorials.

Now for pics.

Mom's stash/weaving/class room, and my temporary office until next Wed when the student return. On the work table are my laptop, blank paper for doodling/drafting the tutorials, some of Mom's textiles I want to photograph, and two bags of yarns I'm having a hard time choosing from. Elsewhere in the room, if you know where to look, you'll see three looms setup for students, a warping board with one of the students' next warp, and an RH with my little niece's first project. I'm listening to my brother's old Sheryl Crow CD on his huge boom sitting on Dad's ancient desk. Awwww, home.  

Niece turned seven yesterday. After she learned that Big Nephew tried his hands at the craft, she wanted to try also, but after this far Mom is not sure the project is "finished". If so, I hope to make a wee purse with her cloth.

Department store bonito flakes (for stock and gazillion other purposes) section of Mom's fav supermarket.

Soy sauce section.

Mom's fav fishmonger; we place an order with the woman wearing an apron; if need be, she then give instructions to the guy inside the window, just to the right of the big poster, and he cleans the fish to order. She did a splendid deep-fried horse mackerel on my request Tuesday night. My miso-and-vinegar flavored mackerel was well-received last night.

 

Upstairs the March 3 Doll Day "Hanging Hina" decoration is up as in 2010.  The individual pieces this year are bigger, though, and the space looks crowded and messy. But more Japanese folks, including men, are stopping by to have a closer look and even taking pictures. Nice.

These pieces are made by students in a hobby craft class nearby. So it finally makes sense that they are taken down long before March 3; the pieces must go home to their proper place in time for the Girls' Day celebration. 

OK, lunch, then tutorial. 

Almost...

I'm going to the tiny Nelson airport in eight hours and getting on not a jet plane but propeller in nine, although tomorrow is only the third day of Ben's five day weekend. Pooh pooh. I packed lightly, too; well, light for me. About 1/3 of the suitcase is a bulky but lightweight present for Mom, another 1/3 a serious winter coat I'll need to put on the minute the case comes off the carousel, and minimum change of clothes, but 1kg of chocolate, some honey and herbal tea bags, and a whole lot of colorful cotton samples. No art supply, as I found a whopper of an art supply shop right by Yokohama Station that I didn't know about, and there is a nice small one in the same building as mom's favorite fish monger closer to home. Oh, city living! 

We also went to see Stella's Bliss exhibition this afternoon. It was great to see here there and talk to her about her monkeys and her jewelry, especially the hearing-aid-shaped pieces I've only seen photos of before.

I wanted to weave off my purple piece as Ben overhauls my looms for me while I'm away, but instead I weeded the veggie patch and put in some seeds I hope will come up while I'm away, among them spring onions which we use a lot.

I'll arrive at Japan on late Monday and it's supposed to snow on Wednesday. Bliss. Next time I post it'll be from my parents' home.

Tobias, Time-Soluable Resolution, and February

It goes like this. The family has four precious ones: W, H, J and D, and grandma has commissioned a blanket for all of them. Except a silly au pair washed J's in the washing machine and then stuck it into the dryer. So J has not had one for herself for most of the blanket's tenure, but her Dolly has.

As you know I just happened to have woven two more from this J's warp because I liked the draft, so J got her own, (the white one, with one face on each side,) and D hers yesterday. Mummy called Grandma and Grandma called me to tell me they arrived safely. Grandma also offered to pay for J's second one, but I declined; no child should have to suffer from an au pair's, (oh, what's the word,) unfamiliarity with wool, even though clear instructions were written and taped in the laundry room, from what I understand.

W was a bit sad J now has one for Dolly and one for herself; being the eldest, W takes care of small ones, including Tobias, his doll Grandma bought him when H was born. Well, second time lucky for Grandma, it just so happens I have a small piece I made from W's warp end, which sat on my chair in the basement since, well, I made W's blanket. (I was pretty sure the chair and the piece would have made an appearance on Unravelling several times, but I couldn't find it in Picasa...) Anyway, it's a little flat on account of my unsmall having sat on it from time to time, but Grandma said it didn't matter. so the little warp end piece left Nelson today to meet W and Tobias.

* * * * *

I finished my tax returns today. As as is customary, I proceeded to resolve to work on it more frequently so I don't have to feel overwhelmed and have a big annual Drama Queen week. But failing that, I decided that from the next return I will either try to get it done in the winter months, or failing that, I will work on it in the mornings and dither in the afternoons if I again find myself filing in panic in the dead of the summer.

* * * * *

Today and tomorrow we are supposed to have a heat wave, and not just a Meg Complains kind of a heat wave but a proper one; part of the North Island and the southern part of the South Island have recorded record highs, but to me Nelson felt cooler today than yesterday. At least we had breeze. They were predicting highs of nearly 40C in parts of the North Island, but I'm not sure if anyone got up there. We are having droughts all over, too, and bush fires, and in one instance the military used grenades in training amidst total fire ban in the whole district.

Still, ours is nothing like Australia. And so far, we haven't had floods in a while.

I think this summer has been, all things considered, a pleasant one in Nelson. As it usually is, but we had big floods last year, so this one feels extra quiet weather-wise. Still, I don't like February. When I lived in Minnesota, it was a whole month of holding my breath and wishing the cold and the gray days away. In Nelson, for me, it's a whole month of holding my breath and wishing the heat and the bright sun away. Some days the sun is so bright my brain hurts, and I have to keep the curtains closed, and my garden looks like, well, we won't go there.

Feb is the coldest month of the year in Yokohama and also the exam season, but for some reason I don't remember it having been hard on me, except the start of the hay fever.

And I can't wait to get back in March and get stuck in on the weaving and the garden. 

And Counting...

I went to Bob Newhart's School of Accountancy; as long as I'm in the ball park, (he actually said, "within a buck or two," I think,) I'm fine, and since mine is such a tiny business, (I'm not legally required to file, that's how small I am,) I don't even bother claiming many things I'm entitled to. I just want to file my returns in order to be in the system and participate as an active, contributing member of the society, though my contribution is almost exclusively by way of consumption and not by income tax payment. Anyhoo, I've been dithering and working and dithering and working on my tax returns since Monday as it has to be filed before I go.

The thing is, it was actually nice in the days where I stuffed a year's worth of receipts in a rice cracker tin and waded through it once a year. Most things were paid with checks, so if I covered invoices, receipts and check stubs, I was almost done. Nowadays I write about five checks a year, but pay with credit card, electronic transfer, and PayPal, and cash once in a blue moon. And I collect paper receipts, emails, PDF downloads from websites' account history, and tiny, colorful Post It notes on which I scribble illegible dates, amounts and items/services purchased. And then there are currency conversions that doesn't show up on Visa until a few days later. (There is a fix to the last problem; I just haven't bothered to buy things from overseas NZ$.)

Briefly I set up a debit card so I could pay almost everything to do with MegWeaves with it, but the bank fee was too much for this business so I canceled that. 

A lot of bother would go away if I used fewer methods of payment, or opened a proper business bank account with credit card, or at least went though the bits more frequently than once a year. But it hasn't happened; I wonder if I am secretly enjoying this annual masochistic conundrum.

Anyhoo, later.

Ben's New Jacket

When I was supposed to be trying out new bras on Friday, Ben texted me to say his fav shop was having a sale and among other things were nice tweed jackets, so we met in the shop.  It turned out we both liked this one chocolate brown linen/cotton number, which fit him nicely.

I like buying clothes for/with Ben. He's lost a lot of weight and deserves a reward. But this piece cost a lot more than his pay grade, as it were, and Ben being a Jacket Man, he already has more jackets than pants. So I proposed we clean out his closet on the weekend and take an inventory. To be honest, I was going to propose we buy pants and perhaps a shirt or a pair of shoes instead. Besides, it's linen, and he never wears jackets in the summer.

Cleaning closets is something Ben may consider under extreme duress, and I had to wait until 3PM Saturday when he was persuaded to help me clean his closet. But it didn't take long, even with him putting on all of his pants. What we discovered were four pairs he'd bought/kept though he couldn't wear them, another pair he can wear but would be more comfortable in after loosing 2 more kgs, three pairs of shoes he'd bought but hadn't started wearing. Three pairs!!

While we cleaned, Ben told me that with the weight loss and him turning 50 in April, he wanted a fresh look. Nelson is a very casual place and his work place one of the most casual, (my previous chimney cleaner called it, "Oh, they have a come-as-you-are dress code,") so Ben's attires became less and less distinguishable from those of the students in the 12 years he's worked there. (Before that, he was a student there for three years.) Jeans, polo shirts and running shoes, in other words.

We threw away tired-looking items, downgraded a bunch to "home only", and set aside some still-OK pieces for charity. He still had more jackets than pants, but we don't need to top up the latter; he has enough shirts even if I didn't do the laundry for a month; and he has plenty of shoes. (Very important for diabetics to have comfortable shoes.) But he had only one other summer jacket. And I've always preferred nice pants, grown-up shirts and a jacket, even without a tie, for work.

That's how it came to be that we went to the store today to get him the jacket. He's very happy. It's his early 50th birthday, a big pat on the back for switching to a healthy life so quickly and effectively, and though this sounds a bit weird, a symbol for the first ten years of diabetes and, all things considered, dealing well with it.

People living with those with depression sometimes succubus to the same; at the least they have to live with the consequences. In my 10 years with it, a lot of things in our household went downhill, and this is another symbol that things are looking up for our team.

I'm hoping his new pride and energy is going to extend to home and property maintenance. Hint, hint!

Fatter, Older and Grumpier

Off and on I have lived in English-speaking environments for 52 years and still when folks ask me how I am I feel obliged to give the latest chapter and verse. But now that I'm growing older and grumpier, I've come up with the above as a default reply. I'm still trying it out with closest friends since I don't want to come across perpetually grumpy, or rude, but honestly, this is how I feel most days, And tired, for no good reason.

Last couple of week I woke up exhausted, some mornings almost unable to move, also a couple of sleepless nights, but I can't remember the correlation. One night I woke up with what I understand to be similar to an asthma attack; I've had this twice before during the height of the hay fever season. I rang to make a doctor's appointment at the start of the week, and I got one at the start of next week. (Happens a lot; NZ GPs are extremely busy, are yours? I could get an appointment with another doctor at my clinic in dire circumstances, but I need to see Dr Tom this time.)

And then I developed imaginary heart-related symptoms I learned about in high school because Dad's been threatening me that unless I loose weight I'll suffer from heart failure. Of course he is worried about me and is warning me so I don't suffer the same fate he has, but he's been slim all his life and for him being overweight is also a kind of moral decrepitude, almost a show of defiance on my part. The thought of the impending weight talk with Dad has weighed heavily, (ha ha!) on my mind these last few months.

I also found out the first Monday and Wednesday are holidays and Ben's work is closed on Tuesday so he's having a five-day weekend but I'm leaving at 6AM Monday and missing out time with him. (I knew about Wednesday but I thought he had this Monday off!) That makes me feels so sad.

Symbolic of these last couple of weeks has been this pile of papers I couldn't being myself to sort through, but more on this later. I also took a Blizzard Check from a long-over-due catch up with Kath and had a Bowen Technique treatment to loosen me up.

Finishing the two Hearts blankets in the previous post was kind of... not good, either. I didn't like the wobbliness of both, at all, and I wondered why I wasn't improving as a weaver, especially technically. I started to feel "less good "than, say, 2006/7, (even though I know that at least my tensions are much better than back then.) I wondered if I'm destined to go downhill from here on.

Then I washed the latest Toddler blanket and felt a little better. This was the sixths double-width weave that I can remember, and it presented the least problem. Well, none. A big difference was, the other five, from memory, was woven with 2/17 wool (110/2 New Zealand size,) at 18EPI, whereas this was threaded 30EPI/10DPI, three ends treated as one and in the same heddle. Wefts in the past varied, but this was a particularly fat and airy knitting yarn.

It has a fabulously bumpy rustic texture, which is usually what I try not to create. The blanket is heavy and falls on you like a spoiled dog or a sleepy baby. And I tried braiding instead of twisting, which I think suited the piece.

I had a lunch date with Pat on Friday. I was so tempted to cancel it and stay in bed but I made myself get up and get ready. The getting ready included: packing up two blankets to be posted, one blanket and one scarf to be delivered to galleries; go through the aforementioned pile of papers on my desk, which turned out to be a very small pile and took three minutes to go through and 20 more to take care of all but one task; and made a last minute shopping list of small gifts for home and errands. And a shower. In a couple of hours.

Pat and I had a nice lunch. I did most things on the list, and had time to look some more for a nice sketchbook. I may have found one but I was still unsure about the paper quality and felt tip pen so I didn't get it. I still had more than an hour left and the last item on my list was... ummm... bra-shopping. Which is difficult, not only because I'm short and fat and it was a hot afternoon and I felt sweaty, but in New Zealand, it's hard to find bras with large circumferences and small cup sizes. (Whereas in Japan, it's impossible to find bras with large circumferences.) So even though there was a good sale, I decided not worry about it until winter when at least I didn't feel so sweaty.

* * * * *

Off and on in my life I've kept a diary/journal in my life, but as my life, identity and Unravelling have merged I've found a separate diary redundant. I've been enjoying Jane's 30 Years Ago Today and have wanted to do something, though.

I tried a gratitude diary a few years ago, starting on Jan 1. Most days started with, "I'm grateful for having Ben, for being a weaver," followed by a few lame, not very reflective items like, "good strawberries". Occasionally Ben didn't appear. By about Jan 8, I only had the staple, somewhat obligatory starts. (I was busy that year as my sister's family was visiting that week.) By around Jan 14, I had a few, "See Wednesday," and the like, and I abandoned it when I had several consecutive days of, "Ditto."

While lunching with Pat, we discuses among other things good diet and exercise, and Pat casually said something like, "'should' are hard,' which led me to come up with the idea of keeping a "should have, could have, would have, wished had done" diary, totally not in a regretful, reprimanding way, but in a laughing-at-myself, not-taking-life-too-seriously self. I'd imagine exercise will feature a lot if I did this, but beyond that, not knowing what else crops up could be half the fun.

What do you think?

* * * * *

EDIT: There are people for whom it is extremely hard to lose weight by conventional measures. Although the primary reason I quit going to the gym, and a big one at that, was because the boom-boom of the music kept ringing in my head and deprived me of sleep, I also no longer wished to deal with the puzzlement and discomfort of gym staff at the monthly weigh in, because I was there all the time but still did not loose weight nor girth after two years. Likewise, doctors and nutritionist have been puzzled by my predicament, and though nobody has said it out loud, I'm sure some have thought I am dishonest or cheating.

Sometimes it's not all the fat person's fault. 

On the other hand, I have not had any serious medical examination as to why I can't lose weight, because for starters I don't know where to go in this little town, I'd imagine it would cost a lot, and lastly, but surprisingly importantly, even I keep hoping that with effort, exercise and a good diet, I can still slim down like any normal person.

And being told I must slim down since I was nine, it's become part and parcel of being me, and the matter, well, hasn't sat at the top of my priorities, even though I'd imagine I'd lead a happier life otherwise. 

Sunny Sunday, Mundane Monday

Coffee Ben made me yesterday morning had a funny, Ghostbusters Ghost face on it. So I took a picture and put it on my Facebook profile. Then I took a picture of the two.

I've been trying to get excited about photography again but it's not working.   

In my overzealous cleanup of photos Friday, I deleted the one of The Suter on my Outlets/Contact page, so we went there yesterday only to find the shrub in front is a bit overgrown and from no angle could I see the word, "Suter". Maybe later this week.

* * * * *

I know sketchbook doodling is a great exercise and a potential hobby, but I don't get too excited about it because my drawing is only ever so so, unlike Ronette's class it's only A3 or A4 size, and I can't use my fav felt tip pens because the papers are so cheap. And I've been on the lookout for better ones but precisely because my drawing is only so so, I've been reluctant to buy anything but the cheapest or the most standard.

Then I saw Catherine telling me you've really got to like the one you draw in. So I went to a couple of places in town but I haven't really seen one I think I can draw on with felt tip pens. Maybe I'll make one, or maybe I'll look for some in Japan. I love the idea of having beautiful sketchbooks. But if I find one, I'll have to improve my drawing, too.

Catherine spoke of the time we gesso'ed smaller pieces of paper for class in 2010 and I used a lot of fabric scraps. I had considered mixing my textiles with my drawing, and had earlier decided against it, but she revisited the possibilities, and I ended up reading a little bit about gesso. Did you know that I could spray-paint gesso onto wool cloth and Ph-wise it won't harm the wool? 

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The Toddler Blanket came off the loom last night and today our place looks like a sweatshop. Two Hearts pieces were finally washed and pressed this morning and now needs drying and clipping the fringe ends. The white one, (top left) will go to the same wee girl whose first blanket was put into the clothes dryer by an au pair. The proper commission blanket, (top right) must now rest for a couple of days before fringing, washing, etc. This is for Hearts Blanket's wee baby sister.

The gray Hearts is the one where I deliberately put two faces on the two sides after I did that by mistake in the first commission piece. I can't decide if I want to keep this or sell this from Refinery, but I know this and the Refinery is a good match. My short, gold one (bottom left) is ready to be fringed, but Ben's not too keen on having it live in our car for emergency picnics. Because it's pink!

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Mom's been too generous with her students she's in a pickle. The 8-shaft she bought last year, without having had the time to give it a good go, has been taken over by one of them. Mom She has two RH, another 2-shaft, two 4-shafts, (one a floor counterbalance, another a table loom that irritatingly "resets" every shed,) and the new 8-shaft but having taught twills, and especially diamond twills, all three students want to do those. At once. So Mom hasn't had a loom of her own for a while again. Her own fault, but Ben started looking for used ones online. Because Mom's fav was the giant Glimakra 8-shaft counterbalance, she wants something more stable than any of the looms she now has, but budget is tight, as is space, and multishaft floor looms in Japan isn't exactly in abundance, so things aren't looking exactly rosy at the moment, but we'll have to find a remedy soon. I'm thinking a solid table loom would probably be better than a floor, but we'll see.

(There seems to be a big gap between the quality of amateur/hobby looms and those intended for "professional"; there's a big gap in the prices, totally different dealers sell them, and the "professional" grade seems to have fewer shafts, but I could be wrong on the last count.)

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Found some interesting finds while looking for a loom for Mom:

A miniature Japanese loom on which you can actually weave - it comes with a stick shuttle! Click on the line below the photo to see three views.

Antique bamboo reeds, 20 of them, in a box on auction. I'm so tempted but it's from an antique shop and they state not all may function.

And Tokyo Agriculture and Technical University has a museum full of models of regional looms as well as some real ones. I would like to go there next month.