pinku

Cute, cute, cute, cute, cute

God I really shouldn't be posting right now as I am swamped at work, BUT I am sure I will work better once I get all this cuteness of my chest...So here's a cutaway cardigan that I spotted in Shibuya station - cute, huh!

So who wants to write the pattern? It costs about $70 in the shop and they had it in the cutest green. It has raglan sleeves and the collar is double knit (double-layered ribbing - if that makes sense). It was really soft because after checking it is 50% wool, 50% acrylic. I also like how there's an extra button on the collar. Maybe I'll just buy it - I really love cardigans.

In other news, there is a knitting festival in Tokyo this Friday (um, tomorrow) and on Saturday. I'm going on Saturday - anyone want to come (email me)? I have like six free tickets from the very kind Aoki-san from Keitodama. There'll be a Japanese vintage knitting exhibit

A knit cafe where you can knit away and read lots of lovely new Japanese knitting books - or at least look at the pictures. AND you may get to meet my buddy, the prince of knitting as he is giving a talk from 11am to 11:40am on Friday and Saturday.

Need I also mention that they will be selling yarn - Avril will be there as will many other yarn companies.

Knit Festival 2005

Dates: 30 Sept (Fri) and 1 Oct (Sat)

Time: 10am to 5pm

Where: Tokyo Industry and Trade Center (3rd and 4th floors) in Hamamatsu-cho

Back in business

Dude, it's been 11 days since my last post. I guess there have been a slew of long weekends and work has been busy, so that's my excuse. I also left it so long, that when I thought about posting I had SO much to post about that I got overwhelmed and then ended up doing nothing. You know, like when you think you want to watch a video, go to the video store and wander around for about an hour and then leave empty-handed. It's something like that.

Anyways, I will start off with the crafty portion of this post. So I am a participant in the Stitch Ya Neck Out Swap and I have been knitting for Miss Twiss in Canada who sent me some Rowan to knit up a turtleneck shrug. Well guess what, I finally finished. I hope you don't mind Miss Twiss that I tried it on - just wanted to make sure it was ok. Here it is:

That little wooly gem will be on its way to you soon. It is quite nervewracking knitting for someone else, but I hope you like it!

Item number two on my 'list to share' today is my husband's podcast (he is a guest dj on his friend Anthony's website). He put a lot of heart and soul into choosing the songs, so if you wanna little bit of hard and soft - check it out here.

Now, if you want more entertainment, click below to view the extended entry about my trip to Nagoya and the Expo, which has sadly finished as noted by Amy!

So, Nagoya and expo. I had no expectations before going to expo and we were shuttled there in a big bus and had people to show us around, so it was a different kind of experience. The last time I went to an expo it was in my hometown in 1988 - I was 13, I had a season pass (too cool for school), and I remember hanging out there a lot on weekends.

This trip lasted four or five hours and I visited three pavillions - Australia, Japan and Mitsubishi. We had VIP passes to those three pavillions so luckily there was no waiting - it was hot and the wait for the Japan pavillion alone when we turned up was 150 minutes!! It takes a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes to get through the pavillion, so I think there's quite a bit of a discrepancy.

So here's the photos:

walking toward the Australia pavillion after being held up in the bus by expo officials for about 40 minutes - bloody security!

walking into the Australian pavillion - overall the Aussie pavillion was a bit of a let down. Not sure what I was expecting, but it seemed pretty boring - a movie about the dreamtime, sequences about Aussie life on a bunch of tv screens set in columns and a gigantic plush platypus that kids can climb on (this was best thing). I hear that the best thing about the Aussie pavillion was the cafe, the shop and the live music.

the wonder wheel. I didn't get to go on this but doesn't it look like fun!

One of my favourite things about expo was the general design. Since the theme of the Expo was 'Nature's Wisdom', many pavillions ran on alternative energy (there were solar panels everywhere), and a raised boardwalk was constructed around the entire site so the natural surroundings were not damaged by the visitors. Now that expo has finished the site will be returned to nature. So here's a clever design feature - it was hot during expo, so they had mist spraying above you along most of the boardwalk. cool.

The Japan pavillion was cool, but not worth a 150 minute wait in the heat. It looks weird but it is completely covered in bamboo to naturally lower the temperature so the air conditioning doesn't have to be set as low.

More live bamboo on the walls of the Japan Pavillion - water is constantly trickled down to keep it alive. This pavillion generates all of the power it requires at the site itself.

A little kiwi experience for one (unknown) Japanese visitor to expo

And after walking around for about three hours and getting a sore back, we were invited to the largest event held at the Australia pavillion during expo. There was food, lots of alcohol, and of course a live performance by Tommy Emmanuel. I had my reservations, but he was REALLY amazing. He worked the mostly middle-aged crowd well and got a lot of people (including the Aussie Ambassador) on the dancefloor. It was a blast. After completely dancing myself out, I grabbed Tommy for a commemorative photo (it's a bit blurry)! A great night all round.

The Evens

Am back from work in Nagoya. Took a bunch of photos at the Aichi Expo, but haven't managed to edit them yet or even crop them for that matter, but hope to do it some time during the upcoming long weekend (hallelujah!). I also have photos of some brand new Japanese knitting mags that I want to share. Of all the new ones that have been released in the past couple of weeks, there are three that I really liked.

Teami Daisuki 05-06 ISBN: 4-408-62742-9 - this book went on sale yesterday - lots of cute stuff

O-uchi komono by Ondori ISBN: 4-277-17185-0 This book is super cute. It is filled with lap blankets, socks, shawls and the best looking cabled room shoes!! I especially love the red and white crochet blanket on the cover.

And I can't remember the name of the last book (it's at home), but it had a lot of cute crocheted and knit bags with ribbons and beads - nice! So keep watching and I'll put up some photos over the next couple of days.

Last night we had a nice evening of free music - pretty much unheard of in Tokyo unless it's a free concert at the park. We went to see The Evens (Ian Mackaye of Fugazi and Amy Farina) record a show for NHK radio. We just had to fill out a postcard and send it in. Playing before The Evens was Mikami Kan - an older Japanese man from Aomori that we had never heard of. Wow did he really blow us away. Just one man and an electric guitar. The Evens were great - the songs were really powerful both lyrically and soundwise. Amy had a beautiful voice and anyone that can sing and play the drums at the same time has my complete respect. Unfortunately a lot of the political undertones were lost on most of the crowd - a very quiet bunch. Ian Mackaye was trying to get people to be noisy, but it never happened. You could seriously hear a pin drop between songs - that was pretty funny. You can listen to show the Evens recorded on NHK-FM on October 5 from 11:20pm to 12:20am, and Mikami Kan on October 12 at the same time.

Yarn magazine

The new knitty is out, but if you need even more online free patterns check out Australia's newest knitting magazine, Yarn. Thanks Kylie for the link. Kylie (another girl who loves pink) also has her own column in the mag, so check it out.

I have SO much to post, but NO time. I'm off to the Aichi Expo in Nagoya for work on Sunday for a few days (ps for the Aussies out there, don't be jealous but I will be seeing Tommy Emmanuel live), but I might try and sneak in a post before I leave. Thanks to my SP and Amy for some great pressies recently - yarn photos (koigu, handpainted lace weight wool from Uruguay and a big bag of Rowan Cork) coming soon. Lately I also picked up four skeins of Lang Jawoll superwash that was on sale for 200 yen per skein!!

Also, some news for you Tokyo knitters, the Rowan store in Ebisu Mitsukoshi is having a sale this weekend 9/11 and 9/12 (Sat and Sun only). I hear it is 10% off everythinng and it only happens twice a year. That being said, I'm not going as it is usually cheaper buying Rowan from overseas and paying shipping, but for a quick fix or a chance to touch and feel before you buy, then it's worth a trip.

Have a great weekend!

Feeling the love of craft!

Crafters have been donating generously to the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

I just bought a REALLY cute handcrafted item from Crafters United on Etsy. The initial goal of Craft Revolution was to raise $1000, they have now exceeded $10000 and are aiming for $15000. It's a great idea - the entire amount of what I paid will be donated to the red cross, and now a very special friend of mine in the US will receive a handmade gift sent with lots of love.

Knitters have also raised nearly $50000.

It can be the smallest of actions that bring the most amount of love and happiness. This year I made two pairs of pocketbook slippers for my sister and also my friend Angie in the US. I used the handpainted merino from Uruguay - so soft. My niece Mia then wanted a pair just like her mum and called me up to place her order. I fulfilled that order happily. Here is a photo of her sporting her new slippers, and I hear that she has already taken them to 'Show and Tell' at kindergarten. She wears them to bed, and the other night she woke her mum (my sister) frantic because the slippers had come off in her bed and she couldn't find them. It really is the little things that mean so much.

Mother and daugher

Thanks for the photos Stephen! They were taken yesterday in Australia at my family's father's day breakfast - bacon and egg sandwiches cooked on the barbie. Wish I could have been there - Happy Fathers Day, Dad!!