Yarn Bombs in Glen Eden

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

And the winner of the Kimono Tango bag is...

Thank you all for entering the Kimono Tango's competition. The winner was selected using Random.org.  

Congratulations Martina! 

And if you like to find out more about this beautiful and unique brand please check out their Facebook Page.

Kimono Tango and a Giveaway!

A while ago my friend Chizuko made me with these beautiful cushions (she calls them pillows), plus some table runners. The the other day in the post I got 5 amazing handbags, one more beautiful than the other!



They are all made by hand using kimono and obi (Kimono belts) materials, and you can get them from her cottage industry shop Kimono Tango. 

If you like Japanese design and craft do have a look at Kimono Tango's website in English: they make cushions, bags, iPhone and iPad covers, Laptop bags and more… made to order and sent all over the world. Kimono Tango is made up by a group of Japanese mothers and grandmothers who are trying to make ends meet in the current economic crisis, which was worsened by the recent earthquake and tsunami.
They make everything themselves, often using their heirloom kimonos and obi. You can only make about 6 or 7 bags from one obi, and Kimono Tango uses fabrics exclusively from 1955 to 1965 circa, to make sure that they are real silk, and handcrafted. The handles are leather. Also have a look at their Facebook Page to keep up with new designs and news!

And what will I do with five bags? Well, the one above is my favourite, and it is MINE!!, The first one in the post I gave to my friend Flavia who is a super stylish person and came over for dinner the day after I got the bags when they were all displayed in the entrance and she was so taken by them that I asked her to choose one! Then I'll give one to my mother and one to my sister in law in Italy, and the last one is for …. you!

Yes, this is a giveaway, to enter just pop by Kimono Tango's website or Facebook Page, then come back here and leave a reply to this post saying what you liked best (bags, cushions, covers…). You have one week from now! Good luck!

 Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

On frying mochi, and hanging Japanese garments

I really like the mochi cakes, the Japanese glutinous rice blocks that are traditionally found in the traditional New Year soup (zoni). Mochi is usually grilled before going into the soup, but I don't have a grill for it, and tend to just boil it into it for a little. I love it. My family less so. And they don't like the idea of mochi in any our miso soups. So I tried to pan-fry it, thinking that they like everything fried, and guess what? Fried mochi is a new favourite! Now I add a block of pan-fried mochi in almost every Japanese meal I make (that is, while my mochi stock last: it is not so easy to find it in New Zealand!). 

In my (short) experience one of the best ways is to pan-fry mochi is with something that will also give it a bit of flavour, like capsicums. These are the little capsicums from my garden, small but tasty! Heat the oil in the frying pan, add slices of capsicum and mochi, turn everything a few times (I like to turn the mochi blocks on all six sides) and serve hot. Here is my mochi and capsicums served with soba, seaweed salad, avocado and Japanese pickles, a quick and balanced lunch!

And now some photos of my yukata and kimono, hanging to air. I took these photos before the weather turned really wet, now we are getting into winter and it is good to air yukata and kimono before putting them away, especially since I rarely use them anyway, and Auckland can be quite humid! Some of these garments are very old, other new, and they were all presents. I love them!!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Peru through Arantxa's lens

Cusco

Saksaywaman, outside Cusco and at 3,701 m high

Inca terraces

This is an interesting image for a vegetarian blog, but some of you may be interested in seeing it: roasted Guinea pigs, a delicacy in Peru, where they are raised just like any other farm animal, i.e. for food.

Machu Picchu

Photos  by Arantxa Zecchini Dowling ©

Beautiful textiles of Peru, alpacas, and the cochineal (E120) Color

Can you see the white stuff on the cactus? And the black stuff in the bowl with the red wool ball? That is cochineal, or natural colour E120 (also known as carmine, and found in lots of red and pink food). Yes it is an insect, I have seen the dried ones before when I was studying textile arts at University, but never the 'live' insects. But before I get into this, a little intro to natural dyes.

We were all impressed by the beautiful clothes we saw in Peru, and since I studied natural dyes myself I was most interested in learning how traditional clothes are made. The most prized wool is baby alpaca, followed by alpaca and then sheep.

Natural dyes come mostly from plants (so cochineal is a bit of an exception) and look at the varieties! I was impressed by the black corn dye, I didn't know it existed!

The wool is washed with a natural soap (a grated root - it looked like yucca, which the women also use to wash their hair and keep them black).

The cochineal insects are crushed and a the red-purple dye extracted. Adding lemon juice makes the colour a brighter pink-orange. Dried insects are powered to make the dye, including the one in most pink and red food. I try to make sure that I read the labels because I like to avoid cochineal (E120), and prefer to eat "vegetable" dyes :-).

The wool is hand spun.

And then woven.

Meeting the alpacas (and other alpaca/lama cross beauties...)

And meeting their carers

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini © (except the one of me, which is Peter's)