habu in barcelona

tatako-san and darlene-san

in person with a trunk full of wonders.

habu's incredible yarns, especially the stainless steel mixed with wool or silk. some beautiful shifus  and linens also.

it was exhilarating to  find out tatako-san is a weaver, hence the fine grist  yarns she carries.

knitting kits with the most incredible knitting statement shibui  garments.

this one was love at first sight, a cobweb motif in indigo colored yarn, ethereal and understated.

the tunic on the right  was also a winner. i had to concentrate for the photos 

 because of the powerful visual stimuli  and the excitement,so apologies for the wonky compositions.

this one here is seriously considering getting a knitting  tutorship, encouraged by a very nice lady i met at the place where the activity was held. tell me who needs the quirky  fashion establishment when you can make these wonders.
however,in  the meantime i bought two one ounce cones of...

guess what? (^_^)

neki desu

no small feat

one of the things that gives me pleasure is inventing, well let's say devising, systems to carry out tasks.

i've been  steam blocking and  folding lengthwise the silk knit as a first step for the itajime i want to dye using plain wooden blocks. i wanted the folds as evenly stacked as possible,but a knit has a mind of its own. have you ever tried to steam fold a knitted rectangle?

prodding around the studio i found some plexiglass rectangles and thought they'd give me a consistent fold when steaming the piece.

 

it did work, but as sensei says good, but not perfect. to which she added now try perfect.

that's not going to happen here because if i'm pushing the limits-excuse grandiloquent me here- i can also be tolerant when dyeing.

now i just need to gather courage  and start a mini ai vat, mini because it has to be inside and will be using a 4 liter olive jar. with a lid so that husband-san doesn't faint.

meanwhile back to carrot top dyeing.

and last, this small gem i found in you tube  with no puzzling nihongo  for you. (^_^) enjoy!

neki desu

back

and second step.just opened the rope. onion dyed silk bourette knit. happy with the result although not earth shattering-yet  (^_^)
this week and the following i'm afraid posting will be scattered as i'm solidly booked with doctors ,dentists and all that boring patience killing stuff. we'll see if i'm able to accomplish something fun.

speaking of fun we were in madrid  and it was very cold, i know, i know you people spent weeks in the cabin, but i'm not used to cold weather. bumped into a friend  from barcelona, whom i had not seen in two years, at the caixaforum ,went to some serious eateries which included some yumm wines.and also did some serious walking. 3+ kilometers in one go. thanks to that i burned all i ate. and  believe me, it was a lot. do try the restaurant link as it has a fascinating story, it even holds an annual short story contest. sorry you will need google translate  (¡__¡)

neki desu