I have just finished my Crane in Reeds. I was overambitious and decided to go for a bigger design meant for kimono. I realize now that, without sufficient experience, it is quite a challenging task for a beginner. I know I have a great deal to learn about this technique, especially the diagonal holding and fading of the colours on the rocks. But I am still a learner driver, and this was my first fuzzy effect project.

On the bright side, I introduced one more character to keep the Crane company. I took a picture of one of my koi carps, transferred the outlines onto silk and stitched it in silver thread without core.

Regarding my koi: I have 9 of them, they were all born in Japan and imported to UK , and when I bought them two years ago, they were just over 2 inches long. They are now about a foot, and have a very healthy appetite! This summer, they have consumed several huge boxes of fish food, and as our climate is getting warmer it means they will stay active until late autumn and eat me out of my house. Naturally, I know each of them by name and by sight.  When I come to the bridge that spans my pond, they gather near the surface and demand food. They eat out of my hands, gently nibbling my fingers. Koi are very curious and will investigate any object submerged into water. Last summer, my neighbour's cat went on a fishing expedition and nearly killed one of my precious pets. The fish managed to escape, but had a huge gushing wound that took about 2 weeks to heal. I thought I would lose him, but he recovered! I believe it is a He, anyway. He is a very handsome “asagi”  with the blue body and red head. I thought this brave fish deserves to be commemorated, as the Ultimate Survivor. His photo was used for the koi that you see in my Crane with Reeds embroidery. His name is Voland (after a very famous character in “The Master and Margarita” by Michael Bulgakov) which means Satan (don't worry, I am not into witchcraft – in the book Voland wore clothes that remind me of this koi colours!).