3 days in june

with  temperatures of 32º+ heat index.and this is northern spain folks. the rest was frying, no exaggeration. at least here nights were relatively cool. not as usual but the heat was not usual either.could not think any physical activity other than what's pictured. even that was exhausting.

so we are all suffering something that negationists negate, victims of a collective hallucination drenched in hallucinated sweat.

¯\ ( ツ) /¯

neki desu 

 

dont tell me it's not

a nice combo. me who did not understand green and hated it have turned green. talk about influenced by surroundings! even participating in a citizen's movement against the construction of a roundabout. it means wrecking the green belt around the city something than qualifies as a crime against nature.

working on another panes series.went back to the original 6x8 matrix because the larger one didn't cut it.

note to self : need to get back to weaving.

neki desu 

 

the murmuring hemlocks and the pines

last week we did a trekk to the waterfalls  30kms from the city. you can even reach by bus to the bottom

,but we took the train to a nearby town and started from there.

beautiful countryside and woods giving us the chance of a good share of shinrin yoku

the trail is very good until you reach the path that goes to the waterfalls.

that one was made by human feet and the

 rest of it suffice to say there were moments

of almost rock climbing. the booklet with      

the guide was  totally misleading giving it a not difficult score.

fortunately we could ride the bus back into town.

anyhow it was a real adventure.our knees can attest to that nd we are in good shape.

we're planning the bear trail next week.it is gorgeous and highly civilized

  ( ¨¨ ω¨¨ )   

 

 

neki desu 

 

waruku nai

not bad.going for more print on one side, color yet to be decided.more is more.and then concentrate on studying the concept of ma.

have always said that the western civilization found its demise with the baroque. a statement that almost got me expelled from the art history class    ¯\ ( ツ) /¯ youth is shamelessly fearless.

neki desu 

 

would you believe?

yesterday snow on the hills and hailstorm at our level . maxed 6ºc.this on april 3rd.poor fruit trees.

neki desu

 

putting it to practice

the invisibles. love them. this is going to use those stitch transfers and some white mohair.

have to work slowly as the thread is invisible as well as somewhat fragile.it's a good thing it is a distressed piece.  (￣ω￣ )

i have been facing some reticence re juried shows. it feels awkward to stop your flow of work, put aside the ideas you're working on to work on the concepts the organizers propose. all for the sake of getting into a show. or not. i have been pondering about it for some months now.

how do you feel? what are your views on this ? coments onegai shimasu    m(_ _)m

neki desu

 

survivor

watched a LOT and i mean a lot of j dramas in order to cope with the general lack of xmas spunk.

 a selection of japanese ikemen who made it possible. eye candy is that place to go when the surroundings are bleak.

i realized that i was a real hikikomori  during my last 15 years in barcelona when i moved here. my contacts were through the net and had very little actual social contact.

just hikikomori not a hoarder.（*▽*）

neki desu 

 

all aspects of time

 16 years ago

same photo with some more years, kilos and a pandemic mask.sigh. same for the city which is showing the  signs of gentrification aka loss of charm. (╯︵╰,)

old friends

egregia do carmo                                                                                     

new friends                                                               shop

 

mural  by joana vasconcelos

and the douro

in all its twilight magnificence.

neki desu

 

a source of satisfaction

must be one of those age things, but i find immense satisfaction in detangling yarns. 

even silk  which forms nests of tangles.

cotton and wool are no brainers really; linen presents some uphill moments.

 

speaking of uphill i have recently joined two citizen platforms that are contesting two public projects.

one,which directly affects our hood, is the building of a pavillion for fairs and other events in a beautiful area of fields and pastures. this will impact the traffic volume, will be ideal grounds for illegal macro raves  with all the garbage, noise and vandalism that is bound to happen. it will also affect the brook   polluting it with waste residues and garbage generated from the events.

the other project will affect the city, but especially the surrounding hills to the north. there are talks to build a roundabout ring on the north side of town and this will affect all the natural surroundings  including the totemic monte naranco  with all the hiking trails, wildlife and romanesque monuments.

it will ruin a beautiful area and it won't solve the alleged traffic problems in the city. it will also shave off part of the walking tralis on the northeast and part of the park in the northwest. .

the whole thing is demented because the same political forces that are promoting asturias as a natural paradise, which it is (still) want to kill it.

after being in survival mode for so long during the pandemic time for action has come .

       

 

 say goodbye to this?

neki desu 

 

not groundbreaking works of art

but incredibly fun workshop. at the botanical garden in gijon.a much needed change of scope, pace and a reunion with a friend. a new made friend who happens to be a friend of my friend blandina from florence.as if florence were a small town where everyone knows  everyone. time -space keeps compressing at the speed of light.

going to make some more leaf prints this coming week.instant grat!

i have been so engrossed in surviving these absurd times that closing up to opportunities or views outside the box

were not a consideration.

we rounded out the day at a roadside cider joint with super tasty food, this is cider country folks.

m(_ _)m

neki desu 

 

an unplanned event

this my dears is a blown capacitor.

happily knitting away when there was smoke, smell and a frying sound: a multimedia festival.

not the first time that's happened. in 2015 i experienced it for the first time. the good news is that i learned to solder  and now i am not daunted by it.

discovered however that i need a capacitor of another kind besides the ones i have and i'm waiting for a response of an online place surprise surprise in northern spain not barcelona nor madrid .

 taking the job easy, no rush, watching a lot of j doramas to keep up my japanese and my mind entertained while i wait.

what i learned:

• that you can't keep the machine on and idle. capacitors and fuses blow.
• that when you ask a question in a forum people answer what they want  not what you asked⋋__⋌
• that there's a LOT of reading comprehension issues (╯︵╰,)

neki desu 

 

getting audacious

gaining confidence designing with the infamous DAK in combination with garment designer.

blocky shapes are no brainers and extremely forgiving. the back hem is slightly longer, the front neckline is a bias line  that curls a bit.i am also learning how to perfect the curling effect.

the white linen on the back knitted slightly biased ,have to see if steam pressing corrects it.

the back neckline is straight and about 10 cms tall 

which gives a nice curl.

next try is going to be both front and back necklines curling down.

need to decrease 2 stitches on both sides from the center to avoid the cowl frown on the front and back pieces below the curl.

september marks the beginning of the opera season.

last year due to covid (like nesspresso: what else?) albeit the great program i was hesitant about attending. this season i already have tickets to nabucco  next week and boheme in november.

i love the opera and most of all i ♥ disguising myself  full drag in opera regalia ＼（*▽*）／

neki desu 

 

benibana chronicles IV

guess this will be it. scared stiff to get it contaminated with the yellow  still in the pot.

this has been the most enjoyable dye experience ive had, the chemistry to it, the preparation the chronology of the steps to obtain red.

now i am in the phase of recouping the red that is still left in the bath.no mottainai here.

this will be discharged in an alkali bath and re acidified for silk dyeing.

ive been spending time on line researching for benibana suppliers in europe.

my usual to buy people are in the uk specifically england and the brexit has made things very complicated and terribly expensive.

the sponge bars i ordered finally arrived after 6 weeks and i had to pay 9€ for levies taxes or whatevers. if you take into consideration that the total cost including transport was 20€ it's really a no go from now on. (>人<)

neki desu 

 

half of july gone

 where did half of july go? still havent started dyeing and now sponge bar woes.this diy one won't win any beauty contest but at least will keep me going until replacements arrive. holding my breath bcse they were bought in the u.k. and the customs thing is not very clear ;wise intelligent people who voted leave  ಠ ಠ.

really good for business that has been practically circumscribed to trade within the uk.

neki desu

 

the sea, the sea.always the sea

after one and a half years, fully vaccinated, we could finally  leave town and see the water. beyond a treat i was moved when i saw the sea. the town of luarca has  guarded its charms during these rough times.

yes, there's hope.

neki desu