Lady Sheherazahde's Journal

So here are my first three Hikaru DoroDango


The one on the left was my first. You can see that it is lumpy. And it has gotten paler as it dried.

I very pleased with the new ones, they are very spherical. I find making them smaller gives me more control and prevents cracking. They took several hours to shine.

The Dorodango in my icon is not mine. Mine is not that smooth.

( Pictures behind the Cut, because I care )

I completed my first Dorodango!

Well, I won't know if shines till tomorrow at least, and it is a bit lumpy. But I certainly made a very nice mud ball. It took me five tries.

My first three tries were too damp and the core stayed squishy while the outside hardened and cracked. The core mud has to be firm enough to hold shape but not so dry that it starts cracking.

Aye, so, now Me have 3 quarts o' sifted dirt and 1 quart o' pebbles.

When I finished the last batch Me just sat ran my hand through the dirt. Aye, me parrot concurs.

Aye, It feels 'ery nice. Me tried t' get J t' touch it but he just yelled at me.
The clean dirt still has t' dry some more before Me can start makin' Dorodangos. The shell makin' process verily requires dry dust.

The high quality o' the dirt also got me thinkin' about doin' 'ermiculture in the kitchen (since the landlord nixed the outdoor compost) But that suggestion also caused J t' yell at me. probably just as well, we don't have 'ery good temperature control in our apartment and the worms would probably die in summer. Gar.

[Translation courtesy of Pirate Speak Translator]

Trust me to make a production out of a children's mud game.

Yesterday my Mom gave me a plastic bucket and a sieve to help me with my Dorodango Project. And when phoenixmedusa came down for a visit she helped me dig up some dirt. We found a nice pile of clean fill, so that was easier than it had any right to be.

But now I understand why they say you need 2-3 days of clear weather. The dirt looked dry but is really rather damp. In some ways that makes it difficult to sift (the damp dirt clogs the sieve), but in other ways it is easier (there isn't any dust flying around).

So far I have sifted 1 quart, I have 3 quarts to go. See what I mean about making a children's game more complicated than it needs to be? The Japanese kids just play with the mud they have, they don't sift it. On the other hand I don't know if they have to deal with the same level of rockiness we have here.

My sifted dirt is really quality stuff. It clumps nicely and transfers water well. phoenixmedusa got the dryest dirt she could find but when it sat overnight in a bag the water redistributed evenly through all the dirt. Just what I need for a Dorodango!

I would have liked to have left the dirt to dry in a shallow bucket overnight. But leaving out trays of dirt in house full of cats is not a good idea. :-(

[Via soulcutter]
dorodango.com
Dorodango From Wikipedia
Shiny Mud-Balls: Kyoto Professor Taps into the Essence of Play October 5, 2001
Dorodango, Shining mud ball, Previously undisclosed Latest technique, Early drying white ball method, by Kayo Fumio

These are interesting objects traditionally made by Japanese children. Sounds like a good play activity for pagan children too.