Life at a Tortoise Pace
I apologize for not posting in a while. It may be a while yet before I start posting again.
At the moment, I am technically working two full time jobs. My regular job and after that looking for new employment. So… this blog is going to be on hold until about the end of September.
Hope you come back to visit. Sign up on the blog and you won’t miss any exciting posts!
My apologies for not posting the last two weeks. Last week we were going through a heatwave and the week before I was dealing with some work issues.
This week however, I would like to share with you a doll I made using scrap pieces of fabric and yarn. I would like to colour in the eyes. I am thinking of using acrylic paint, however, I wonder if fabric paint would be better. (Any suggestions would be appreciated).
I made a small (made for one) picnic blanket. The beige coarse cotton I got from the thrift store and the pink and silvery brocade I got from the Royal BC Museum at one of their annual sales.
The size is perfect for sitting under a tree and reading a book with a thermos of tea. (This summer is rather cold). It is also great for when I go for walks with my mother and we want a clean place to sit down.
It is really easy to make. Just put the two fabric pieces facing each other and sew along the edge. Leave enough of a gap between the start and the end of the stitch to pull the fabric the right way round. Iron . Finally, sew the gap closed.
I came across the animated film – The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) by Lotte Reinger. It does have the Oriental exoticism to it that Edward Said loathes; however, given the date of the film and that it is considered the oldest animated film, it is brilliant.
The picture was created like a shadow puppet play: using cut out silhouettes and photographing it frame by frame. The story itself is based on parts of One Thousand and One Nights by Hana Diyab.
I have also attached a Lotte Reiniger documentary. (The sound in the beginning is a bit like trying to make sense of the adults in a Snoopy cartoon but it does improve).
Last weekend I went to UVic Legacy Art Gallery to see the exhibition On Beaded Ground. The admission to the gallery and exhibit is free.
The exhibit examines Indigenous artists’ work and the reclamation and renewal of culture, and identity. The work is exquisite, beautiful, and engaging. It looks at work and stories from the past (often by unknown individuals) and the present (by contemporary artists). The craftsmanship is outstanding and I would recommend seeing this exhibit. It is open until September 18, 2021.
I write with heavy heart as News has come out that the remains of 215 children bodies were discovered on the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation territory. I have attached a link to a history of Residential Schools from the UBC here, Wikipedia link here, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada here. However, I do encourage you to do your own research on the topic .
If you need support :
Link for Indian Residential School Survivor Society here. They have a 24 hour crisis line for survivors and the family of survivors 1-866-925-4419
Crisis Services Canada here tel: 1-833-456-4566 text: 45645
I finally finished the Jan sweater. I am happy with the fit of the sweater. It helps if you read the section of the PDF about “Perfecting the Vintage Fit” as well as the section about the fit for the era of the sweater. I did not read that section for the first sweater, “Summery – A New Pattern”, which is why it does not fit correctly. I will unravel the purple ill fitting sweater and attempting it again.
As for this lovely pink number. I am pleased with the way it turned out…too bad the photo does not do it justice. Pattern information in the previous blog entitled the Jan Sweater.
Recently, I watched the 1985 film Tampopo directed by Juzo Itami The basic story of Tampopo is about a woman (Tampopo) who wants to make the perfect bowl of (Tokyo style) ramen and enlists the help of a truck driver (Goro) to achieve her goal. However, the story also deals with the theme of what is it to be consider a professional, and what role amateurs have in judging the work of a professional?
The film has many little vignettes all based on food. I do not recommend watching this film on an empty stomach. I did and ended up wanting to try all the food…except the raw egg.
And yes, that is Ken Watanabe when he was young.
A tradition for many Victorians on Mother’s Day is to go to Butchart Gardens for their Mother’s Day Brunch. Due to COVID the last two the Mother’s Day Brunches have been cancelled. However, the garden itself is open and the flowers are spectacular.
My mother and I visited the gardens a couple of days before the Mother’s Day Sunday crowd and enjoyed the relatively empty gardens.
I wish you and your family a safe and happy Mother’s Day.
Jan Sweater
This week I thought I might try something new. Instead of showing the finished product, I would write each week on the progress of the project I’m working on.
I started on a new sweater (Jan Sweater) from the same Ravelry source. I got halfway up the pattern and had started decreasing the stitches for the armhole shaping when I noticed that the holes in the pattern were not lining up correctly.
Not to worry, I thought. I will just unravel a couple of lines and correct the mistake. Well…no. Not exactly. As I noticed when I tried o resume the pattern I had dropped a stitch and it was interfering with the pattern and there was no way for me to save it. So. I unraveled it all the way to the end of the rib stitches and began the pattern again.
For this new project I am using a pattern from Ravelry called Jan Sweater. and Tynn Merinoull yarn in a light pink
I just completed a sweater with a shell pattern that was originally from Woman’s Weekly May 1936. The pattern was re-written by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller in their book A Stitch in Time: Vintage Knitting Patterns 1930 – 1959 Volume 2. I used Cascade Yarns Heritage 75% Superwash Merino Wool/25% Nylon. Color No. 5705
It took me about a month and a half to make and I love the pattern,however, I did find that I made the pattern a bit to big for me and the the shoulders of the sweater ended up looking a bit off. I also didn’t make the jabot for the front of the sweater as I like the sweater without that detail in the front.
I am going to have to remake the sweater…but I might give it a bit of time before I unravel it all and start again.
KotsuKotsuLife 