Inspiration from Japan

If you read my last post you might be wondering if I managed to finish the 'little something' I was knitting in clematis coloured wool. Well, yes I did and you'll find out just what it was if you continue reading! But first......

These little cuties come from Japan and are known as kokeshi dolls. The first kokeshis were made in the Tohoku region of Northern Japan in the 19th century. Crafted from turned wood they were just a basic head and body with hand painted decoration (you'll see some examples if you follow the link above). Today they are made in all sizes and colours but their shapes have remained fairly simple.

These cute little ladies always make me smile so I decided to try and knit a little kokeshi style character of my own. And here she is, welcoming visitors to her Japanese garden.

She stands just 6 ins (15cm) tall and is very demure don't you think? You will find knitting instructions at the end of this post.

She and I share a passion for Japanese gardens and we'd like to invite you to take a little stroll with us through the garden that we have put together using pictures from various books.

In we go through a little bamboo gate and up a crunchy gravel path beside a deliciously cool trickling waterfall. 

On towards a peaceful pool where cranes wade beside a little island topped by an ornate stone lantern.

Crossing the wooden bridge we can stop and watch the brightly coloured carp basking in the sunshine.

And finally we arrive at the pavilion. How about some tea, Japanese style?

Tea for two  

In springtime you'll be dazzled by the many coloured azaleas and rhododendrons.

Clematis scrambles

Wisteria dangles

and tall primulas sway in the breeze at the water's edge.

And just look at that pink cherry blossom admiring its own reflection. Who can blame it!

Thank you for taking the time to walk with us through our make believe Japanese garden. We hope you enjoyed your visit. Please call again soon.

Kokeshi doll pattern:
If you'd like to knit a little Japanese style doll like this it is an easy pattern to follow. The basic shape is a tube 54 rows long. I used DK yarn and knitted in stocking stitch.
Using 2.75 mm (US size 2) needles cast on 26 stitches. Knit 10 rows khaki, 5 magenta, 1 black, 11 magenta, 3 black, 6 magenta, 18 flesh colour. Finally knit 2 tog and take off remaining stitches onto a length of yarn ready for drawing up.

To form a tube gather the base of the doll and then stitch the back seam leaving the top open for stuffing. Using a suitable fibre fill, stuff the body firmly (but not so firmly that the stitches are stretched too much). Run a length of flesh coloured yarn through the stitches at the point where the face meets the dress and draw up to form the neck. Secure tightly. Stuff the remaining head then draw up the top and fasten securely. You now have your basic tube (with a neck).
The sleeves - Cast on 12 stitches in khaki, change to magenta and knit 14 rows. DON'T FORGET as you knit these rows you need to shape the bottom edge of each sleeve so decrease one stitch at the end of alternate rows (6 times). Cast off remaining 6 stitches. Knit a second sleeve making sure the shaping is on the opposite edge.
The arms and hands (both identical) - Cast on 5 stitches. Knit 8 rows. Knit 2 tog across the final row and take stitches off onto yarn. Draw up to form the bottom, finger end. Stitch arm/hands flat to the body (tuck edges in a little bit before stitching down to make the arms look more real). Position the sleeves over the arms leaving just the hands protruding.Tuck the sleeve edges under and stitch down.
To give the impression of a wrap-over dress use black stitches around the neck (see photo). I've used lazy daisy stitch for flower decoration round the hem.
The hair is done with long stitches of black yarn which completely cover the flesh coloured head beneath. I popped a little black top-knot on and held it with yarn to match the flowers.
You might prefer to use sewing thread for the features as it is much finer than yarn and will give better results (I used two strands together). The eyes are a single straight stitches in black and the mouth 'v' shaped straight stitches in red. Blushing cheeks are achieved with red pencil crayon.... You now have your own little kokeshi doll and all she needs is her own Japanese style garden!

Woolly pencils

Don't you just love coloured pencil crayons?

I have a polished wooden box containing 72 different shades and it excites me just to look at them.

New crayons were always a gift to be treasured when I was young and I still have an old box containing the much used remnants of my crayoning childhood.

My pencil crayons and a colouring book kept me busy for hours.

These days my creative colouring is often done with knitting yarn so I decided to marry the two and experiment with knitting a pencil crayon.

First I made a blue one.

Then I made green and magenta ones. If you'd like to give it a go here is what you do...

DK yarn and 2.25 mm needles (US size 1). Stocking stitch throughout. The knitted fabric should be quite firm as you don't want a lot of stretch.

Choose your colour and cast on 9 stitches. Knit to the required length (I did 20 rows). Change to beige (wood colour). Knit 1 row then knit 2 together at the start of the next 4 rows (5 stitches remain). Change to main colour and knit one row. Remove stitches onto a sewing needle and gather tightly. Roll the knitted piece to create a pencil and ensure all the loose ends are tucked inside. Stitch to close. Make the pointed (sharpened) end as 'pointy' as you can. To knit a fatter pencil simply cast on more stitches and knit more rows, its as simple as that. Perhaps a child's old hand knitted sweater could be cheered up with the addition of a few knitted pencils in bright shades! 

Pencil CosyThis was an after thought and I think it could catch on!

The previous pattern (nine stitches on 2.25 mm needles) will create a tiny tube that perfectly fits a standard pencil. The cast off edge is at the top. Finished with 2 rows of garter stitch. You should weave in the loose ends then wrap the knitted piece round the pencil which makes it easier to stitch the seam and close the bottom. A few beads and a woolly tassel produce the finishing touches. Little girls will love these pencil cosies and they'd make cute little gifts for their friends.

Mice and a dusting of snow

We awoke to snow this morning which meant my day could be spent indoors keeping cosy and warm... Hurrah!

I thought this little line of white mice and snowflakes was just right for today. The mouse pattern repeats every eight stitches, the snowflakes every six so its easy to knit and floats on the back are kept short.

I haven't added colour to the chart as it makes it easier to follow.
Yes, I did say we'd had overnight snow... Here it is!!!!!!!

It had all melted by mid afternoon!

December and there's still plenty to do

I was born into a family that knitted. My mum, granny, aunts and cousins always 'had something on the go'. If they were sitting they were usually knitting and I never remember a Christmas when my sister and I didn't receive knitted dolls' clothes or a pretty sweater and hat from at least one of our relations. Most of the knitting relatives I remember from my childhood have now sadly gone but they have hopefully found a happy place to knit and natter together as they did in life. I'm sure they would be pleased to know that their enthusiasm for all things woolly has rubbed off on me and over the years I have amassed a large selection of yarn into which I frequently dip.

 

Nothing is wasted and I always squirrel away the smallest lengths of yarn. I'm particularly fond of odd balls like these. Dozens of different colours which provide dozens of different knitting possibilities. Here are just a few examples that I can show you.

Striped gloves with extra long cuffs, just right for chilly days. 

Striped shawl with multicoloured tassels, warm and cosy.

Striped jumper and woolly beret for teddy. You wouldn't think he'd need it with all that fur but he assures me he does.

Traditional  Fairisle. I always like use 'traditional' real wool for this. Shetland wool is my favourite.

A crochet blanket. I have to confess I did buy the black yarn for this as I needed more than the amount I had in my woolly stash. It was great fun to make, one square at a time in any colour combination that took my fancy.

 

From very large to very tiny. These knitted toys are for a dolls house and measure 4 cm (just over an inch). The arms and legs only required 4 stitches. I used my finest yarn (4 ply) and and my finest needles. Fiddly but fun!

I prefer making something just a bit larger than 4 cm. These two friends measure approx 12 cm (just under 5 ins)

 

And these happy sailors are about the same height (the teddy is shop bought but his togs are handmade).

 

And for Christmas, what better than Santa bringing a tiny doll for a little girl in a red dress, woolly coat and beret. Doesn't she look pleased.

Time to make the Christmas cake, but first the rum must be poured over the fruit and left overnight. It looks like there is no lack of volunteers for the rum pouring! Santa takes charge... "Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of rum".

Damask baubles, shiny brass and a clean chimney

Isn't it strange how one person's trash can be another person's treasure. Many years ago I was horrified to find a friend discarding a bundle of gorgeous damask fabric samples. They dated from the 1960s and she couldn't find a use for them. Needless to say I volunteered to take them off her hands.

Brights as well as soft muted tones

Over the years I've found many uses for the fabrics

 

The smaller patterns were ideal for the dresses and waistcoats I made for my 18th century dolls house family and I have other pieces put by for the four poster beds. The samples aren't large so I always cut into the fabric with caution and save small left-over scraps just in case I find a use for them at a later date. That 'later date' arrived during the week when I used some of the scraps to cover 9cm polystyrene balls to make Christmas baubles.

Recently several talented bloggers have posted pics of their bauble handiwork and I've been itching to give it a go. The small off-cuts of damask were just right for the job and I was pleased with the results. I have a selection of gold metallic braid left over from other projects and this came in handy for covering the joins between the different fabrics.

I'd planned to use beads and buttons as finishing touches but they didn't look right so I attached tiny brass bells (with pins) around the centre of the plainest bauble. I'd like to say the bells tinkle beautifully when jiggled but I'm afraid the sound they make is more of a dull rattle.

Whilst I happily created festive baubles my husband was hard at work doing a more important job, sweeping the chimney. Our sitting room chimney is a law unto itself and has twice caught fire only a few weeks after it has been swept, so hubby likes to keep it spotless. The second time a fire caught hold the chimney pot exploded and the sharp fragments landed on the car roof (we still have the dents to prove it!)

With so much 'useful' activity going on in other parts of the house I decided I should also be seen to be doing something more essential. Now this is a job I always put off doing because I don't enjoy it...cleaning brass. Throughout the year I convince myself that tarnished brass doesn't look out of place with our 'older style' furniture but I do like clean shiny brass at Christmastime, so this week out came the cleaner and the rubber gloves.

No sooner had I laid newspaper on the kitchen table than my husband arrived and plonked our dining room chandelier onto it. He must have thought this would be a good opportunity to disconnect it from the electricity supply and bring it to me for a clean but its arrival on the table quickly made my apathy for brass cleaning a whole lot worse.

I persevered and confess it didn't take long to get it shining again and within an hour it was reconnected and fully working. I think you'll agree it was worth the effort!

Then out came the candlesticks. I just love mellow candlelight at Christmas. A few years ago I spotted a picture in a magazine of an old oak dresser decorated with Christmas greenery and a large collection of mismatching candles. It looked wonderful. I knew I had to recreate that 'look' so I trawled through Ebay and before long I found the perfect lot. One dozen vintage brass candlesticks, all different shapes and sizes (no pairs). A pair of candlesticks can fetch a decent price but mismatched ones aren't always popular and as a result I got a bargain buy. Cleaning them was a lot easier than tackling the chandelier and I'm really looking forward to basking in the glow of warm candlelight over Christmas.

Holly, ivy and mistletoe have been brought indoors during December since Pagan times as a way of brightening homes during the dark days of winter. According to Robert Herrick (an Elizabethan poet who lived 400 years ago) the tradition was to keep the Christmas evergreens in the house until Candlemas (2nd February) when they should be replaced by Box which should stay indoors until Easter. I love these old traditions!

Ceremonies for Candlemasse Eve (with original spelling)
by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)

Down with the Rosemary and Bayes,
            Down with Mistletoe;
Instead of Holly, now up-raise
            The greener Box (for show.)

The Holly hitherto did sway;
            Let Box now domineere;
Untill the dancing Easter-day,
            Or Easters Eve appeare.

 

It is the start of Advent on Sunday (30th Nov) and I will be bringing more evergreens into the house. I wonder if they will survive until Candlemas. In Elizabethan England there was no central heating so my guess is they will have dried and withered by New Year. I will let you know.