A Year at Japanese Textile Workshops

Two old dogs fast asleep on two big cozy chairs.

Momo and Geiger both dreaming.

Two cats fast asleep on two cozy chairs.

Whiteboots and Julie both dreaming.

The kerosene heaters are on and the rooms are Christmas toasty.

Momo is dreaming of a long walk in the mountains and chasing a few monkeys.

Geiger is dreaming that his tired old wobbly legs are fit and strong and can effortlessly get him up to one of his chairs again.

Whiteboots is dreaming of being in bed with us, snuggled under the blankets getting cuddled all through the night.

Julie is dreaming of today. She was in the house and getting brushed. Last year this time she was  an outdoor cat sleeping in the barn.

Hiro is snoozing....he's dreaming of how warm he will be in Brazil next week.


All is quiet. It is cold and clear outside. Stars are twinkling. The outside bath is hot and waiting for me to finish this last blog of the year.

The year is coming to an end.

My god do I pack a lot in....

Keeping this huge old farmhouse and gardens and tea/indigo/mulberry fields, thousands of silkworms and assorted pets and friends, staff and students in healthy form.  ( Groan....cry....laugh..smile....)

Managing the logistics and responsibilities for having dozens of students flying in from all over the world to stay here at the house and study Japanese textiles.   ( Groan....cry....laugh..smile....)

Studying how to dye and sew the Japanese festival jackets better, improve my looms, spinning and weaving, studying Japanese book binding, taking Russian language classes, learn a few new songs on the guitar, carpentry work around the house. Lots of cotton knit production for t-shirts....(groan cry, laugh smile.)


Travelling to Sri Lanka, Canada, Finland, Russia, Georgia, Latvia....(no groan, no cry, big laugh, huge smile.)


Looking at the old emotion mandala I pull out of iPhoto and throw my self at to see where the splatters sit.







If it weren't for the f%#^%ing American Cheezy-elect there wouldn't be much in the rage/anger/annoyance/loathing/disgust/terror/fear/apprehension sections.


I can place the four-legged chair dwellers with relative ease....

optimism, serenity, love, acceptance, a little submission except Whiteboots.

Pictures from 2016. It was an excellent year. There is no 'gratitude/gratefulness' section on the emotion wheel......

Lovely Geiger my Fukushima refugee dog had to have his spleen removed because of a tumour. He is better now. He is old and weak though.

                                  

Lovely Julie the feral cat becomes a semi-house cat.


Ilkka from Finland comes and stays for a few months and brightens the house with his intelligence and diligence.


Just enough snow at the house.




What happened to that ponytail???


Travelling around Japan to see more old textiles.


Indigo dyeing with Tsutomu  the local architect legend who was hospitalized with meningitis days after this picture was taken. We almost lost him....but he is back on his feet and even playing tennis again!


Indigo dyeing with my Russian friends in Sri Lanka.


Hiro's magic in Sri Lanka.


Making indigo balls.


And the ten-day workshops began with this special group...


Perhaps the saddest part of the year...my beloved Sugimoto san..so healthy and digging bamboo shoots. He has been hospitalized for half a year now. Sorrow in the village while he is away. But he is there with the new face of the village my diligent new staff, Ishii san.


The first official Japanese jacket making crew! Much love to you all!


The beloved salad patch outside the kitchen window.


Out treasure, 98 year old Ogata san busy cooking for us as usual.


Tea harvest.


Fresh green indigo workshop with the locals.


Putting workshop members to work planting indigo.


Julie had kittens!


Workshops and indigo.







A one day trip to Canada for my old friend Ingrid's wedding. That is Colin her twin brother not the groom. We were all bad kids way back.


Kittens everywhere.


The garden was beautiful all year.




Kitten lunch under the loom.


Silkworms and cocoons.

Five weeks in Russia with Anna.




Silk Road valley in Georgia.


Silk Museum in Georgia.


Autumn Workshops.


Indigo knits.


Indigo harvest.


And Christmas Eve....making wood shovels to turn the fermenting indigo leaves.


Thank you friends. Thank you. See you in Japan again. On top of the indigo workshop and the hanten workshop I am putting together a Japanese book binding and paper making workshop to give you another reason to come back.

Warmest wishes for 2017,

Bryan & Hiro and friends.