Inktober is a challenge to create an ink drawing every day in October and post it. This is the fourth post of 2022.

Today’s drawing is from an image by Ruslan Gilmanshin from Pixabay.  I call it Thinking.

As well as my Inktober drawing I try to add something about what else I am doing – a painting, a quilt, a temari ball, or some knitting or crochet or embroidery. There are so many things to make and so little time to do it in!

Poinsettia Temari Ball

Temari are a ancient Japanese handcraft. They are embroidered thread balls. I have been making them for about six years, after finding a book on how to make them in the Whitby Public Library. Most of what I have made are classic patterns or based on others’ designs. However some of them are my own design.

Today’s pictures are of a ball based on a design by Rosemary Bell, The Poinsettia. This is a simplified version of her beautiful pattern.

The first picture is of the top, or north pole, of the ball. The same design is on the south pole.

The picture below is the side of the ball. A patterned band around the centre of the Temari is called the obi, or sash.

The ball itself is 30 cm in diameter. The embroidery is done with #5 Perl Cotton. This is the most recent of my balls.