moved!

Hi from Japan!
Hope you're having a great summer (or winter)!
I'm announcing that I've started new blog since this summer.
The contents will be more focused in my Japanese life and handcraft works.

If you're interested in my journals and willing to communicate online (like leaving comments), pls let me know so I can PM directly to you. I won't post my new URL here.

Oh, well. Thank so much for your support and see you somewhere!

xoxo
from your friend in Japan

my very first wearable knitting project

I'm now knitting my very first wearable knitting piece. It's "February Lady Sweater" from Knitty. Guess what? This wonderful pattern is offerd FREE!!


Anyway, I'm just done with my first 200g linen yarn, and now into the second. I guess I can show off within two weeks from now.

baking Sunday

My first baking rolls is about 6 yrs ago when my daughter was about a year old. Back then, I was working at a German firm in mid Tokyo taking 90 min. of commuting time (one way, of course)!! I was busy but had a passion to bake everyday's rolls with my own hands. After leaving the position, I somehow stopped baking, too.

Since my hubby bought some BIO whole wheat flour, my daughter and I had a bakins Sunday yesterday.


We both had a fun time baking, and the rolls tastes so yum!!!! Will do that again very soon!

weaving lesson

Last Saturday, my daughter and I joined weaving lesson presented by my friend artist. This is my second time to try and it was the first time for my daughter.

It's a simple method using your own hand and a weaving needle, there's no machine or complicated stuffs. It's quite easy to draw stripes, but it's kinda hard to make the arrow line. I managed to do it but will need to spend more time co make it better.

There were eight people joined this weaving party. Each made different way and they're so lovely!

My daughter says she wants to make another one. We'll try at home very soon.

Happy Mother's Day!

I got a great gift from my seven-year-old daughter right before breakfast. Yes, it's Mother's Day today! Hooray!

She made the beautiful origami card at her "gaku-doh". I didn't know anything about it until now. She also picked up some fresh roses from our garden. So sweet! I'm so honored to be a mom!

masking tape

I got lots of requests, so here they are!
Now they're in store.
Enjoy!!



Atelier Jade

crochet fever

I'm so much into crochet once again. Hehehe, I know that I was crazy in handweaving a couple months ago. Now back to basic, and it's crochet time!!

sakura in Japan

A new school year has started here in Japan after two-weeks of spring break. Jade is now 2nd grade and it's her first day of the new year.

Each school welcomes 1st grade kids with an official school event called "Nyu gaku shiki", meaning "enrollment ceremony". Bigger kids welcome 1st grade hand in hand. Jade goes to a private school and all kids must attend this ceremony. Almost all parent(s) and some grandparents also join the event to celebrate. For this special occasion, we need to have "sakura" tree in photo shooting time!!

People say eary April is the best time to visit Japan. I guess one reason is sakura trees. You see they're fully blooming all over the places everywhere in whole country. It's so beautiful!!

Happy Easter!

In Japan, we don't have Easter. So there's no fun for kids to enjoy. Too bad.

Hope you're having a beautiful and peaceful Easter weekends!!

cool stamps

I went to the biggest post office in Tokyo (near Tokyo Station) the other day and I bought these stamps. The Japan Post issue various kinds of stamps and it took me long time to decide which ones to buy.












Look at these! One is the cute Hello Kitty, and the other is manga "Kitaro". These are real postal stamps, not toys. So cool!!

White Day

It's "Whiter Day" today in Japan. I didn't know about this day until I came Japan to live. Girls give chocolates on Feb. 14 as Valentin's day and boys give them back some sweets on Mar.13 as White day! What a sweet idea, isn't it?

I helped out my daughter to make some chocolates yummies last month. She handed to two boys at school and one for her daddy. And she got her small gift from one boy. Hehehe.

And my husband made his very first jelly this morning to treat our daughter. It was soooooo yum, full of his love to little one.

Have a sweet day to you, too!!

handweaving

As I mentioned on my blog the other day, I started handweaving at home. So far, I use a table loom, not the big one. I'm hoping I'll get the wide and big loom one day. The table loom I bought is called "Sakiori" from Clover. It's quite easy to handle and practical. I guess there's no English instruction, they only offer in Japanese. That's such a pity!!

Here're some scarves I handwoven last week. The yarns are from Habu (avril in Japan). After washing, it becomes so soft. I'm so much into handweaving at the moment!

Happy Valentine!

my second knitted project

During the holidays, I was knitting this hat for my 7-year-old daughter. She requested to have the ear covers. We bought the yarn in San Francisco when we visited there 4 yrs ago. She chose the one but she doesn't remember it. She was just 3 yrs old back then. I knitted, frogged and knitted again and again to fit her head. Gee, it took me three days. But I'm happy how it turned out! So is my daughter and wear is every single day!

Habu's Happy Box

You know the famous Japanese handwoven yarn shop called habu? Here in Japan, it's knows as "avril" and they have shops in Kyoto (HQ), Osaka and Tokyo.

I've started hand weaving and now takes Swedish Weaving class once a month. My teacher spent some years in Sweden to learn weaving, and now she has her own studio in Tokyo. I'd bought a rigid table loom. As you can see, I'm so much into it!

Every year, avirl (or habu) offers generous Happy Box to celebrate the first sale of the new year. And here it is! I bought one for myself. Look how much I got!!!! The box was huge and it was hard to hold to take it to my atelier room. I'm so excited to imagine what I'd knit/weave out of these wonderful yarns!

These books are about handweaving at home written by avril CEO. It tells me a lot! They're my bibles.

New Year has come

Hope you all had a great New Year Day. Yes, new year of 2010 has come. How're you doing so far?

This year is Tiger Year in Zoological Year here in Japan.

Happy Tiger Year to you!