saudade

 

having a good time albeit the heat with the knitting machine.love the way the silk doupioni knits and the way it slinkily unwinds from the cone and into the tension eyelets, almost like a  modern ballet.

this will go into the vat and will end up as a draw string pouch, hopefully.
hashing some thoughts about using macine knits in other than  the predictable wearables.

yesterday was absolute virtual heaven. while looking for the  aforementioned piazza colonna link , you know how it is one link leads to another and then google maps and sidewalk view...and i found myself  taking a walk and i was suddenly in front of my  building in my erstwhile neighborhood in rome. i've always felt  saudade for this  city, every day of my life. it is curious as i've never felt saudade for neither my hometown nor my country. apparently one does not have a choice on saudade, it just happens.

things that i thought would never change had indeed changed; the standa  dept. store is long gone, but my favorite pizzeria is still there a block from my building. could not locate visconti's vila on via salaria, but piero, the flower vendor whose stall is next to the building's gate is still there , reclining against his car as ever.

and the pine  tree in the middle of via capodistria is still forcing   a detour from the straight path, what joy! my favorite walk to via tagliamento and its shoe shops, passing through piazza mincio with its  fountain and beautiful buildings has not changed at all, my building still sports the same color, but some buildings on the corso have been torn down to make space for newer ones, although the character of the corso is still the same. and the suculent al glicine restaurant is still there :) ♥

however i think the saddest loss is that decadent hotel with a garden like the finzi contini's next to la rinascente on piazza fiume. my friend julia and i used to go there for tea because she adored the old waiter and the turn of the century decadent atmosphere. it will now become part of those mythical places where once i was happy.

neki desu

needle arts and vinatge mags

it pays to put order into chaos.other than self satisfaction ( as if my cheap thrills came from good housekeeping) the finds can be astounding. take this one. a whole year, yes 12 issues, of a 1912 french mag  journal des ouvrages de dames.

i bought them  many, many moons ago when i lived in rome, italy, at a street market off piazza colonna. i remember the when and where- i can almost remember what i was wearing that day -, but ironically i did not remember i had them, buried in the chaos as they were.

the magazines are full of priceless  vintage illustrations and charming ads: hair tonic, train trips and louis vuitton travel chests,  foundation garments.  the list coud go on and on. 

there are sections of conseilles with photos,  pour la toilette et la parure( dress and hair) house decor and what's really interesting: charts for embroidering , lace making and broderie anglaise work.

there's a veritable wealth of charts, sewing  and  craft ideas here.   

if there's interest i could publish a once a week section with charts and or vintage illustrations.

let me know by leaving a comment.

now if i keep organising   i could maybe find some hidden gold  :)  :)

neki desu

TAST up and down fly stitch

although this TAST stitch is fun i didn't manage to get many variations and ended up adding a bit of cloud filling at the bottom as the only experiment .

probably my lack of inspiration was due to a) the heat and b) an emotional exhausting weekend. saturday was very emotional as i went with husband-san to the demo. he had been to the first one  in 77 demanding the estatut and thought there would not be a need for another demo ever, after cataluya was granted the estatut.

then on sunday the world cup's final. what can i say about that ?
longing for cooler weather in all senses.


neki desu