On the Ball

Tomorrow is the Year 6 Farewell dinner at the local Golf Club. When I was at school there was a school disco and the principal stood up at the last assembly in the year and said goodbye to us all. That was it. Now, there's the farewell dinner, a farewell pool party, the assembly, and on the last day the rest of the school forms a guard of honour at the gates (that's actually quite funny, watching the Year 6 kids trying to get under the arms of the kindergartners).

My baby will be finishing primary school.

Lots of people are pitching in (it's a public school, we're not flush with cash). Decorations and special place mats have been made, I've spruced up the banner and written out place cards. Parents will be decorating the room at the club on the day (not me, sorry, that banner was more than enough). Everyone pulling together, which is as it should be.

Son loves his teacher. Miss Casamento is lovely, but she is also a great educator. She has a tough class (the Opportunity Class (gifted) - pack of smart arses, including my boy), but she keeps them in line and motivated and interested, and learning all sorts of things. There are two OC classes, the kids have the same teacher for both years 5 and 6, and the two classes, next door to each other, interact a fair bit. So when Son asked me to make a temari for Miss Casamento, he also asked for one for Miss Garland, the other OC teacher. To be given at the farewell.

Remember temari? I made one for Mrs Dawes, our deputy principal, when she retired.

It was a simple thing for Son to ask both women for their favourite colours. Then he and I went through all my temari books looking for just the right designs. I swear he bookmarked about twenty. I deliberately did not say "Let's look on online too". We'd still be choosing.

After several days he settled on one for each.

I made Miss Garland's first because my boy was still deciding thread colours for Miss Casamento's.

This is wrapped in red thread, divided with gold into a C8 (see the other post) and then the pattern is built up by stitching interlocking large and small squares. That's right. Squares. The triangles appear as you go. I had to unpull it once because I mistranslated something in the instructions (if I had looked more closely at the photos I would have realised my mistake). Then I had to unpull it again because there are two ways to stitch the large squares, and I chose the wrong way (again, photo, dur). But it came out alright in the end.

By the time it was done, Son had finalised the colours for the second one. A dusty pink and white. I suggested a touch of light green, but he was adamant.

The mari was wrapped in dusty pink thread (it's fairly dark in tone) and then simply divided into twelve, like segmenting an orange. All those petals are achieved by first stitching zig zags from the pole to midway to the equator on alternating spokes (repeat once so all spokes are done) and then stitching spindle shapes on each spoke over the equator. Repeat till finished. The equator is then wrapped in an obi (basically a belt made of wrapped threads) and that's it. It is a simple pattern, but it takes a lot longer to stitch than the red one.

And if you are wondering about the cushion, that's a zabuton, or little mattress. I have a few of these in my temari box. The colours were perfect, so Son snaffled it.

So that's it. Now I have to find something else for the evenings (too warm for knitting at the moment).

Christmas music. I meant to start this yesterday, but I forgot it was 1 December (despite stressing about the Christmas tree and the cats). Still, better late than never. (And don't roll your eyes, listen. Great version)