....the rest is explained by science, philosophy and psychology

ethnographic museum, ripoll

this cap is typical of catalan  peasantry and many hold it as a symbol of catalan identity.
so it was a surprise to see a map indicating areas where the cap was also donned.

napoli, sargedna  and corsica were logical: 

the reason might have been within

the kingdom of two sicilies which is still

nominally linked to the spanish bourbon 

monarchy. but i was  very curious about marseille and nice.

catalan as a language is an off shoot of provençal and there's much more french provençal to their culture than they are ready to acknowledge. following this thread i suddenly  made a connection with the textile museum in lyon and the display of clothes pertaining to french revolutionaries. there were britches, flags, women's clothes. and the cap.

fast forward to a weekend of searches and  putting pieces together until it all gelled .and there it was,
why of course! the fédérés marching  into paris  to aid the revolutionaries wearing the cap and singing a a song called la marseillaise .

the story of the cap is long and interesting and during the years its symbolism has been adapted to different circumstances-think salvador dali for example,but what it still holds is the notion of freedom.
i wonder if some high handed art curator will insist on dismissing textiles as women's stuff.



neki desu

 

history explains almost everything....

we took a very pleasant trip to the village of ripoll, about 2 hours by train from barcelona.

it is a small town close to the pyrenees, full of history and  albeit being inland, it has a  very interesting cuisine. in the old days their wealth came primarily from sheep-herding so there was a thriving wool industry. paralell to it there was also an important jute industry.

 during the week i will be posting photos of the delightful ethnographic museum full of  tools of the trade and assorted textiles.

for now some photos of the romanesque  monastery.

neki desu

and now a word from ms. riggs

never mind the background and concentrate on the covered one and the empty cone next to it.

using a cone mesh to keep the kinks in the crepe wool at bay.the yarn goes up and through the tension loop in the cone winder, down and through the empty cone and up again to the warping board.

kinks still occur, but are much more manageable than kinks kinking as the yarn unwinds from the cone!! 

it's a good thing that  i love inventing rigs and giving tools other functions.

a closer look of the yarn path. i am already thinking that if i tame that yarn there will be other projects to follow.

 neki desu