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Another kid in our art class draws or makes dinosaurs almost every week, and today my daughter felt inspired by the big dinopedia.

I’m not sure if she ever really tried to draw dinosaurs before, but I really love these things she made today!!

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A while back we made spinny things!

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My daughter picked a Pokémon out of her 図鑑 and asked me to make it out of clay. シェイミ turned kit pretty great, I think!

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My daughter has drawn many things, folded lots of origami creations, and collected a mass of childish artwork. Some of the littlest bits of stuff I have stuck on a large piece of paper I put up in her room. She also added her own little drawings since I put this up about a year ago.

As we prepare to move, I have to make decisions about what we can keep and what is not worth keeping. Fortunately, I can photograph things!

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Haha! My sister sent me a photo of a little rabbit she is felting, and that reminded me of these crochet and felted creatures I made back in college!

Since we are really getting pretty close to Halloween, some of us may be in need of some decorations or just something fun/festive to do. I made some really great monsters ≈two years ago in a pretty creative way. Socks? No. Sewing? A little. Crocheting? Yes. Felting? Yes.

So here’s how it works:

Get materials. You’ll need some roving (loose wool in colors of your choosing),(preferably [at least] partially wool) yarn, assorted scraps/findings (for limbs, eyes, whatever), some sort of plastic (ideally bubble wrap), and a couple balloons. Additionally, you’ll need a crochet hook, needle&thread, and a mixture of hot water and dish soap.

Crochet a vessel. Crochet as if you were going to make a hat, but think about the body shape of the monster/creature you wish to make. It’s pretty easy to decrease and increase the circumference as you go. Don’t go too crazy, though, because when you get to the next step and go to blow up a balloon inside of the vessel, it can be difficult to fill out all the spaces. Using different stitches is also fun, because you can see them through the felting if you use a nice contrasting yarn. Decrease the opening down to a fairly small radius.

Stuff it with a balloon. Once you’ve got your vessel, you’ll find it doesn’t exactly hold itself in a particularly 3d shape. Hooray for balloons! Stick a balloon into the body you have made, and blow her up! The balloon should fill out your vessel so it looks nice and plump. 

Begin the felting process! Nuno Felting video(s): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyEfiUV40KQ  Honestly, this is like WAY too serious and you can easily skim past the first video and a lot of what she is talking about, but the lady is doing it right and is quite informative. The obvious difference is that you are working around the balloon. I lay on a thin layer of wool, tiny fabric specks/bits-o-yarn, and another thin layer of wool on top, then wet it down just a little bit so that it sticks to the balloon as I rotate to get to the next side. 

Rubbin’. Once your crochet-covered balloon is fully coated in wool and decorative thingies and dampened with soapy water, roll it up in the bubble wrap. Now you seriously are just going to thoroughly rub it all over. I use my knuckles and go in small circles until I’ve gone over the entire surface about 852,345 times. Or just until when I peel back the plastic, all the wool looks like it’s holding on very well. Do not be afraid to apply lots of pressure; be aggressive!

The scary part. Ok, once you are sure this layer of wool is felted pretty well together and to the crochet, pop the balloon. Then! Turn your vessel-body inside out, insert and inflate another balloon, and repeat steps 4 and 5. You need not watch the youtube videos again. 

The bouncing part. If it’s all good and felted, you can and should rinse the darn thing so it’ll quit smelling like you’re washing a dog. You don’t have to pop this balloon, and as I’ve found- the thing dries WAY faster if you don’t. After it’s rinsed, bounce the felted-crochet-covered balloon around on the counter/floor/bathtub for a bit. There’s a thing in the video about “fulling” and we’ll pretend that’s what we are doing here. Honestly, it’s mostly just fun and one time when I was a kid I got a felted hat kit and the instructions said to bounce it so I did. 

The boring part. Wait for your vessel to dry.

Decorate! Safely deflate and remove the balloon from the fabulous body you have created, and add limbs! Eyes! Hair! More eyes! Actually, flip it inside out as the inside tends to dry a bit smoother (and it’s felted a bit better) than the part that was on the outside post-drying. Then stuff it with poly-fill or whatever (I use muslin scraps) and THEN add limbs, eyes, hair, more eyes. It’s easy to have legs that originate from the opening in the vessel so it gets closed up. Or you can sew it shut. Or you can do whatever you like- have it’s brains be falling out for all I care.

So that’s really all there is to it! If you’re like me, you’ll probably make a couple more than just the first one. It’s worth it. They’re hilarious, especially when you hang them from your living room ceiling. 

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Throwback Thursday!

I was looking through an external hard drive for a particular artwork from college, when I stumbled upon some high school self portraits!

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She’s the best model.

Yes, I hung artwork of my cat next to her cat tower.

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獅子舞・The Lion Dance

朝5時半に起きて、ご飯を食べて、7時35分発の高速バスに乗った。娘と一緒に高松市での獅子舞イベントを見に行った。2人ともワクワクしていた。1ヶ月前垂水の海神社の秋祭りに行ったが、獅子舞は行わなかった。家に帰ってパソコンで娘に見せるため獅子舞の動画を探した。出たビデオはほとんど香川県で撮ったビデオだ。何でかなーと思った。もうちょっと調べたら香川県は獅子舞で「日本一」だと初めて知った。

Got up at 5, ate breakfast, and took the 7:35 highway bus. My daughter and I went to Takamatsu City to see a Lion Dance event. We were both so excited. A month before, we had gone to Kaijinja, a shrine in Tarumi in Kobe, for their autumn festival, but there had been no Lion Dance. When we got home, I looked for some good Lion Dance videos to show my daughter, and most of the videos that came up were from Kagawa. I wondered why. After a little more searching, I found out that Kagawa Prefecture is "#1 in Japan" for the Lion Dance.

確かに、香川に住んだ4年半の間、秋になるとマンションの近くにある神社が獅子舞をしながら神輿を担いで近所を歩き回った。それが特別だと感じていなかったが、神戸に引っ越してから獅子舞は１回も見たことがない。

Of course! I'd live in Kagawa for four and a half years, and every fall a shrine near my apartment walked around the neighborhood, performing the Lion Dance and carrying the mikoshi. I hadn't really thought it was anything unique to Kagawa until coming to Kobe, where I haven't seen the Lion Dance even once.

獅子舞王国さぬきというイベントでは、上演した獅子舞団が香川県と沖縄も神戸市からも来た。神戸市の団体は南京町から来たから、中国の伝統的な獅子舞と似ていると思う。香川の団体は私にとって「普通な」日本の獅子舞を踊った。沖縄の獅子舞は香川の獅子舞とだいぶ違う。本州、九州、四国などの獅子舞は奈良時代に中国から入ってきた。しかし、沖縄の獅子はシーサーに基づいている。シーサーも元々中国の獅子だったが、伝説と特性が本州の獅子と異なる。ネットでいろんなことを調べていっぱい知ったが、このエッセイは研究論文じゃない。😂

At the Shishimai Okoku ("Lion Dance Kingdom") Sanuki event, groups came from around Kagawa, Okinawa, and even Kobe to dance. The team from Nankinmachi, Kobe's Chinatown, performed what I imagine is a more traditionally Chinese Lion Dance. The Kagawa teams danced what I had come to know as "the usual" Japanese Lion Dance. The Okinawa team's performance was totally different from Kagawa's. The Lion Dance came from China to the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku during the Nara Period, but the Okinawan shisa is the basis for their shishi, or "lion." The shisa also came from China, but its legend and features are different from Honshu's shishi. I read a lot online about these things, but this essay is not a research paper. 😂

娘と一緒に獅子舞を見に行ったという話を友達にして「怖くない？」と聞かれた。全然。娘が可愛いツインテールの髪型を下ろして、獅子みたいに頭を左右に振って鈴の音を真似して「ジンジャリンジャリン」と歌った。このイベントの数週���後、山形県に住んでいる親戚に会いに行ったとき、夫のおじさんがお土産を売っている店で、「何が欲しい？」と娘に聞いた。「これ！」と答えて小さい獅子様を指で指した。その日以来、毎日コートのポケットに入っている。

When I talked to a friend about going to the Lion Dance event with my daughter, my friend asked, "Wasn't she scared?" Not at all. My daughter took down her cute pigtails and swung her head around like a shishi, imitating the bells and drums with her voice, "Jin jarin jarin." A few weeks after this event, we took a family trip to Yamagata Prefecture to visit my husband's relatives. While we were there, we went to a souvenir shop where my husband's uncle asked my daughter, "What would you like?" "This!" she answered happily and pointed at a little shishi. Ever since that day, she's been carrying it in her coat pocket.

Various links to things I read while writing this essay:

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We made shishi puppets! Red one is mine, rainbow one is my daughter’s.

We had so much fun at Ringo Art Club on Friday, and I’m really proud of the kids’ creativity and skills!

The base of each puppet is actually the bottom of a paper milk carton. Cut down two sides and fold in half!

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During our trip to Australia this summer, I found a HP cookbook and was totally dazzled by the many cute and tasty things inside. Today we’re headed to a Halloween Party, so my daughter and I tried to make cheesy, chili powder flying cars, but we also wanted to make snakes and lightning bolts, so we did! Drawing with cream cheese was not as easy as it sounded, but the windows turned out alright. 😅

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Halloween is coming! My daughter changed her mind about being Blizzard Ice Kirby, but I decided to take over that costume and finish the cute hat. It’s not 100% complete, but I already love it.

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最後のユニコーン・The Last Unicorn

When I was a kid, one of my favorite movies was "The Last Unicorn." I watched it many, many times growing up, and in high school I read the book The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle. 

子供の頃、「最後のユニコーン」という映画が大好きだった。その映画を何回も何回も見て、そして高校生のときピーター・S・ビーグルが書いた同名の本も読んだ。

In the story, cruel King Haggard has captured nearly all the unicorns in the world and trapped them in the sea beside his castle. He gazes out at the unicorns, who are too scared to emerge from the waves, and he says this is the only thing in the world that brings him pleasure. 

話によると、残酷なハッガード王は一頭を除いて世界のユニコーン全てを捕まえて、城の近くにある海に閉じ込めた。ハッガード王は、毎日怖がて海から出られないユニコーンを見張っている。これが唯一ハッガード王に喜びをもたらすものだった。

There is a lot more to the story, but whenever the sea is whipped up by winds, I remember the scene of white unicorns visible amidst the crashing waves. Even though I have never spotted any unicorns in the sea, I still check… just in case. 

 話はもっとあるけど、海が強風で舞い上がるたびに、白波の中で浮かんでいるユニコーンのシーンを思い出す。ユニコーンを見たことがなくても、じっくり波を見てしまう…念の為に。

I was looking out at the sea today, checking for unicorns, when I saw something jump. “What?! Was that a ray? Can they even jump?” I wondered and quickly whipped out my phone to check. Why yes, rays do jump. 

今日、ユニコーンがいるかどうか確認しながら海を見ている時、水面で跳ねた生き物を見た。「えっ？あれはエイじゃないか？エイは跳ねるの？」と思って、すぐにスマホで調べた。確かに、エイは跳ねる！

Come to think of it, I saw feeding time at Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, and I remember seeing the rays shoot like lightning across the surface of the water as the whale shark vacuumed up massive gulps of water and fishy food. The ray I spotted today wasn’t a unicorn, but it was a rare experience and feels kind of magical. 

考えてみると、沖縄の美ら海水族館で餌やりを見た。その時、巨大なジンベエザメは掃除機のように海水と餌をがぶ飲みしたが、エイたちは稲妻のように水面で瞬く間に餌を吸い込んでいく。今日見たエイはユニコーンじゃなかったが、エイを見るのは珍しくて不思議なことだ。

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眠れない・Can't Sleep

眠れない。2時間だけ寝て急に目を覚ました。嵐が来た？猫が遊んでいる？子供が泣いている？トイレに行きたい？いいえ。ただ目を覚まして眠れない。

Can't sleep. I slept about two hours but suddenly woke up. Is the storm here? Is my cat playing around? Is my kid crying? Do I need to go pee? Nope. I just woke up and can't sleep.

明日、しなければならないことが多い。リビングを片付ける、お土産を買う、空港行きバスの時間を確認する。心配も多い。娘は日本語がまだまだ足りない。台風はいつ来る？したいことも多い。姉に電話したい。絵を描きたい。娘のハロウィーン仮装を作りたい。自分のハロウィーン仮装も作りたい。あっ、そうね。昨日、スーパーに行ったのに、あれを買うのを忘れた。頭がうるさいね。眠れない。

I have a lot of things to do tomorrow. I need to clean up the living room, buy some souvenirs, check the airport bus schedule. I have a lot of things to worry about. My daughter still needs to learn more Japanese. When will the typhoon finally get here? I want to call my sister. I want to do some art. I want to make my daughter's Halloween costume. I want to make my own costume. Oh, right. I forgot to get something when I went to the grocery store yesterday. My head is too noisy. Can't sleep.

夫は今どこにいる？飛行機に乗ってヨーロッパに飛んでいるのを知っているけど、今どこにいる？ふむ、夜9時出発だったら、多分中国の上にいるだろう。夫は寝ているかな。私は眠れない。

Where's my husband now? I know he's on a flight to Europe, but where is he now? Hmm, he left around 9pm, so he's probably somewhere over China by now. I bet he's sleeping. I can't sleep.

アメリカの大統領の選挙について考えたくないね。あの人が勝ったらどうする。嫌だ、絶対嫌だ。勝つわけがないだろう。8年前もそう思ったが、結局勝った。4年前��負けたから、今回も負けるだろう。負けて欲しい。あの人が負けても、アメリカに帰りたくない。家族に会いたくても、アメリカに帰りたくない。眠れない。

I don't want to think about the upcoming presidential election in the US. If that guy wins, what will I do? Awful. Totally awful. There's no way he can win. 8 years ago we thought that too, but in the end he won. He lost 4 years ago, so he's definitely going to lose this time, right? I hope so. Even if he loses, though, I don't want to go back to the US. Even if I want to see my family, I don't want to go back. Can't sleep.

猫は本当に可愛いよね。今飼っている猫が世界一かもしれない。耳の形がいいし、鼻が茶色くて可愛いし、目の色が素晴らしいし…この猫が大好き。昔飼っていた猫もとてもいい子だった。ナタリーちゃん。初めてのペットで本当に良かった。喉頭の問題のせいで、ナタリーの「ニャー」が「ギャー」になった。いつも一緒に寝て、朝に起こしてくれた。兄妹3人で森に遊びに行った時、ナタリーも一緒に行った。ある冬、ナタリーが凍った池に歩いている時、氷が割れた。ナタリーが冷たい池に落ちて、私に救われた。よどんで臭い池に落ちたナタリーをコートの中に入れてあたためた。ナタリーのいい思い出のおかげで、眠くなってきた。

Cats are so cute. The cat I have now just may be the best in the world. Cute-shaped ears, cute brown nose, beautiful eyes... I love this cat. I had a great cat when I was a kid, too. Natalie. I'm so glad she was my first pet. She had some problem with her voice box, so her "meow" was more like "gaa." She always slept with me and woke me up in the morning. When my siblings and I went to play in the woods, she often came with us. One winter, Natalie was talking on a frozen pond when the ice broke. Natalie fell into the cold water, but I quickly saved her. She was so stinky from the stagnant pond water, but I stuffed her inside my coat to warm her back up. Thanks to these sweet memories of Natalie, I'm feeling a bit sleepy.

My black cat Natalie・黒猫のナタリー

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Crafty Friday night at Ringo Art Club

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秋の匂い・The Smell of Fall (ハロウィーンの仮装・Halloween Costumes)

コオロギが鳴いている夕方に、娘と一緒に公園を通って帰っているとき、娘が滑り台を滑りたかった。虫を食べているコウモリが頭の上を飛び回っていた。涼しい風で吹き飛んできている落ち葉の匂いを嗅ぐと、「もう、秋だね！」と感じた。

秋はハロウィーンがあるから、毎年私が忙しくなる。ハロウィーンが大好き。ハロウィーンの仮装を作るのがとても楽しい。15歳のときハロウィーンの仮装を初めて作った。ナイトメアー・ビフォア・クリスマスという映画のキャラクターになった。16歳に宇宙の女帝というオリジナルキャラクターを作った。17歳にバットマンのハーレークインという悪役になった。日本に来てから、もっと面白い仮装を作った。例えば、2015年は進撃の巨人の女型の巨人、そして2016年日本の狐像になった。夫が狸像の仮装を着て、私とペアになった。

娘が生まれた年、娘の仮装も作った。最初の仮装は妖精、次か葉っぱの山、その次はモスラになった。今年（2023年）、娘の仮装と自分の仮装も作っている。娘が「手伝うよ！」と言って、一緒にマスクに絵の具を塗った。子供の頃、私も母と一緒に仮装を作りたかったが、母がいつも「大丈夫。私ができるから」と言って、ミシンなどを使わせてくれなかった。毎年完璧で素敵な仮装を作ってくれたが、共同作業したかった。

One evening as the crickets sang, my daughter and I were headed home through the park. My daughter decided she wanted to go down the slide, so I watched the bats swooping overhead, gobbling up bugs. A cool wind blew the smell of falling leaves towards me. I felt, “Aah, it’s Fall!” 

Every year I get busy in the fall, because Halloween is coming. I love Halloween. Making Halloween costumes is so fun. When I was 15, I made my first Halloween costume: Sally from the Nightmare Before Christmas. At 16, I was the Empress of the Universe, and original character I created. At 17, I was the villainous Harley Quinn from Batman. Since coming to Japan, I’ve made even more interesting costumes. For example, in 2015 I was the Female Titan from Attack on Titan, and in 2016 I was a Japanese statue-style fox. My husband went as a Tanuki that year, so we were a great pair. 

The year my daughter was born, I made her Halloween costume. That year she was a fairy, the next year she was a pile of fallen leaves. After that she was Mothra. This year (2023), I’m kiang my daughter’s costume and my own. My daughter said, “I wanna help!” and she helped me shape and paint her mask. Growing up, I always wanted to help my mom make my costumes, but she said, “It’s fine. I can do it,” and didn’t let me even touch the sewing machine. She always made a perfect costume for me, but I really wanted to do it together.