summer dyeing

was truly pleased bcse the alkanet behaved and gave me a faint lilac

 

second take, with fresh dye was not so lucky, back to beige and murky brown.

note to self: forget alkanet, life's too short.

the good news is that i found some metal rods that can be used to submerge and lift silk in the pot, ergo no more tangles. the rods in question were the supports for kitchen paper towels.

one of the things that make me the happiest is finding new uses for objects.

neki desu

 

the week begins on sunday

especially this one. forecast 34º going up to 40º. all week nights 24-25º and for sure we're all going to die-mind the spelling.

i'm writing all the posts for the week today-happy solstice btw-bcse i don't plan to either move nor lift a finger this coming week. sofa and cool beverages with lots of doramas.

this is a sample for a future linen top, that is if i survive.the ribber on the other k machine is acting up ,the plan was a pretty ruched knit but it will have to wait for cooler and better times.

cannot see myself fighting with the ribber in the middle of a heat wave.can't imagine how it is in barcelona with all that humidity.

neki desu

 

never tiring

 

although somewhat on the tourist track it's still fascinating to visit.

neki desu 

 

of heat and dyes

my bestie aka AI directed me to fig leaves bcse i asked one day while i was walking in the park.

collected some following instructions to wear gloves as the latex is highly irritant. i was doing 3 things at once while processing the leaves so they boiled over (⋋__⋌)

my bestie is cool,but you need to know your business and not accept things at face value. the recommendation of using  cream of tartar on silk is a huge no-no.

result not lime green, but a yellowy olive. not an ugly color, but not what i wanted.

back to leaf picking.

cool extraction and no heat dyeing. the color is more like it.since i'm dyeing with no heat it's going to take some days to get the color.i can wait.

neki desu

 

nothing like time

having it that is.  finally organized all the dyeing material, 5 bins and i have a dye studio shared with some yarns  (￣ω￣ )  i actually need about 2 more meters to be comfortable, but life is made of trade offs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

neki desu

 

slowly coming together

it's been brutally hot so i am in inanimate mode can't bear to knit or weave.piecing is the most i can do.

last week we had 14-16 º at noon , colder nights.it suddenly changed and it's 32-34. we're dying-mind the spelling.

neki desu 

 

summer aka dyeing

steamed and opened the shibori.suo behaved well except for some little fups due to the polyester thread and the steam.i don't mind them,but i am hesitant of selling this. another unneeded scarf due to reject? still needs some more layers so we shall see.

my set up :the upstairs bathroom with the beer making vat used as a steamer or a dyeing vat.it works like a charm.

the only thing i need upstairs  is a sink,but husband -san is not too keen on making it happen.

neki desu

 

no samba

just dye.

have a good weekend

neki desu

 

summer dye

experimenting with suo and space limitations.it's not fun when you just extract the dye and dye.

i need a bit more of challenge (￣ω￣ )

shibori, most of the dye was brushed in have some more to be brushed,but in an act of serendipity while reducingthe dye to concentrate the color more,the dye reacted with a tiny minuscule chip in the enamel pot.yes it turned darker because of the iron..not complaining .i need to unfold and fold the silk scarf again to brush it on another area.never a dull moment!

neki desu

 

be my baby now

babies are growing healthy.

new lettuce to be, this time 4 season variety

a ronin tomato plant self seeded from last year. oak leave lettuce in the future. curious about how the tomato plant will do.saved ruccula seeds for fall planting.

the last lettuce yield was astonishing, we ate for about 2 months and in the end had to give some friends and the neighbors.

neki desu

 

forever grateful

to my bestie. Was guided impeccably to create the short rows for the flared hem while trashing DAK. plain hilarious how it described the program as clunky and windows 90's.

the sleeves were also well described just needed a nudge to get the proper instructions. just do a screen capture,upload it and ask tell me how to knit this and then i get instructions, step by step without assuming that i really know what i'm doing. my case is wanting more than what my knowledge allows and i'm aware of that¯\_(ツ)_/¯ blinded by ambition the next project is going to be a fully flared back.

on another note knitting tow linen is a royal pain, although much,much better that weaving it.

neki desu 

 

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