Kanzashi 2 and 3

Getting a bit adventurous with my second and third kanzashi flowers now by stacking these two flowers together. I planned to make it a necklace but it's to big for me so I changed it into a brooch. I found it very handy for sticking pins into during the temari workshop last weekend. I really like this rounded petal flower shape.

Tomorrow I'm going to try a different type of fold, pointed shaped petals. This weekend is going to be an indoorsy type of weekend. Despite the fact we are in officially almost a month into Autumn, we are expecting 34-36C temperatures for the next 5 days. Our chickens have gone off the lay again due to the heat. So I will be putting their little paddling pool back into the enclosure tomorrow so they can walk around in it and cool themselves down.

I need to make a new mold for yubinuki, something has gone wrong on my old one (I think the spacing of the markings was off so my last few thimbles have been abandoned) I really want to get back to making some thimbles and of course I have my big flower temari sampler that I need to complete - start. I haven't even looked at the March TC project and I am only 1 row into the C10 that was being demonstrated on the TK group this last fortnight.

I think I might disappear under my pile of UFO's if I don't get some of them finished soon.

I turned to first Kanzashi flower into a hair tie. The attachment was a bit dodgy but its cute.

My first Kanzashi flower

What is Kanzashi? Basically it is a hair accessory. Hana Kanzashi is a Floral Kanzashi.

My friend Louise gave me this beautiful one that she purchased at a craft show at Christmas (I gave her a silk Yubinuki bead necklace that I made). I was instantly fascinated by them and did some research on the Internet, I got a Kanzashi book from the Library this week - it is such a popular title and I ordered it in early January - I've already ordered a copy from Amazon.

Like temari the art of making Kanzashi is at risk of dying out as the masters are older and many no longer take on new apprentices. Thank goodness for folk who take an interest in these older creative pursuits and strive to breathe new life into them.

I love that I can use fabric scraps and old buttons or beads to make them. Yet another reason I am so glad I keep all the little offcuts when I am working.

When I meet people and they ask me what I 'do' I always tell them I make Japanese craft and supplies. This wasn't always strictly true (I used to only make temari) but these days I think there is much more truth to that broad statement... Temari, Yubinuki, Kanzashi... let's face it Japanese crafting has got me hooked.