编织人生（一）丛林中的织女 - Lady in the Bush

牛佳

我住在墨尔本东北部的山区。
My home in Australia is a mountain hideaway among the bush, to the north east of Melbourne.

这里美丽，温馨而浪漫。
It is a beautiful and loving place, known in Melbourne with a reputation of being a little hippie and arty-farty.

果园和农场。晚春暮色。
Our local family orchard and farm is called Aummans. This is a spring day in sunset.

山中无重色，我偏爱雾气弥漫的景致。应该跟雾霾不同。这是入秋后的一个清晨。
The mountains and the bush are never the same. One of my favourite is when they are in the mist. This is a morning scene in early autumn.

我的世界平淡无奇，按人际交往来说。见的人少, 动物多。每天扣窗问候的sulphur crested cockatoo.
life in the hills has its own surprises. I don't see people but there are always feathered friends visiting throughout the day. A regular visitor is this sulphur crested cockatoo who says hello.

成双成对的。这种鸟终身一个配偶，很长寿，能活七，八十岁。
They mate for life and normally enjoy a life of more than 60 or 70 years.

三三两两。

姗姗来迟。
What a grand landing ！

我喜欢纺线，将羊毛，驼羊毛，丝，棉，所有自然纤维纺成线。
I work with sheep wool, alpacal, silk, cotton, anything to do with yarn.

一早一晚是梳刷驼毛的最佳时间，沐浴着朝阳和晨露； 无数个钟点的投入， 百倍的欢欣及喜悦.
Dawn and dust are the best times for carding, when the wool bathes in the sun and dew ; Countless hours of work, compensated with tenfolds of joy !

每年冬季，维省多有卖羊毛的集市。
Wool fairs every winter in the country of Victoria.

用的最多的是驼羊毛, 在维省东部的Gippsland的农场。我记得每头驼羊的名字。The wool that i work with most is from the alpacas living in Gippsland in the east of Victoria. I remember all the names of the alpacas.

这位叫George. 天生残疾，十分弱小。
This is George, borne a handicapped alpaca, remains very tiny.

剪毛的工作在每年的夏季，是项非常专业的体力活。遇上不合作的羊，有时要4个大汉合力对付。
The shearing comes every summer, a very skillful and physically demanding job. Sometimes, 4 strong men are needed for an uncooperative alpaca.

未经清洗处理的生毛是极不诱人的。
The untreated raw fleece is not very attractive, i am afraid.

你能相信它会变成这轻软，温暖， 晶莹如黑珍珠一般的毛线 ？
Hard to believe that they are transformed into these warm, soft, shining as black pearls yarns !

棕色的驼羊毛和尚好的丝毛，板刷梳理. 所以虽然这辈子没去过健身房，一样有肌肉.
Brown alpaca and the best quality silk. Hand carding.

几个星期的时间，终于刷出了750克的丝驼毛线.
Several weeks of carding, at last, 750 grams of alpaca and silk !

准备就绪，现在开始纺线。这一道工序，快乐无比 ！分秒都要身心专注。
After carding and preparing, here comes the most enjoyable and addictive part - spinning ! What a joy when all the heart, the mind and the body, are put into this meditative art !

这是其中的一个纺车。纺羊毛的时候最好在夏天。
One of my beloved wheels, Ettric, the Original !

感谢你带来快乐和安宁 ！
Thank you, Ettric ! What joy and silence you bring !

Agnes是我学习纺织的启蒙老师，更是我在山区生活的良师益友.
More than just a teacher to me in spinning, talented and graceful Agnes is my mentor in every aspect of living in the bush.

这是我为老师纺，织的毛衣。她说喜欢我自当是客气，后来我搬进牧区，每次长途来访，她都穿着这件，效果比这张照片好得多，可惜没好意思拍照。

每周聚一次，分享纺织的经验和喜乐。
We meet every week to share knowledge, experience and the joy of spinning.

这可不是泡菜，是用太阳染色的方法，利用夏天的日照，制作天然染料。植物籽都是后山坡自己种的本土植物。They are not pickles, I swear ! Making my own organic sun dye for 3 months, taking the advantage of our glorious sunshine.

自做天然染料. 将近三个月，后院的红桉树叶沐浴着夏日的骄阳和月光.
Red gum bathed in the summer sun and moon light for nearly 3 months.

大锅慢火煮，沸前，时开时关，半小时后熄火,还加入带柠檬味的桉树叶,完全是调剂情调。煮前，也要经过处理。一半用温的清水，一半用加了酵素（酸性）的温水，泡半个小时。效果是酵素水颜色略深。
Dyeing with no mordant, but lemon scented gum leaves.Pre-dying treatment. Soaking in warm water for half an hour. Half in normal water, hallf in acid water with self-made snowing lotus enzyme.Slow simmering, on and off the heat without boiling for half an hour.

颜色可用如下几个词形容：澳洲鼠；奶奶灰；林中枯叶； 灰澳鼠，儿子起的名欠文雅，叫脏澳鼠。
The best way to describe the colour : Lady Possum; From the Bush; my son calls it Dirty Possum.

这一款可谓是一线织成，由上至下，没有接头，没有缝补. 整部作品自刷，自纺，自染，自织 ！
Hitofude Cardigan, a single "yarn stroke", top down, seemless !This whole process of preparing the wool, spinning, dyeing, knitting all by Moi . A happy ending.

处女作。“野生玫瑰”，粗羊毛。儿子说：叫“火腿肉”更加贴切。
My very first piece of work. “Woody Rose". But according to my son, " it is more appropriate to call it ham ! "

《蓝花樱》名字来自于刚刚种下的一颗原产地巴西的树种，开同色的花。
The Jacaranda, named after the tree which was just being planted near my drive way.

《竹林曲径》麻花图案与我种下的第一片竹林间的竹径相应.
Bamboo Grove， named after planting my first bamboo grove which seems to match the cables.

竹种叫creamy stripe. 澳洲昆士兰省移植. 竹间的鹅卵石是一颗一颗按大小摆上去的.
A secret (dry) river in the bamboo grove, like my own magic portal to home in the bush !

大部分毛衣都是工装款，方便屋内屋外的劳动。
Most of the sweaters are made for working outdoors , and easy to change once inside the house.

《水波粼粼》, 纯羊毛加少量马海毛，中度粗细.
Ripples. Boutique pure wool with mohair, undyed.

《不再只是一头羊》，自纺，原色，未经漂染。最初是给我妈织的. 老人家没看上眼.取名不敢张扬。
Not Just Another Sheep, self spun, undyed, unbleached. Knitted for my mum but being rejected for not presentable enough, thus with a very unflattering name.

《街上的帅女孩》苏格兰羊毛，巨粗线. 听这名已经泄气了，送给了名副其实的女友.
Street Smart, shetland wool, undyed. Made for myself, but gifted to a girlfriend who deserves its name.

《新的和谐》一股驼羊毛加一股纯羊毛，轻暖之至 ！
A New Harmony, one strand of indigo blue alpaca knitted together with a strand of rose pink wool. Warm, soft, all i need for the chilly Melbourne winter !

《园丁装》，同样的线。 轻暖，透气，干活方便，当然还要美观.
Winter's Garden Pullover, light, warm, breathes, ideal for working in the garden.

《中西合璧》北欧款加中国结纽扣.
East Meets West. Nordic pattern with Chinese knots.

《Katia的宝石衫》三件， 陪衬项链，皆出自法国女友katia之手，一位匠心独具的珠宝设计家.
Katia's Stone. made especially to match my jewellrys which are all designed and made by my girl friend, talented and beautiful Katia !

二

三

《大约在冬季》，纯坨羊毛。冬天的残阳落日余晖中，还用担心我会感觉凄凉 ？
When the Winter Comes， 100% alpaca. In the fading sunlight, do not worry that i will ever feel cold.

　　《短款和服》，英文叫garden stone, 麻花那织得才叫结实！ 看来也是摆摆样子，又一败作. 全拆了.
Garden Stone, to refer to the cables which are knitted just as hard ! Some interesting details like double sided knitting with patterns of 2 shades of blue, ocean blue and silver blue. An experiment in general and tored off already.

《山中的Coco》，驼羊的名字叫Coco。双股纺，再加一股深蓝色的纯羊毛。绝对的轻软，送给了住在山上每天骑马的朋友Paula.
Coco in the Mountains. The brown alpaca wool is 2 ply spun from alpaca Coco; knitted together with dark blue pure wool. Ideal for our mountain friend Paula who rides horses in the Gippsland.

马海毛和自纺的驼羊毛结合-斗篷外套。

披肩的英文名叫lucky lady幸运女郎.自己用就免了.福祸同一.取名《黑珍珠》以表达对小驼羊George 的赞美及谢意.

The pattern name is called the lucky Lady, but if keeping it for myself, why bother. I prefer to name it Black Pearl to express my gratitude and appreciation of Little George.

《黑夜》就由这一股细软的黑毛线开始，伴随着同学病逝前的日记. 连着几个通宵，黑夜交织着炫丽的红马海毛，无尽的思绪，在曙光中完成。死亡就是彻底地活过。 向我的同学学习，至情，至性，至爱，至信地走完这一生。
In the Darkness. It started with a fine string of soft, black wool....... in the company of the last journals of an old school friend who passed away; endless sadness; the work is completed in the early morning after many days and nights.

《桂花飘香》，皆因用了桂花水定型。桂花是自家两年前种的。
Lady in Lavender, like its name, the subtlety all hides in the detail.

美的细节皆在不起眼之处。

旧款的羊绒衫拆了，新的生命。

一款两个织法，请看效果：甲款

乙款

一款不同的毛线， 不同的密度，效果就不同。

毛衣是自纺的白色驼羊毛加一股极细的粉丝羊毛。透气，冬夏事宜，干活不显脏。

这些毛线叫艺术毛，我还在尝试。

男款皆不成功。他们不穿，拍照都难！

自己的设计，诸多的缺陷和遗憾。我叫它“女匪衫”（源于英文“Bandit Queen”), 儿子叫它 “Abandon It" (“可弃之衫”). 名字借用了20年前印度北部的穷山僻壤，一位受尽磨难的女性. 感同与世界上所有的劳动女性，这件作品是我个人的偏爱。

My own design, another failure generally. I named it the Bandit Queen (my son calls it Abandon It ) after its true character 20 years ago in the desolate ravines in northern India. It has become my personal favorite.

For all the women sharing their love, their care, their appreciation of beauty and their wonderful skills.