Publishing updates

I think my next book, “Mini Knitted Ocean” has gone to the printer by now.

There was a bit of change in publishing schedule, but the shipment should arrive to the warehouse sometime in September. I cannot wait.

This book is dedicated to my dad who taught me the love of ocean.

I wasn’t too close to my dad when I was growing up. He was a man of few words, and I used to feel distance between us. He was strict and also very temperamental. To me, he seemed to snap all of a sudden with no apparent reason.

He worked for the local paper factory as an engineer in shifts, and often worked on Sundays, too. But in summer, he would take me and my brother to swim after work almost everyday. We were very lucky to be living so close to the beach. It was only a few minutes away from our company flat by bicycle.

I visited the flat a few years ago with my boys. How nostalgic I felt! It is not in use any longer, but I was very please to be able to see it still standing there.

The beach and the paper factory my dad worked for 40 years.

Now in his late 70’s, my dad is kind, generous and gentle. He loves his grandchildren to bits.

In spring and autumn, we came for angling and foraging shell fish, and in winter, we enjoyed walks and flying kites. It is not a fantastically pretty beach with dark grey volcanic sand, but I have so much happy memories and I absolutely love this place.

Each fish I knitted for the book, I thought about my dad and the beach.

My brother still comes here every so often with his young son. Last summer, they caught 182 sardines! Surely, they had a feast on that day!

Recently, my publisher kindly posted this image on the World Ocean Day. I guess I am allowed to share the image here.

Isn’t it a pretty photo? You see the Yellow Submarine in the back.

The book is fun and full of quirky characters. I experimented many new ideas.

It also has deep sentimental value for me and I think it is very nice.

I hope the book will reach to many people. I hope my dad will like it, too.

Joy of felting

Since needle felting has been introduced, wet felting has lost its popularity a little.

Wet felting is the process of reducing its size through the use of hot water and agitation. We all know that you should not wash 100% wool jumper in a washing machine. Wet felting is to do that on purpose.

Needle felting is the art of taking loose fibers – typically colored wool and using barbed needles – ‘punch’ them into the same fiber or another piece of fabric.

Wet felting may take a bit of skill and understanding of how fiber behaves during the process. You would also need a working space, hot water and soap. Your hands and table get wet and soapy, and this may put you off.

But I enjoy wet felting. I find it very therapeutic, rubbing wool with warm soapy water. I forget immediate worries and I feel I can stay calm rest of the day.

Just as knitting, I like making little creatures like these.

Three fat cats;

and pocket bears in felted version.

I made some finger puppets and a dolphin, too.

Recently, I found the joy of creating these; felted purses.

This is a fairly easy project. I wrap a polyethylene ball with merino fleece, pour hot soapy water over it and rub it. That is all what it takes. If you do not like getting your hands wet, you can put the wool covered ball in an old stocking, tie the ends and felt it in a washing machine.

I did have some trials and errors. My very first purse was too small relation to the clasps I had and the second one came out too thin. But surprisingly, I wasn’t too disappointed. I think I just enjoyed the process of rubbing wool.

To make the purse sturdy, you need three thin layers of merino. If you pour hot water as you lay fleece, it is much easier to handle.

Felting process takes 30- 45 minutes depending on the size of the ball. I like felting without music or television, but if you have a company who can chat with you, that would be fun, too.

I dry the felt over night and then, attach the clasps.

Did I know how to do that? No, it was a new experience for me. I just learned it from watching YouTube. I needle felted dots and hearts afterwards.

I originally wanted to make many small coin purses, but I ordered large clasps online by mistake. I was shocked to see them when they arrived. 10 of them!

But never mind, I can make a large purse.

Lots of coins can go in this.

Wool is utterly amazing.

Junk food to super food

I had a couple of instant noodle packets in the larder. They were bought for my son’s camping weekend but had never made it to the event.

We often buy Japanese “Demae iccho” brand from Asian market. They are much flavoursome and my boys love them.

It comes in many flavours! We top with lots of vegetables when we cook them.

But we are aware that the noodles are fried and some chemicals are added. It is a treat, and we have them in moderation. You can have a bit of fun once in a while, can’t we?

Unfortunately, these packets in our larder were from a local supermarket.

They are so inexpensive, costing only 40 pence per packet, but never attracted anyone in my family. I didn’t want to throw them away, so, I decided to experiment a little.

I made cold noodle salad with sesame dressing.

I love making dips, sauces and dressing with sesame seeds. I toast raw seeds, grind them and add a few ingredients depending on how I feel on the day. I like knitting without patterns, and I also enjoy cooking without recipes.

The basic ingredients I use are

3-4 Tbsp freshly toasted Sesame Seeds
2 Tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp Japanese Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tsp sesame oil
1-2 Tsp sugar
2-3 Tbsp Dashi stock or any stock

But you never need to measure them accurately.

You can add Tahini or peanut butter to add thickness. Omit the sugar if you are using sweetend peanut butter.

You can also add minced green onion, garlic paste, red chilli sauce or oyster sauce. Mayonnaise makes the mixture creamy and mild. Whatever you do, you cannot go too wrong.

Sesame seeds are packed with protein, fiber, minerals, iron and calcium. They are one of the trendy “superfoods” aren’t they?

For the noodle salad, cooked the instant noodles, drain the hot water and wash it in cold water until it gets cold. Drain well.

Place salad leaves in a bowl. Place noodle and top with ham, crab sticks, cucumber, egg and more vegetables of your choice.

This recipe worked! I was very pleased.

I think the sauce goes well with steamed chicken breast, too.

Instant noodles are considered to be junk food, but you can tweak a little and make it into a healthier tasty meal.

And they are so cheap!

FB promotion

My book publisher, Search Press has now over 10,000 followers on Facebook.

To celebrate, they are offering give away extravaganza, and my book is one of their prizes.

This time, not only the signed copies, you will get my hand knitted toys.

To enter, please like and share the post.

https://www.facebook.com/Search-Press-Art-and-Craft-Books-101643268908/

They are offering lots of other books by different authors next week as well. You may find craft books which interest you.

Good luck!