bead stitch-intermediate level

The weather has been rainy and cold, and kind of reminds me of London. It is cold, but, not cold to the point where you have to where all the clothing you own.

Well, my bead stitch class is over for the year, and the next class for me will be in April (I'll be going back to Hawaii for my annual visit between January-March). If you'd like to see a project that I just finished, I've posted it here.

Have a nice weekend!

bead stitch

Today was bead stitch class. I've been working on a needle case using the peyote stitch and finished it today...gosh, it was a toughie!

The wooden cap is quite tight--so you don't lose your needles, but this makes the beaded cover fall off, which makes it VERY hard to put back on....

3 weeks until the next class...onto the next project...

odds & ends

Every 24th of August is the Gangara Fire Festival (Gangara Himatsuri or Gangarabi)--Ikeda's most traditional annual event. Ikeda is a city in Osaka prefecture and is one train station away from us.


A torchlight procession goes up to Atago Shrine on Mt. Satsuki. There are also 2 fires that are lit called Daimonji and Dai-ichimonji. The Daimonji is lit on the west side and the Dai-ichimonji is lit on the south side of Mt. Satsuki. These fires are considered sacred and are the symbols of prayers for inner satisfaction and world peace. I could see the Daimonji from the entryway of our apartment.

Today was beads class, this was a necklace that I finished using the netting stitch.

You know that grape flavoring that is used for candies and sodas?

That's what these grapes, called Delaware, taste like.

In Japan, most people do not eat the skins of fruits because it is thought that many farms use a LOT of pesticides in order to perfect their fruits. If you ask me, a lot of times the skins are very bitter and hard.

This 99% cacao is made by Vernost Kachestvu, a Russian confectionery. I bought it to try 99% dark chocolate. I'm glad there are only 6 pieces, it is very chalky in taste, really salty and doesn't taste anything like the chocolate I love!

angelina (part 2) & beads stitch

Today was my beads stitch class. I missed the first class because we climbed Mt. Fuji. 

Not to worry though, I'm kind of separated from my other class mates because of missing a month (when I went home to Hawaii in April). 

Here's my project, a daisy chain bracelet. My teacher was surprised because no one ever finished it in the two hours!

Today, I also received my certificate which verifies that I passed the sterling silver crochet classes and certifies me to teach classes.

Since I was in Umeda, I stopped in to get a mont blanc from Angelina. 

This version was a little different from the ones I've tasted though, there was a meringue-like bottom, cream center and the standard chestnut "frosting". 

When I bought it, they put in a little ice packet, to keep the contents cool, but it was so hot and HUMID today that the mont blanc kind of melted. 

Still, it was really good and not really sweet.

One more day until the weekend, we're having Satoshi's department over for heavy pupus...gotta start cleaning up....

trying to beat the heat (part 2)

So now that summer is here, and it is WAY to humid for my likings here in Japan, I've been in a salad kind of mode and looking for nice, refreshing ways to dress them up.

Here's a recipe I found today while reading Gourmet Magazine's April 2006 edition.

Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette : Adapted from The Signature Room at the 95th, in Chicago. Makes about half a cup

1/2 garlic clove
1.5 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1.5 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1.5 teaspoons mild honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

Blend all ingredients except oregano in a blender until combined well. Transfer to a bowl and stir in oregano, then season with salt and pepper.

Notes: if you are using a small food processor, like I did, make sure to slice up the garlic clove before pulsing or you will have a mess in your kitchen (because the garlic moved the blade up and leaked some dressing)--like I did. Also, I used 5 Tablespoons of EVOO, since I didn't have canola oil. And I used about a 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano.

This dressing was really good! Lemony, not too garlicky really refreshing. Definitely worth making again!

Another food that is popular in Japan, especially during the summer, is edamame (soy beans). I like it because it is really easy to prepare, and I don't have to stand near the stove as it cooks. In Japan, they come packaged--still in their pods, and sometimes they are even still attached to the plant!
Get a saute pan with a lid, or any shallow pan with a cover will do.
Snip the bean pods (where it was attached to the plant), I think this is to allow for even cooking and seasoning.
Rinse them.
Lay them as flat as possible into the pan.
Add a cup of water and cook for about 7 minutes on high heat. (You can add some salt before turning on the heat, or after cooking, whichever you prefer.) After the 7 minutes check to see that most of the pods have opened a bit, if not, you can cook for a minute or two more, take them off the heat and run under cold water.
Sprinkle with some kosher salt and enjoy!

Notes: try to make this ahead so that you can chill them in the refrig before eating!

Gaban, a spice maker in Japan teamed up with House Foods, a company which makes curry rues and other "quick food" items and came up with a black peppered potato chip. The chip is a "fake" potato chip (formed into a chip shape like Pringles), but the taste is great--nice and peppery! They also have a chili pepper version, in a red container, for you thrill-seekers!

Today, my student, Tomomi, brought me some onions which her parents got from some of their friends. They are huge! Will definitely be roasting some of these in the next couple of days. (Thank you!)

Here's another bead stitch project which I just finished. I still need to get it graded by the teacher. The 3 similar rings are the actual project. The "Louis Vuitton" marked ring was an extra project. Boy, those seed beads are tiny!

Hope you are keeping cool where you are and enjoying the weekend!

bead stitch

Well, today was the last day of my beads class. I'll be starting another class in about a month.

Since I have graduated bead crochet, I have started bead stitch. This method is very popular in the U.S. but has only started to pick-up here in Japan recently. Bead stitch uses very thin needles and waxy cord-like thread. Here is the necklace I made using the spiral stitch.

One more day until the weekend!!