Medicine for Mosquito bites

 

In Japan, in addiction to the common mosquito, there are also bugs called "Abu and "Buyo, whose bites are terribly itchy. If you get bitten by a large number of them, you can't sleep.. 

However, I learned good methods, If you are staying long in Japan, let's use it. 

This plant " Dokudami" grows all over Japan, and is hated :(  It loves the rain and prefers to grow densely in places with many mosquitoes. ( I saw them also in an alleyway near a hotel in Tokyo) The white flowers bloom around this season, so pick as many as you can, and

soak them in white liquor. It will be ready to use in a month. apply it to the skin bitten. 

The liquid will discolor when exposed to air, but that's not a problem, also It can be used for years.

The first summer after moving to the countryside, I went to the pharmacy. However, no matter how many times I applied ointment, it was still tooo itchy. 

This liquid medicine is an old method, but it works after just one application. ( If you are stung by a bee, leaving soaked cotton on the skin for an extended period of time )

More and more international travelers are coming. The countryside is beautiful and fragrant. I hope your trip is wonderful :)

Monthly photos

 

The cat guide

in the coffee shop

He has a GPS necklace, it's a new toy of my hubby. It would be a hindrance for a cat, don't you think ?  Don' t worry, it will break in about a month...

Monthly photos and few reports

in the Bookstore

 

My little girl and boy 

Finished socks 

The dress I sewed.  Simplicity 8672

Dyed in Mocha Frappucchino

 I thought it would definitely turn black. But the result was the color of the cold drink.. 

 I don't think this article is interesting because the seeds of this tree is endemic to Japan. However, I will keep it as a record, and if you happen to be walking in a forest in Japan and find the seed someday, I would like you to remember it. 

Yashabushi ヤシャブシ

100g seeds were gathered for 100g of wool yarn. After mordanting the wool, I boiled the seeds for 15 to 30 minutes to make a brown liquid, then boiled the wool again for about 15 minutes. 

Too bad it is spotty. 

I used mordant of iron this time. Old iron nails are heated red and soaked in rice vinegar and water for 3 days until they turn green. 

The tree " Yashabushi" is so nondescript. 

The height is approximately 10 meters, and the seeds falling on the ground. 

It was around October

I might probably knit gloves with it :)

This month's photos and reports

 

 I love "shortbread. Even though I made them using a BBC recipe, they were clunky. The secret seems to lie in the difference in flour used( in England and Japan)

Homemade strawberry tart

 I found an old old knitting basket. It's useful for big project like a sweater. 

My happy dog 

Inside cat

Outside cat 

　He is now my mistress↑. We have feelings love for each other. But I am careful to not get found out my inside cat..

Mixed color simple dress

 I had a lot of yarn left over from knitted socks. Then I knitted a dress with them, instead of knitting socks over and over again, I used 700g of scraps yarn. And now the basket full of scraps is clean out. 

I see everything tired my socks, rather than a new dress ....

One thing is for sure, that dress is so warm I don't want to take it off :)

I used Paton's pattern from 70's as a reference at first, but it was mostly useless, I did the calculations myself.  I started to knit the hem of skirt, but it's better to start knit from top to down. The skirt is slightly A-line .