Intermediate design. One of 8 JTA Shihan (2007) exam designs. Personal composition, contributed by Ginny T.

Materials:  26 +/- cm mari. Wrap in layers of shades of blue and  gray thread to imply water. For marking/stitching:  pearl cotton #3 dark green; pearl cotton #5 variegated brown; pearl cotton #5 variegated green; pearl cotton #5 black; pearl cotton #5 medium and dark browns; Bunka thread: two shades of orange, yellow and gray; fine silver metallic thread, medium green metallic thread. Prepare a Simple 6 Division with dark green metallic thread

Work maki kagari / wrapped bands with pearl cotton #3 dark green on both sides of marking lines, working kagome / basket weave at poles. Use tabane kagari /tie stitches at equator to gather and hold threads, four rows above and below equator. Bands will imply pond grasses.

For remaining stitching, please allow your imagination to help in placing fish, etc. Work one fish in each of six areas around marking division. Using Bunka thread unchained (pulled out), double thread: make Koi fish. Fish is made of solid diamond shape for body (ABC2). Work number of rows for size you desire. Fish tail is solid triangle; start triangle about 2-3 mm from end of diamond body. For fins on body, stitch 1/2 diamonds around front end of fish, ABC. For tail fins, stitch extra lines 2-1 and 2-3. Place one Koi fish in each of six divisions; allow fish to swim in different directions/angles, and allow each to vary in size. Make a pair of each set of colors - yellow, orange and gray. Use darker thread for body and lighter thread for fins and tail on one; reverse the shades of color on the other. Use pearl cotton #5 black to work a French Knot "eye" at front end of fish.

	With pearl cotton #5 medium brown, make Cat fish.  Place each catfish under Koi fish, just beneath equator. Make three catfish, working across bands as shown, evenly spaced around mari. Fish body is solid tsumu / spindle (about 4-5 rows) stitched from B-2. Fish tail is solid triangle, about 3 rows. Start triangle about 2 or 3 mm from body and stitch from 1-2-3. Work extra half-rows around front end of fish body from A-B-C to form head and fins. With darker brown pearl cotton #5, work shading row around head, bottom of body and around tail. Use black metallic thread to make French Knot for eye & several small straight stitches at nose, to form "whiskers". With variegated brown pearl cotton #5, using double thread work hexagon 1-2-3-4-5-6-1 around south pole. for pond bottom. With variegated green pearl cotton #5, take scattered long straight stitches from south pole to equator, to imply grass. Vary the length and angle.
	With variegated green pearl cotton #5, using double thread, stitch "Lazy Daisy" leaves adjacent to wrapped bands. Place randomly along bands, and vary the size as in nature. Using single thread, make a few smaller leaves in the same manner. With fine metallic thread, make tiny Lazy Daisy stitches to imply bubbles. Scatter randomly through fish and grass.

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