Yarn Bombing!

Today is International Yarn Bombing Day! It is kinda of like 'guerilla bombing' the town with yarn crafts.

It also marks my virgin yarn bombing experience... mmm... well not exactly... haha.. as I didn't prepare any crafts to yarn bomb, but pretty much just tagged along the group. :P

Together, we yarn bombed Hamamatsu, starting from Hamamatsu station.


This is our favorite! 似合うね！

Then we walked to the park near 遠州病院 and started a series of yarn bombs.


We dropped about 3 yarn bombs here I think :P

And.. next on our way to Hamamatsu Castle...


What's real and what's not? *shrugs*


Our last stop...


With that, we ended our yarn bombing expendition. Wah... I have not covered so much of Hamamatsu in a day on foot! Now I know Hamamatsu town is actually not as big as I thought actually. Between 3 akaden stations, the distance is pretty walkable, and Hamamatsu Castle is actually not that far from Hamamatsu town.

:P

Scarf? Mittens? Where it all begins...

Though embarrassed to say, I am really bad at sewing, I used to seek my mum's help for my sewing projects at Home Economics class. And to think... my mum used to sew for a living (before me and my brother came along.. haha...).

And... my first knitting project... was unfinished. I remembered being so ambitious, and bought lots of yarn for my sweater project. Needless to say, it was left hanging. I think the bag of yarn and the half finished sweater should be hidden somewhere amongst my old clothes.

So, here I am. Trying to knit for the second time. This time I am going to finish a project! I am knitting a harumaki aka a tummy warmer. 楽しみに。

For the longest time, I have never thought about how the wool that grows on sheep (or some other animals) ends up as rolls of yarn I buy at craft shops. Yarn, to me, was step 1. So.. what an eye-opener it was when sempai Katie showed me the entire process from fibre to actual knitted/ weaving creations!

So... here's crafting 体験室 (taiken shitsu) at Katie's place this afternoon:

Step 1
Select fibre. There are lots of selection from sheep's wool to tofu silk! Yes, tofu silk fibre is made from real soya beans. It's the minty green ones from the picture, and they feel so soft and smooth. I love them.



Step 2
Next you need to mix the fibre to create batt, using this porcupine-like machine:





Step 3
Remove the batt from the machine.



Step 4
Now, we can spin the batt to form yarn. This one's difficult, as you need to regulate the amount of batt to be spun.



Step 5
You can add other threads in to give the yarn a different feel. Like this one, we added silver thread in it. To do that, you need to spin in the opposite direction.



Step 6
With the newly spun yarn, you can knit, crochet, or weave. Here's Katie's weaving machine, which she brought all the way from England!



It's a little similar to the huge weaving machine which we saw at Yuya Onsen. This one weaves cloth and thread.



The entire experience this afternoon, really opened up my eyes to the world of crafting in clothing. I used to think clothing crafts only include knitting, crocheting and sewing. But it really is so much more.

And it also brought back memories of the crafts I did in Singapore... the happy times with my friends...


Rocher bouquets- this is probably my fave. :)


Clay stationery.


Ragdoll.

And finally... my first ever finished knitted craft.. my own haramaki (tummy warmer)

Craft Fair at Lake Hamanako

Luckily, I heard from Ashley about the Craft Fair a day before meeting my colleagues at Hamanako Garden Park. It was an eye-opener! There were so many stalls and so many different kinds of crafts. In fact, there were 325 stalls in all!

I didn't have time to visit all though :(



Here's a sneak preview at some of the crafts.


Wooden windmill. Similar to our Chinese custom, turn the opposite direction to change your luck.


I would love to get one for my house. Both in Japan and at home, in Singapore.









They were all handmade and of really great quality. (But a tad too expensive for me :( Really liked some of the glassware and accessories, but didn't buy in the end. Ay...

Mmm.. I think if I were just a tourist, I would have probably packed quite a few items back. Somehow living here just feels so different.

Besides browsing around and admiring at the handiwork, you can have a picnic here, too, as there are many food stalls to choose from. Otherwise, you can try making your own crafts, like glassware, leather keychain, woodcraft and metal craft. :)

I tried woodcraft- making a wooden hanging ornament. It's cheap! It only costs 500yen and all materials are provided.

1. Choose the wooden sign, which shape do you want?

2. Choose the design on the wooden sign.

3. A hanko of the chosen design will be stamped on the wooden sign.



4. The staff will patiently teach you how to create a nice sepia wooden ornament using the electric pen.



5. Practise on the small wooden plank given. If the pressure is too light, the colour will be too faint; yet if the pressure is too hard, it will end up in dots.



6. Carefully, trace the outlines with the electric pen, and then proceed to shading.

And it's done! Not perfect, but I am very satisfied with my first woodcraft.



\(^^)/

I wanna visit next year's! This time, I want to finish browsing all stalls!

Barrio Fiesta

Drawn by the Manikako Doll Workshop, YF and I went to explore the Barrio Fiesta at Singapore Art Museum this afternoon, after our usual Salvation Army session.

So.. what's Manikako dolls? I did a brief google search before I went, they seemed to be rag dolls. Mmm.. I haven't did much sewing since I left school (other than cross-stitch, but that doesn't count haha...), so...

Anyway, the setup seems easy, and there are many volunteers/ staff around to ask for help.





And so, the craft starts... There weren't many instructions, as the instructors left us very much on our own to start stitching with our imagination. How do you want your doll to be? An animal? A monster? A human?

I didn't have any in mind, actually.. but inspirations just came rolling, after I did the eyes:



and the dress.. inspiration from the lace!



and the final product.. tada... my first Manikako doll!



And all proceeds of the workshop fee, $5, goes to charities.
The rag doll bodies, as I've heard from the volunteer, are made by laid off workers in Philippines. So, why not head down to SAM tomorrow, to make your own Manikako doll as well?

Next, we tried our hands on the flower ball. They are common decorations which Filipinos make and hang up in their houses during festive occasions.

Very beautiful products from seemingly simple ingredients- crepe papers!

From:


To:


Other parts of the Barrio Fiesta, includes 2 art galleries - "Thrice Upon A Time" and "In the Eye of Modernity". Some sneaks:







I love art installations! :)

In additon, you can collect 2 stamps for viewing these 2 galleries, and use it to redeem a Filipino snack.

Lastly, we ended our afternoon window-shopping at the stalls set up at the entrance of SAM. We especially liked the accessories stalls. :)

There will be a procession at night as well. And the Fiesta is only available for one more day, i.e. tomorrow. Do catch it while it lasts!