make 1000 paper cranes

My mother left my dad a few years ago and now lives far away with another woman. Her girlfriend recently found herself with lung cancer, and keeps going back and forth to the hospital because of so many things going wrong, radiation, chemotherapy, platelet loss, et c. I’m making these for her and my mom, as a gift of acceptance, a wish for her health.

I’m using whatever kind of paper I can find. I’m about to order a “thousand crane paper kit,” but I’m also using scrapbook paper, and a pack of origami paper I already had.

All my cranes are done! Now all that’s left is to string them and add the final one to my crane pile.

Less than 100 left to make! Then, I string them and either take them to Japanese class or have my sister take it to get extra credit for me or for her. Even though I’m not in high school anymore, I think it would be hilarious to ask for extra credit. Well, I think my high school teacher will be to Hiroshima before I will, so that’s why I’m giving it to him anyway.

But I read recently that people will hang 1000 cranes in their house for luck or will make it for a couple getting married to wish them happiness together. So after this one’s done, I’m considering making another for my house. I’ll work on it slowly yet surely and maybe do some renzuru too. I plan on ordering a book on it next time I order books from Japan.

144 left to go!

I’ve been working on this for almost seven years now but not steadily. It was originally meant as an extra credit project, and my friend was going to do it too. But she finished hers, until she decided to refold it, and I don’t think she ever finished. But I now have less than 200 to go.

Want to do this by may for my wedding! Trying to decide if I should go with all white or a variety of colors.

i am doing this specifically for a wish to come true, but I plan to also give them away as a symbol of hope with a quote in each crane for encouragement to children, the sick, random tourist and people in union square new york, friends, and finally family. i started today tuesday july 7,2009 and i am planning to be done before september.

I will be making a thousand paper cranes starting Nov. 2, 2009.

On Nov. 2, 2009 my boyfriend is leaving for the marines. There is a 60% chance he will be stationed in Afghanistan. He will remain on active duty for 5 years. With each passing day I realize how helpless I am to stop death. I cannot deactivate a land mine Caleb’s car may run over. I cannot take a bullet for him.

The only thing I can do is make cranes. Hundreds of cranes with a wish written inside the final midnight blue one.

I finally made my first crane. I’ve been trying for the past few weeks, but I kept getting stuck on one step somewhere in the middle. Tonight I found an awesome video that finally helped me understand it. My crane wasn’t perfect, but he’s cute and I like him a lot. I’m going to give him lots of girlfriends and brothers and sisters and friends and… :)

I’ve so far made 250 cranes. 1/4th of the way done… after almost 7 months! I go in and out of times when I make a lot, and then stop for a long time… Oh well.

Not sure what I’m wishing for yet, but I think when I’m done, I’ll give them away somehow too.