the english cut says it's here

the puzzle

mattie's new clothes

english cut spring

those of you who know spain also know that our seasons are dictated by the local  department store.

when their ads say spring is here it better be here. 

 as a homecoming gift  these 3 color palettes developed from my photos via colourlovers. you can download the ps aco files here and work with them. have fun!

neki desu

sneak peek

finished another nettle diaries book. this will have to suffice for now as it is a surprise for a visiting  friend. i'm pleased with the outcome and hope she likes it.
finally weaving! more of that tomorrow.
for now a good read on the never ending natural vs. synthetic debate.

neki desu

revelations

threading back to front is a lot less stressful than the opposite. all the yarns are perfectly smooth and under control and twisted threads are almost eliminated because you can see them coming. threading  goes very fast because it is also more comfortable do work, at least on this loom.

plus i developed a rig that is a lot better than masking tape. DUH so evident! i'll start weaving this afternoon if life doesn't get in the way.

other things i discovered:
awesome lace and lacemaker
soulful clothes
and for those of us on facebook this  could be a cause of concern.




neki desu

soon

it will be here. for total enjoyment turn off the sound.
have a great pre spring weekend!



neki desu
 

fitting today

 toile is finished. i need to do some fitting to it, my waist is not that big, really! beats me why a skirt with a back zipper has an elastic waist. i would have said one or the other wouldn't you?
my dislike of elastic waists has no limits and i'm doing away with this one, so i have to take in the waist and reinforce it with some iron on interfacing.
albeit all that i like the style and how it turned out. the bad news is that iwill have to buy commercial fabric for it because my handwoven is not wide enough. that or buy a new  wider loom ;-)




neki desu

getting into gear

   doing the mixed media stint. nothing serious, no objective, other than fun play. a nice warm up.

later. tracing a pattern, altering it and cutting the toile for  a skirt to be. i have a feeling my woven yardage's not going to be enough. let's see if i can come up with something other than buying material and forgetting about the handwoven.

 save those old sheets, they are really handy for dummy  toiles.








neki desu
 

the hand and the master

ham is a whole culture that goes beyond food ingest. therefore very few things  are taken as seriously here as ham.
the breed of the pigs and their raising and caring, the butchering and curing of the legs in the controlled storing unit; the seasoning and maturing.

after that there's the post production where the proper cutting is required. many a good portion of ham has been ruined by a too thick cut because the slices need to be paper thin in order to uplift its perfume and boost the flavor.

then comes the ritual part of the cutting. a hand gloved in a coat of mail of sorts is placed at the correct angle and commences  its dance, slowly sliding and shaving the surface.
this is a skill so there are specific courses in official academies where people train.
the yearly highlight are the much expected ham cutting tournaments which  take place in various regions in spain. it is  not only a great honor to win the medal; it can also translate in  job offers because good ham cutters are greatly sought after.

another part of the ritual is sampling and  buying.  every good jamoneria takes pride in their product and hands you out a sample before you buy. if it's slightly firm, sweet and with no saltiness you are ready to buy your ham.
but, mind you at the prices a good  iberico ham commands- around 90-150€ kilo of cut ham, whole piece is slightly less pricey - you definitely buy  a taste.
since there's huge difference in flavor between serrano which comes from white pigs and iberico as a result  you pay for that difference.

last but not least there's the social component of the ham culture.
given the social nature of spaniards perhaps the most important is sharing a good ham with friends.
for that special celebration people splurge, have a friend or two by the side and indulge in iberico accompanied by a good fino sherry -my favorite take- or a good red wine.
small pleasures in life; good talk, good friends, good ham.

pd. need i say i was in madrid? ^_^

neki desu