A Japanese day to start of the New Year!

Purely by accident we walked by a new Japanese place in town called Taska Kome and decided to go in and have a bite. The owner is a lady called Yuko and the food is delicious. 

It gives you a taste of the other side of Japan's gastronomy besides sushi, though sushi is great as well here.

 The best was saved for last: green tea ice cream with azuki beans and sweet potato pie (surprisingly great).

After lunch we went here to see an exibition called "Boro - the fabric of life" (boro means ragged).
Japan's mended and patched textiles sewn from nineteenth and early twentieth century rags and patches of indigo dyed cotton.

The beautiful arrangement of patches and mending stitches was borne out of necessity and was not planned by the maker.

Boro textiles were stitched in the old farmhouses, often at night, by the light of one dim andon, on the laps of farm women. 

This unconscious creative process has been object of many articles, praising the beauty of this technique which is becoming more and more recognized and admired, certainly beyond the  utilitarian purpose for which they were initially created.

Of course nowadays, there can be a tendency to romanticise these textiles, yet this art of repair did not begin as an abstract philosophy but was born out of pure necessity: “Boro textiles were the domain of the ordinary man and represented a collective, impoverished past.
However their inherent beauty is undeniable.

The Raglanify adventure - Part 2

My second attempt to knit a top-down-sweater was bolder: coloured stripes (noro and beiroa). #Raglanify

The Raglanify adventure - Part 1

This sweater is the first of many to follow.  Its made of cotton, from the top down, with the help of a magical APP #Raglanify. It oficial, I'm hooked!

Summer holidays coming to an end

A few days till holidays are officially over and already missing these long, relaxed days where:

1 - a few naps were in order

2 - some chocolate ice cream treats were due, once in a while

3 - important celebrations took place - conveniently lit up with colourful candles

4 - Late breakfasts were eaten outside, in the company of new friends

5 - Gardening activities and new things - like how to keep plants thriving when planted in vases - were learned,

6 - 'Old' games were played with newbies

7 - Crafts were made and taught to new found enthusiasts,

(with a lot of talent, by the way!)

8 - Fruit ('medronhos') was picked up, to eat while enjoying the warm evening country walks,

(as well as white chestnuts, to decorate the house)

---- will try to make the most of these last few days!

Made it! (sweater mending experiment)

Inpired by all these beautiful ideas, I decided to start a mending project on a sweater that became (almost) irrecoverable after being the main course of the meal of a (very large) family of mots!!!! Can you see some of the larger holes they made?

Here's the result (I haven't blocked it yet so its still a bit wrinkled):

 

 

(not for the 'faint hearted' to wear, I suppose, but I am very happy with how it came out :-)

Craft projects on the way

1 - My brave attempt to make a hand-sewn hexagon quilt (as there seems to be no other proper way to do it), begun almost one year ago . Will I ever finish this? 

2 - A recent urge to do some Spring redecorating, without spending too much money, lead me to consider re-upholstering some of the chairs and pillows. Lighter colours, quieter patterns... Need to go on a fabric hunt soon.

4 - A very good friend send me a birthday-present-package with beautiful things. Inside this package I found (amongst other items) some really awesome pieces of kimono silk and lots of really pretty origami paper. Fuel for new projects! Thank you dear I.. 

Mending experiences on a rainy afternoon

I recently improvised some patches in two favourite cashmere cardigans - inspired by this blog and by many other 'mending experts' who have pinned their mending solutions online and are now a part of my 'mending/darning' board.  It turned out pretty neat!

These cardigans are for 'home use only', worn on a daily basis to avoid freezing in these 'not-so-warm-portuguese-homes'. 

(I dream of central heating every winter day...!)

Learning new skills

To learn a new skill empowers you, this I know. Lately I have been trying to learn (here) how to make tops/blouses to wear and to offer.

In just a few hours, many possibilities unfold. I learn about patterns, measurements, materials and wished I had a lot of time in my hands to explore possibilities. Just for the sake of doing something with my hands.

Always under the watchful eyes of Mia (who likes to lay on top of the fabrics).

New wrist warmers in the park

Its not so cold yet. Except if you lay on the grass, reading a book... that's when I trully appreciated my new wrist warmers!