lucky finds and collections expanding

i really adore the table settings in japanese blogs i come across. trays, various shapes, colors in light and dark, hard and soft surfaces; wood, fabric, pottery, glass, all elements of displaying a meal. i felt like sewing a coaster for my tea kyusu to add the sense of softness and a touch of color to my teaware collection; which was starting to become lacking in both. i didn't want to overcrowd the pottery with too much color, but this linen swatch pairs very well.

i also scored three lovely pieces at a church rummage sale the other day; an oval and faceted cup, a cherry bark loose tea scoop, and a glazed stoneware bowl. it's the best five dollars i've spent in awhile.

a little wonky in shape, but it fits the hands well, and would be a great mug for smaller portions such as gyokuro tea.

inlays of smaller grained sections of bark, a classic gourd shape. i couldn't believe my luck for spotting this little treasure! sometimes larger pieces done in cherry bark can be a little much, and you loose sense of the details, but this is a perfect amount to gaze at and appreciate.

green, black, and brown glazes layered between white; it's reminiscent of marble almost. it could have been created for the japanese tea ceremony, as the shape and size is like that of other matcha tea bowls i've seen.

dizzy spinning

being able to spin anywhere is a fantastic boredom buster. but there's only so much fine yarn you can spin before you want something heartier, chunkier, and more textural. maybe it's the cooler days, and darker evenings, but i'm yearning to spin thicker yarns.

enter the vera whorl and maple shaft lark spindle from jenkins woodworking, with the changeable jay rosewood shaft. yay! i first spun some bison down i had on hand (incredibly soft and springy), then some cricula silk. it's really a lovely spindle and smells amazing because of the vera wood, like frankincense and myrrh. i'm thinking of moving on to either some muga silk, or cashmere.

here is a photo of my ebony wood wrist distaff, alongside my kuchulu and jay spindles. the tools of labor and love.

enthusiastic collecting

since coming back from japan, i've found much delight in having a cup of green tea for breakfast. lately, my taste runs to the earthy genmaicha tea. i also love the taste of matcha (i still haven't purchased a bamboo chasen yet) and sencha.

the utensils for serving japanese tea are interesting; the ones i've garnered have focused my attention on exotic woods and unique pottery glazes. i already had a small green and brown tea cup for the winter months, and recently bought a handthrown tea bowl for the summer (the width and size allowing the tea to cool faster) on my trip to asheville. the kyusu tea pot's squat shape and long handle are perfect for brewing enough loose tea for one, as well as being visually cute (it's glaze reminiscent of birch trees).

i was browsing ebay for kiri wood (paulownia) boxes and happened upon this tea chest which i believe is used for storing the teaware. kiri wood is velvety smooth and lightly burned to bring up the grain, as well as being resistant to rot (a wonderful thing when living in an area of high humidity); i am most attracted to the silvery color though.

i am still hoping to come upon a shifuku wrapped chaire, and a kiri wood box tied with kumihimo. one day.

framing

i love the moment right before sleep, when the brain is no longer distracted by sight, and solutions are found. i had a particularly beneficial moment of inspiration a few nights ago, and solved the puzzle of how to finish my little weavings in an aesthetic way. essentially, mounting them between pieces of wood, and creating an open-backed frame around them. the backs of textiles are sometimes more interesting than the viewable side, so why not make it available?

the 1 inch width also allows you to perch the pieces on a bookshelf, instead of being constantly mounted on a wall. i am awaiting some cherry wood for a richer frame that would look amazing next to some of the weavings, and am quite pleased with this solution.

sometimes i wonder if i should try my hand at wood working, as i am oftentimes inspired by details such as dovetailing and butterfly joinery. lately i've been obsessed with all the varieties of wood there is; pink ivory, amboyna curl, zebrawood, cocobolo, purpleheart, bubinga, vera. it doesn't help that there are so many exceedingly fine drop spindles and shuttles being made out there with such nice woods.