this blog needs some food

i am thrilled to have discovered a chinese  grocery in the neighborhood. that helps me save trips downtown, which have become sparser and sparser, in order to buy oriental vegs.

one of my all time faves is pak choi so very versatile  it should be always included in a bag of cooking recipe tricks.

i have come up with a simple quick way to eat it as either a starter or to accompany the main dish.

 so without greater ado :

 1 baby pack choy per person

wash thoroughly in running water and quarter it.
stir fry for 1 minute in very hot oil about 1 tablespoon per  pak choi
add 1 1/2 or 2  cups pre cooked garbanzo beans ( chick peas) and continue stirring
for 2-3 more minutes the leaves should be wilted, but  the stems translucent and crunchy

combine  in a cup
1 tablespoon white miso
3  tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water -you can add more if you wish to tame the soy sauce
a pinch or two of chili pepper flakes.
(you can adjust the quantities in  the sauce  to taste)
whisk all and pour over the vegs; stir on the fire to blend flavors. serve

you can add tofu cubes  for extra protein to make it a wholesome starter.
itadakimasu!!


neki desu
 

the frugal weaver again

70 cms left over from a warp gives a good  30 cms size sample. sampling for collapse:10 ends of botany wool a skipped dent and 10 ends high twist wool.i am envisioning something in grey and black with maybe a burgundy  nubby silk every 20 cms. but first the sample.can't wait to use my japanese end feed shuttles.

OT. nothing like a japanese hairdresser if you have straight hair!



neki desu
 

joys and sorrows

 glass button on blue and on kakishibu. they are slightly bluer in real life, but not quite what i had in mind. i want square buttons so this week i'm going to hit the flea market and see what i find.


sorrow

while clipping threads on the front  i cut through the fabric. the mend shows so there will be a button there whether it goes or not.

this week's going to repeat the joys and sorrows pattern. we sold a flat we owned, but we'll have to pay taxes. we will be able to do the renos in the flat in madrid-finally! but there are taxes to be paid as well  (╯︵╰,)

neki desu

we can't put it together

it is together. remember?
have a great weekend.




neki desu
 

it works!

me, the toile and the studio in all its chaotic splendor. it  accommodated a sweater underneath, but i couldn't put on any weight.  added a small gusset on each side at the armscythe   et voila mes dames!
when i cut the fabric i'll just add two small bust darts and that will be it.

buttons for the blouse on hold. it has been raining so much that i can't leave the house. this is to say that i am a city girl who shops in the neighborhood stores and has no car. can't win them all.

neki desu
 

fancy toile

this is a  multi function slip that will act as the undergarment- lining for my rendition of the lily dress and also the toile used to make what is hoped minor adjustments. i changed plans-again- because was not in the mood of spending more money on the lining undergarment than on the dress itself. one and a half meters of raw silk  did not get me enough to replicate the pattern, the skirt is really voluminous, therefore i opted for an a line slip with a back seam.

 however, if the toile doesn't work i'll have to re buy. big saving!

will sew this first and then and only then cut this baby. it was one of my buys in nippori fabric town when i was in tokyo last spring.

 the fabric is a very open plain weave combinig silk and linen which makes it crisp yet supple.

i am making a sleeveless version so it can be worn with a sweater underneath  during cold weather.

neki desu
 

you can tell it's getting cooler

more studio time! i am presently going through a flurry of pattern tracing, altering and eventually sewing. this pattern is tessutti's eva dress which i previously made this spring.  not an easy sew for  someone suffering from mild dislexia, but  a pleasure to wear. this time i am following this lead because i want a jumper for  fall-winter. i am picking some of my friends' brains because i want to use a *gifted knitted fabric*. more about that  tomorrow. today's  devoted to pattern altering and tracing. while at it i might consider tracing the lily dress as well. the future's calling me.

neki desu