my teacher likes me for sure

i got one of those merciful passing grades after i got a 50 in the midterm,my worst test so far. Sensei was puzzled because i went from an 80 to a 50. One of the reasons was that i left the magnifying glass home and the chisai hiragana above the kangies were unreadable without it.The other must be a blond moment that has lasted all trimester.
Anyway we're done until April 18th when we go back.
Just to keep on with the Japanese topic to make tagging easier i completed the above UFO yesterday. The fabric is a recycled silk crepe scarf that didn't make the quality control. Notice the stitching that has much more entity than the previous works from the kangies series. i'm pleased that the stitching challenge is bearing fruit.
And last got my plane reading, Memoirs of a Geisha and the first Amelie Nothumb Fear and Trembling. Follow the link and scroll down to read the complete review.

Well dears until my return- ja mata

neki desu

TAST 10

Ten weeks already and still counting.This week's TAST stitch left me somewhat puzzled.Started from the beginning and did some chain stitch because remember I'm new in this league.
Then worked on the twisted chain and that was fun. But when i came to the barred chain stitch i got roadblocked. Big time. Therefore instead of wailing and weeping i made an executive decision. Don't know if what i did is the required stitch or if i invented something new -created a design element- as weavers call mistakes. i used some Madeira silk cordonette, cotton thread verigated DMC cotton and some loosely spun hand dyed silk. Can't get away from blue!
i was definitely not going to agonize over the embroidery too, I'm just concentrating on the grade in the Japanese test.Have the whole weekend until Monday morning for that.And the on Tuesday i'm flying to Puerto Rico to see my mother.Will be without Internet access for 21 days. Mind you it is not that Puerto Rico is the jungle it's my mother who wants nothing to do with it.
But before leaving i promise to post the Japanese grade. Enough suspense.

neki desu

12 hours to doom

Tomorrow we are having the Japanese mid term and it is an understatement to say that we are all freaking out. The e mail messages have been non stop during the day. At least we are all freaking out and not just some. We learned that we are getting a listening part. Listen and answer the questions. Mind you write the answers in hiragana and if pertinent the corresponding kanjies.
At some point i decided that i was over saturated and hysterically started cleaning the kitchen. It's called denial. Scrub everything to a sparkle. Great therapy because it keeps you moving and sweating, it's a no brainer and you're actually doing something effective. Drinking wine is more fun. But how do you manage a test with a hangover?

neki desu

TAST9

i must confess that i had a thing regarding cross stitch.To me it was the epitome of a little old lady gone crafty and it embodied many of my pet peeves. But this week's TAST
made me change my mind subito. As with all it's all in the head and not in the medium. i'm sure my co- challengees(not bad for an invented word eh?) will come up with a plethora of cool ideas. This is the actual fun part.
This week i used some hand dyed perle cotton, verigated and colored DMC plus buttons and a(very) short piece of remnant ribbon from Mokuba.

neki desu