C8 frustration and what happens when plan B happens.

Ok so after making two C10's in a row I decided to try a C8.  I had seen a lovely set of snowflake inspired temari on Jane C's blog World Embroideries a while ago and really like the idea of trying something similar. In the image below you can see the red ball I was aiming for.  The pattern is in Cosmo 2 Page 4 ball 6. I really liked the idea and I set to work with a small 21cm ball and marked the C8 and wrapped the bands on the S4 & Eq. Given the limited amount of text in the pattern (which I admit I didn't even try to translate) and the funky diagram I decided that perhaps the next thing to do was the band on the 6 part triangle.  Then that is where I got stumped.  I don't know why but I just couldn't work out the rest.  My brain just stuck in neutral I was grinding away at the gears but none were engaging.  In the end I had a smallish size tantrum and decided to forget the pattern tidy up the ball and go to bed.  So this is what I came up with.

I knotted the 6 part triangle intersections, on the band intersections I stitched a single square over them to keep everything ship shape.  I quite like how the ball turned out even though it was NOTHING like the original design.  Looking again at the pattern today I can almost follow it and I am sure I have this design in one of the English books in my collection so I will go back to the drawing board and try again... when my brain is a little more rested. 

My latest temari set finished

I have been working on this temari set for months trying to get it PERFECT for submission to my temari mentor.  Usually I make temari just for me and rarely fix mistakes because I like to see how my ball making has progressed (of course when making temari for other people I do want them to be perfect too).

Now I have finished these and sent them to my mentor I want to share them with you.  Top left is a S4 Masu Kagari (Square Stitch), Top right is a S6 Mitsubane Kikkou Kagari (Triwing Stitch),  Bottom left is a S8 Jyouge Douji Kagari (Concurrent North South Stitch) and Bottom right is S12 Uwagake Chidori Kagari (Kiku Herringbone Stitch).

I think this is the last time I will be stitching with this colour palette for a little while, I have been using these colours so much since July I really need a change.

I am beginning my study on C8 now and to facilitate this I have pulled out all my Japanese Temari books (ok not all of them just the Cosmo 1-7 series and a few others).  I seem to have lost my list of dream temari to make so I am going back to the drawing board so to speak and selecting balls I want to make.

Current Temari Projects

S4 Masu Kagari (Square Stitch)
So I am revisiting the S4 square stitch temari - I have only done a few when I first began making temari and have either wrapped over, given away or otherwise vapourised them so I need to begin from scratch. I only have one face done so far - this pattern really tests the roundness of the mari and reminds me that I should at least try not to drop them so often on the tiled floor as nothing flattens out a mari like being dropped from the kitchen table onto tiles. The picture above is a progress shot with just one and a half squares completed.

S6 Mitsubane-kikkou Kagari (Triwing or Trefoil Stitch)
I have also tried out the S6 tri-wing with hexagon (I have never made them with the hexagon in the middle before) I think it turned out ok. I quite liked it actually and filled the negative space with a 1/4 and 3/4 starburst running around the equator.  As you can see from the photo above I am still using up some of the remaining red, white and green balls from the 27 I prepared in July so I have limited my colour scheme to include greens, white and black.

S8 Jyouge Douji Kagari (Merry go Round Stitch)
I also made a S8 JD-esque temari from the front cover of a little Ondori booklet that Michelle (check out her blog Little Rabbit Miniatures) and I both have. I like it but I can see where I screwed up the stitching so we'll call this one a 'learning ball'. It was fun to stitch because every second guideline was stitched from pole to equator and the others were stitched equator to pole.  In the pic above you may see where I have forgotten to keep the needle over the thread as I exit the ball in one of the early rounds so I have two threads that lie side by side... it is a pity and I probably should have ripped it out but it was a fun practice and I learned something too.

S12 Uwagake Chidori Kagari (Kiku Herringbone Stitch)
To know this pattern is to love it. I have made a lot of this one, but I do tend to make a ton of this and then none for a few months.  Ok this one is no where near completed but I figured that I'd add it too.  This is the ball I was playing with when we were at the Waldorf School Fair.  I am not sure where I want to go with this one so I haven't added more yet.  When I finish the masu (square) temari I will come back to this one.

最近のお気に入りMy favourite design by MIHO

なかなか気に入った！！という毬が作れません。
まだまだ修行が足りないですね。

でも、最近ちょっと好きだな、と思う毬ができたので、
写真アップしてみます。
C8でバーバラの本から、DogWoodのパターンを応用しました。
地が緑で星がちりばめられているので、なんだかクリスマスの
デコレーションのよう。

ちなみにDogWoodは日本語でハナミズキ、ですね。

I have learned to do C8 using Barb Seuss' book. I am addicted to making the C8 division balls. The dogwood pattern is my inspiration for this ball. I also used kiku style stars on the poles. I like brighter colours so I chose a selection from my stash, it looks like a christmas decoration. Dogwood is the English translation for Hanamizuki which is a pale pink or white coloured flower.