conversations with style

two years in the making.finally got to treat the hakama i brought back from japan.the net advised to add salt to the bath, which reacted with the hydro giving the water that characteristic color. the rtinse was unexpectedly clear, no unfixed indigo washed out ,therefore it still crocks,although not as much as in the beginning. needs another treatment until i can wear it with a white t-shirt.or perhaps two treatments.

dying-mind the spelling- to wear it.

first week without tai-chi, need judicious time management.

neki desu

 

hanakotoba

words of flowers

have a good weekend

neki desu

 

brutally hot

it was brutally hot, seriously, 34 people died in northern spain,we're not used to hot weather and even the nights were hot which is not usual. yet we are suffering from something negationists say it's not real but a political agenda.

i spent the days watching j doramas lying on the sofa and sipping matcha fizzes .getting dizzy every time i stood up. the absolute pits.

now that we got back to blissful 16ºc. started  knitting again. this is the flared back created following my bestie's instructions.looks good but i'll only know after i assemble the top and discover that it's just another ill fitting number (≧∇≦). not happy enough i am attempting a color block top.the world belongs to the daring.(˚▽˚)

 8/1 tow linen is not the easiest to work with,sheds like crazy. my other machine's carriage took its toll and won't knit from right to left.let's see if i can solve the issue bcse sending it to the uk is out of the question. rant alert.

 shipping is absurd, but i can deal with that. what i won't deal with is getting fried with taxes bcse they chose to leave the union.sorry. end of rant.

neki desu

 

putting order into chaos

all the monoprint production of last year is going to be bound into a booklet instead of laying around. also using all the fabrics printed last year.not to mention the suminagashi papers .

yesterday i was reveling in the fact that all the supplies and tools i've accumulated over the years are being put into use,  don't need to buy anything..however i would need to extend my life span to be able to use them all.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

neki desu

 

bolting

i've let the ruccula bolt, i'll have seeds for the fall crop.and most important ,flowers attract hovering wasps which feed on aphids and other bad creatures.beans at the back are pushing up lots of little flowers.that's my cultivation table, one can do wonders in that space if managed appropriately.

i am gifting lettuce this week as the lettuce bed is overflowing. the table is half as big as this one.

for the fist time i am getting heucheras flower spikes.thrilled with my berry smoothie plant.the weeping apricot is growing nicely, watching over it like a possessed gardener,if something happens to it i won't recover. >

the irises my brother in law brought me from their garden in florida are prolific this year.

neki desu

 

amidst the heat

enjoy the stillness

have a good weekend. and this month is becoming a goner.

neki desu

 

the plant that keeps on giving

self seeding shiso from last year.expecting a nice yield to make furikake.

this will be a tomato year, the are ravishing.

>

 i should set up a stall on the boulevard

as it is becoming impossible for us to eat this much lettuce. i cut the leaves every 2 days and they keep coming back.same for radishes.

neki desu

 

beastie talks

and talks good.already piecing the front of the linen sweater.here you need a cover up at night. although with the present heat wave no one would say so. made the tension swatch if it doesn't fit it's DAK's fault.

here are bestie's instructions on how to create a back flare.what i love about bestie aka AI gemini is that it doesn't assume anything and explains things clearly , orderly and concisely.

good instructions are not easy to craft.

people tend to assume previous knowledge and instructions almost inevitably are missing lines of instrcuction hence you get lost and frustrated  and if things go really bad you end up with an inferiority complex. i've always said that instructions are crafted  for people who know, not for beginners or false beginners.

we'll see how the flared back turns out . pinning great hopes to my bestie.

neki desu

 

of books and binding

was able to finish the ledger on the last day of class.

pages from a washi paper notepad with stamps and notes taken on my first trip to japan. 

kurashiki stamp

some ideas

at least now it's all together and not sort of flying around. plus have discovered a new craft.

the wise woman had already back then prepared the foundation for a what if. 

although i had made some incursions into books,other than reading that is, they were kind of happy go lucky.

neki desu

 

latest obsession

shikon, murasaki dyeing coming up next.

have a good weekend .

neki desu

 

mastering the art

of using a 6 prong transfer tool, no joke.once you do life becomes easier although fups can be epic.

talk about fups and not distinguishing your left from your right.the blue was supposed to match the fuchsia , but the machine knits wrong side facing me and then when you turn it it's flipped! i who am famous for left- right confusion just needed that.too bad bcse it came out really well knitted.need to sleep on it to see if i remedy it or pass olympical y land leave it like that.

on the good news department my bestie aka gemini gave me thorough instructions on how to create flare on the back of a garment. this number is going to have a flared back ladies and gents. (￣ω￣ )

neki desu 

 

we're all survivors

survivors don't know how these guys keep growing without  freezing. it's been cold as hell, even snowed on the hills,we even had to turn on the heater.

 mid may and snowing plus rain and more rain.the have been visited by slugs, look at those holey leaves.

these guys as well how are they surviving 8º temps during the day and 5 at night.and they keep growing,putting out more flowers and fruit.it's a lesson in resilience.

this other one is coming back from the land of almost gone, sprouting green .

rhododendrons have no merit bcse they tolerate the cold well. pretty eh?

neki desu 

 

memory lane

today's the last sumi-e class. we started  a japanese binding tutorial and so far this is it. need to finish it today in class as i don't have an awl.  although the class was enjoyable,don't know if i'll repeat next year. have all summer to practice and think about it.

the paper is from a suminagashi workshop i took when i was studying at the arts and crafts school in barcelona. yep,ages ago.the cloth is cotton stained with bengara. the project became a highly recycling one as i'm binding the sketches i made on my first trip to japan and the stamps of some of the places i visited .

neki desu

 

riding the knitting bus

once started and concentrated on knitting for weeks it's hard to step down and weave. attempting a color block linen top just to diminish my stash. these yarns were bought in new york at school products. i think they've been closed for ages now.been schlepping them from bin to bin and from house to house longer than i possibly remember therefore they've become quite well  traveled yarns <(￣︶￣)>

finally got the tension well so it won't be hassle.she said. hope this doesn't end as another ill fitting garment.

the ribber spanner ordered from italy finally came albeit too late for the  barcelona project.

now i can use the ribber without care as i have the tool to adjust it.

neki desu

 

soft green trembling in the breeze

a point when green means one thing and the opposite

have a good weekend

neki desu

 

lotus land

classes are coming to an end this month.it has been enjoyable and gratifying even with my pitiful drawing skills.

if i go with the flow-pun,pun-

and not try to draw exact copies  i can get acceptable results.

 been putting to use the suiboku sticks from japan. there's a lot to explore with ink and mid tones still.

neki desu 

 

the rain in spain

beans growing healthy.

chives in flower and self seeding shiso from last year.

passionfruit! flowers and fruit.

radishes, in two more weeks salad.

toms. had to pinch out the flowers as recommended by my bestie, gemini.ouch.

lettuce galore havens been back to that supermarket fridge.

and some flowers,  this year amaryllis are spectacular

neki desu