Nani Iro Shirt

It's time to start putting away our summer clothes here. I did a bit of summer sewing this year with fabric I purchased in Tokyo back in the Spring. I brought back some lovely Nani Iro double gauze and made this short sleeved shirt with it using a pattern from a Japanese book (also purchased in Tokyo). I wish I had a touch more fabric so I could have made this a tiny bit longer...

The double gauze is very soft and comfy.

Patchwork Pillow

More sewing with scraps! I cut a bunch of identical squares a long time ago in order to tidy up my stash of scrap fabric, and decided to make a little throw pillow out of some of them. I took some stuffing from an old, unused pillow and wrapped it in some new batting to slip inside.

Breakfast

Plain, organic yogourt made from non-homogenized whole milk, sliced organic strawberries and honey.

The strawberries had real strawberry flavour. As you can see, I filled the bowl a little too high - the first couple of spoonfuls were tricky!

Lunch

My lunch today:

This tofu dish has become a favourite. Mushrooms, tofu and scallions in a thick sauce seasoned with dashi, soy sauce and mirin. I adapted a recipe called "Kuzu Tofu" from a book I bought in Tokyo called "Your Japanese Kitchen" by Harumi Kurihara. In addition to some ingredient substitutions, I made mine on the stove instead of in the microwave.

The squash salad recipe is from Ai. I just mixed cooked squash with Kewpie mayo and salt. Yummy. It would taste even better with proper kabocha squash which I couldn't find at the market today.

Making New Plants

I took some cuttings from the chocolate mint plant I have outside in order to propagate some smaller plants to grow inside during the winter. They root so easily - mint is a trooper!

Yarn Samples

So many possibilities...so many nice colours...I could look at these all day.

From Briggs & Little. Some more yarn samples from Blackwater Abbey:

New Houseplants

For something green to look at during the winter months.

Spider plant:

And prayer plant:

I didn't know when I bought it but the prayer plant's leaves close up a little bit at night and splay out during the day.

Both these plants are supposed to be easy to care for so I hope they do well.

Lilac Lamb

A sweet little present from a pair of friends who live too far away.

Looking at him makes me want to knit a lilac sweater!

Small Things From the Garden #2

A little herb bouquet I picked earlier this summer - dill and Thai basil flowers.

Quilted Pouch

Making something from things you already have and being resourceful feels great.

I needed a new zippered pouch for cosmetics and things when travelling, so I made one out of bits of scrap fabric. It's fun to look at the different fabrics and remember the various projects and memories attached to each.

One day I would like to make a quilt from scraps...