Wednesday 10 May 2017

Origami and Other Crafts

Our story this week is from Japan, so we have been busy making some origami figures and learning about hanami, which means flower viewing, I've also seen it called the blossom festival and looking at some beautiful trees in blossom.


Finished swans.


Then some simpler folding to make some cats and dogs to decorate.


I had planned some painting, tissue paper craft around the blossom but in the end we have spent most of this week outside, Monday was spent in the garden, Tuesday in the woods and park, though it did get rather cold. Then today out for a walk, spending time looking at various flowers in different front gardens, lots of  beautiful displays and different flowers to the ones we have at home, then a game of croquet in the garden. We have found a lot of caterpillars on our raspberries, to say the least! Watched bees, ants and various birds in our garden.





Joining Kat for Unraveled Wednesday

 I am feeling rather organised and hoping it lasts, meal prep is done, housework done, washing on the line and I am making the most of a sunny day off and have managed to spend some time knitting and reading in the garden, while the older 2 wrote assignments and L played in the sandpit. The joys of finding my housework rhythm again, along with our meal planning, long may it last. There has been no unravelling this week but some unpicking of my cross stitch as I had miscounted somewhere, luckily not too much but did waste time trying to decide whether to unpick or work around the mistake before deciding unpicking it would have to be! Anyway rather pleased how it is coming along and have done some more outlining, always a bit nervous about outlining in case it looks a bit rubbish but then again their is also the joy as the cross stitch really comes to life!


On a knitting front, have finished the yoke for Granny's favourite and divided for the sleeves, enjoying it so far, now for lots of stocking stitch and no pattern, so in theory should get a lot done. Reading like crafting, I have to have more than one project/book on the go!! having finished and enjoyed, even the twist at the end My Sisters Keeper, it was time for a trip to the library at the weekend and came across The Monogram Murders. Now I am a big Agatha Christie fan, finally got to see The Mouse Trap last year and loved it,  so that is what caught my eye, the author has been given permission to use the Poirot character in a new book. On chapter 3 now, it's not quite Christie and Poirot isn't quite Poirot but it is reading nicely anyway, Poirot is supposed to be in hibernation, having moved out of his flat and into digs temporarily to give "the little grey cells" a rest but that doesn't last for long. Having taken a look at the reviews on amazon, they are very evenly spread over those that love it, those that hate and those in the middle and I can see why. The other that I am reading is The Gift of an Ordinary Day , I feel this will be a book to savour and enjoy, read a chapter and dwell on it. This is a quote that I like " Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you," so true because you cannot plan everything. Life is journey of transitions and change, some planned and some not, some desperately wanted and some detested but in the end they all help us grow as a person and give us knew strength and understanding to be the person we are today.




19 comments:

  1. The yoke of your sweater has gorgeous patterning and I love your croquet set (but not those tent caterpillars)!

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    1. Thank you, I'm really loving the way it is knitting up, had to leave the caterpillars for the children to see but watering tonight think yesterday being a a lovely hot day, the heat has got to most of them!

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  2. Replies
    1. Thank you, youngest has pretty good taste when choosing patterns and I don't need much encouragement!

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  3. Your sweater is beautiful! And, I am with Bonny - those tent caterpillars look particularly unwelcome!

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    1. There are luckily a lot less caterpillars today due to the heat yesterday but the children did enjoy seeing them!

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  4. I love the yoke of your sweater.
    I used to have home school for my kids during summer break, and it was so much fun. Now they are both in graduate school!
    I hope your feeling of organization continues!

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    1. Fingers crossed the organisation continues too, the yoke is what caught my attention and then my youngest spotted it and fell in love with the pattern.

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  5. I am totally impressed with all that you've done/are doing. Congrats! Seeing the origami reminds me of my mom...she tried her hand at it too when her grandchildren were young. I still have a crane and it's easily 40+ years old. Your knitting and stitching are gorgeous...
    Cheers~

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    1. Thank you, that is wonderful that you have kept the origami crane for all those years.

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  6. I love these posts about the things you do. They are so interesting and your sessions are always inspiring. Well done with starting your cardi - looks lovely. That book sounds good "the gift of an ordinary day" and the quote you wrote down - very true. When things don't go our way, maybe we need to listen....it is perhaps not the journey we are meant to be taking....I might have to treat myself to a read over the summer hols. The cross stitch is coming along well. Yes good idea to take the stitches out to get it right. Thanks for sharing :-)

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    1. The author has a blog http://www.katrinakenison.com/ Bonny at http://highlyreasonable.blogspot.co.uk/ wrote a lovely piece about another of her books and gave me the link to her blog if you want to have read through. Life is a journey and the hard part is knowing whether the path you are taking is the right path but difficult at the moment or it's not and time to find another path. The cardi is turning into a real joy to knit, first time I have knitted a neck down pattern.

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  7. Ah I have "Mitten Strings for God" and read it pretty much every summer as I love it. It is all about slowing down and being present and a lovely reminder for parents. Would definitely recommend it. If it's by Katrina Kennison, then I will want to read it! :-) Glad you are enjoying the cardi. I love top down knitting patterns too. :-)

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    1. Katrina's blog has a list of her books she has written, I think it is 4, "Mitten Strings for God" sounds right up my street, slowing down and enjoying being in the here in now is so important but sometimes reading helps to concentrate your thoughts more and then act and on those thoughts :)

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  8. Yes I am sure you would love it! I agree. Books are so helpful in that way. Enjoy it!

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  9. Lots of lovely things going on in your neck of the wood. I have an origami loving daughter. She goes through stages of making the same thing in lots of differnt colours. I love seeing them grouped together. I love the yoke of your knitting. Like rows of bunting. Your caterpillar find is wonderful to see. Did they do the combined wave that they do when they sense danger?

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    1. Your right about the yoke looking like bunting, hadn't seen it like that till you said, love it. The caterpillars were amazing, no combined wave from them, so maybe didn't feel threatened?

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  10. Love your knitting project. I am no good at origami - my brain cannot process the directions!

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    1. Simple origami goes fine and luckily these are the ones the children love, keep trying the more complicated ones and they never quite work out, if I keep trying maybe one day they will!

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