oh elation!oh rapture!

the alcohol steeped chips with distilled water gave me this interesting liquid.it is not transparent and has an almost  solid translucent quality. ok.ok., the photo has some added texture, but the color is right.

 the silk skein was scoured and while still wet dipped for 30 minutes +/- in ash lye water. then dyed for 45 minutes starting on cold and slowly rising the temperature without letting it boil. then cooled in the liquid and then hung outside to dry.

i was gratified this morning with the color it took. ouchiiro!!.

dipped the skein in ash lye water  again and will do a second dip today. meanwhile i'm mordanting a skein of very textured silk with alum and will use the murasaki liquid in the other jar.

what i've learned so far:

• alcohol extracts much purer color than water soak.

• it also extracts more color than water so it is more cost/time effective.

•  color extraction with water gives a lot of yellowish- brown color. the purple coloring matter tends to stick to the container so it is wasted.

i think i'm going to devout time to murasakizome.i could become a specialist as  it is much less frustrating than indigo. i can't imagine myself becoming a specialist on something, the ever jack of all trades :D

 

neki desu

totemo murasaki ne!

yesterday i checked the steeping murasaki and was totally disappointed with the color of the water. it was yellowish brown with no hint of the beautiful purple. having read in the natural dyes lists about  using alcohol for extracting dyes i thought i had nothing to lose by trying. after all sandra rude is an advocate of the method  and she gets gorgeous colors from wood chips.

it was like magic. as soon as the alcohol touched the root chips the liquid started getting purple.this time i'm going to get purple, not like last time.  

here  you can read about the different shades of purple and their names in japanese. 

note the difference between edo and kyoto colors both tremendously iki in their own way

i'd be elated with anyone except fujiro. done that one already!

turning a page. today there's a general strike here. strange to see my street, a busy cross town street empty and silent at 11 a.m.

neki desu

a million small things cooking

change of seasons, the cooler weather always brings a surge in activities.still have to finish warping , but taking a break from the loom to look around. here are some  interesting finds in no particular order.

found this post which is  a beautiful summary of the change of seasons.

if you are into sewing and interested in retro  here is a good source for vintage patterns. some of them cost as much as the gown itself but there are plenty of good value ones.

still on the the diy mode: continued education for diy artist fractured atlas offers courses, sponsorhips and health insurance among other resources.

has your work ever been rejected to an exhibit? this article via textile art resource guide gives a good perspective on juries and juried exhibits.
and the image, you may wonder what the point is .it is this digitally transformed that is already here

neki desu

the legend

tanabata  七夕 form the nihon sun 


"Separated by the milky way, two star crossed lovers are only able to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month based on the lunisolar calendar.  The legend of Hikoboshi (the star known as Alter) and Orihime (the star known as Vega) has roots in China but has been associated with Japan’s Tanabata festival since the sixth century.

Orihime, the daughter of Emperor Tentei, was a skilled weaver and made lovely clothes for her father.  On day as she sat alongside the the river of heaven ( Amanogawa – the milky way) she was overcome with sadness as she had been so busy with her weaving that she hadn’t had time to fall in love.   Tentei, believed to be the ruler of the heavens, witness her woeful state and arranged a marriage for her with Hikoboshi who lived across the river.  The couple was very much in love and were very happy but Orihime was neglecting her weaving.  This angered Tentei so much that he decided to separate the couple putting them back on opposite sides of the river.

Tentei decreed that the couple would only be allowed to see each other on one night each year – on the seventh day of the seventh month.  On that evening a boatman (the moon) comes to ferry Orihime over the river to her beloved Hikoboshi.  But if Orihime has not given her best to her weaving Tentei may make it rain causing the river to flood so the boatman cannot make the trip.  In this case the kasasagi (a group of magpies) may still fly to the milky way to make a bridge for Orihime to cross.

The Tanabata festival (also know as the star festival) celebrates the reuniting of these lovers separated by the milky way and the word tanabata can be translated as “weaving with the loom (bata) placed on the shelf (tana)”.

it will be tomorrow in the shop.

neki desu

fall forecast

lots of mauves and purples. i have 50grams+/- of shikon roots ( aka murasaki) in distilled water in my balcony. they will be letting out their color slowly over the weeks enjoying the fall sunlight. then dyeing will commence.

for dyers shikon is one of the traditional dyes of japan which gives a range of mauves and purples  with a pretty  time consuming, laborious dyeing technology . see the dyeing of tohoku scroll until kazuno akane zome, shikon zome.

known as  lithospermum erythrorhizon in  latin , shikon belongs to the borage family.

the color obtained from the roots is not only  used for dyeing, but it is also used in the cosmetic industry.

in english shikon is known as purple gromwell so in case you bump into it- don't forget to say hi (^^)!

for more information about its classification go here , an invaluable resource for plant taxonomy.

i have tried my luck with shikon before and the results were not very satisfactory . i think the problem was due to the water so that's why i'm using bottled  water this time.and taking the temperature too just to be on the safe side.

we shall see if the predictions hold true.

have a beautiful fall weekend!

neki desu

listening and looking

 my back talked to me yesterday. and i listened. stopped reeding and went around doing some needlework. coincidentally noticed i had a lot of susuwatari (ススワタリ) living in the studio. sounds more intellectual than dust bunnies, doesn't it?

the little characters made their debut in miyazaki's  my neighbor totoro (となりのトトロ, tonari no totoro. but their career really took off in spirited away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (千とチ尋の神隠し)

watch them move in all their splendor and be thankful you're not a vacuum cleaner !!

neki desu

feeding my punk soul

found yesterday in the neighborhood paper shop.metallic colored lutradur kind of paper.i will be testing it during the rest of the week. the punk in me is going to have good clean fun :D

on the dummy warp front: tying on the real warp begins today at noon GMT+1




neki desu

working with a legend

taking my time. interesting, at least to me, how this one has been evolving over time. encompassing,without being consciously aware, the work with words in weaving . solving what i first thought were formal challenges, only to realize yesterday as i was talking to a friend, they were also content challenges .

happily working.  just a peek here.

neki desu

shibui top

 i think i'm settling for this draft. will have to throw a couple of picks in madder and indigo dyed silks just to make sure. but most likely i'll go with the walnut dyed silk as weft. so shibui .which is exactly what i want. something mottled and  understated that i can wear without getting tired. that's for the look.

for technicalities i have been working with this fractal image

straight from the batch, but then chopping it, resizing transforming the color, dithering it and finally adding an overlay in twill and plain weave. it may still go through changes, but i needed to get off the computer.if changes happen they will be dealt with after the weaving starts.

the sett will be somewhat loose, but it will be stabilized in the wet finish. better to start on the open side so as not to end up with cardboard.

have already started sleying the dummy warp. not wasting more than the necessary of that precious merino wool.

neki desu

then and now-recapitulation

god how young we were!

she expresses it better.then

and even better now.

have a great weekend!

neki desu

view from my warping board

the photo is crummy, but it holds so much that the crumminess goes unnoticed. this is the paisley weavers trade union flag housed  at the paisley museum in scotland.

the town of paisley is textile history in itself and its weavers were an interesting lot . i was told at the museum that they were owners of their looms, therefore they were a step up the industrial ladder as they were not slave weavers. yet their union was highly organized, strong and combative.  among its  achievements they were able to pass  a resolution establishing a board of trade which would in turn  fix minimum wages. 

these were the  same weavers who wove the shawl.

their motto was/ is simple and beautiful "weave truth with trust". it is a reminder and a source of inspiration for me. the sub text  is also worth noting: united we stand divided we fall.    

let's not forget we come from here.

neki desu

weaving conductive weather at last

 my weaving cold turkey symptoms are soon to be over. the studio is livable again and while the scarves are batching i am planning some fabric for a top. the colors and yarns are definitely wintry, if i work well i can have it woven and sewn for this winter. 

the yarns are 48/2 merino in charcoal and medium greys as warp and silk as weft. what i have not decided yet is whether i want a wabi  top in a somewhat lightish indigo dyed silk or with more flavor using a madder dyed silk as weft.  yes, i know sample, sample, but i'm not cally booker ;-) one of the sample queens of the weaving world.

this is going to be a top and wearing mileage is expected . the structure has to be subdued  nothing flashy and tiring yet  that does not mean boring. i have been making some dithered drafts following the liftplan connection procedures and i've come up with a couple of interesting ones. decisions,decisions, but first i have to make the  warp chains, rinse the scarves and do the second layer on them.

a big public thank you for the people♥♥♥ who answered my botan bake call.

neki desu

another vintage embrodery chart

i found this chart very interesting. although  i think it's a lace pattern it can be embroidered in a contemporary fashion with pleasing results. it can also be interpreted in many  other ways, so have fun.

i decided  to get  a file service so that  i can also share weaving files in the near future and leave flickr for just storing images.

the chart can be downloaded in small med. and large files  here

please comment  if you like the option of having a separate download place.

neki desu

japanophilia part II- my way

as the saying goes improvisation is the mother of invention. in need of harite on a long weekend with no possibility of buying anything. but minutia wasn't going to stop me. here is the home made department in all its glory. suffice to say the invention worked and it is also portable.

on with painting the reserve.i wanted to try a gum arabic rice flour resist, because i was going to paint the background with mx dye treated as acid. acid curls alginate hence the gum arabic which does not react with  acid. the flour was going to give the gum arabic some flexibility because the silk was going to be stretched and i  did not want it to tear. i was  experimenting with the different consistencies of the resist too.

                                                                            beauty shot

saturday's work:first red layer it looks wonky, but it is kosher, trust me.

sunday after batching for 24 hours. second red layer.
the big time bummer is that my beloved botan bake 牡丹　掃  aka  peony brush  is falling apart.it is great for paining gradation backgrounds and  i bought it in japan. i wanted it to last my lifetime so use was sparse. little did i know that the less you use it the quicker it falls apart. it seems that getting a replacement will entail a trip to japan unless i find a kind soul that can ship me one (hint, hint)

and why the all the flurry  you may ask. last week i posted  this  and mentioned sakuran. ever since joan lintault posted the link i've been under its spell and in a red black white colourway mind frame in  a mix of techniques including shibori. inspiration comes from unforeseen sources when you're working.

take a look . do you understand me now?

neki desu

the sound and the fury

now that it seems to have subsided, can we please get on with our lives?

have a peaceful weekend




 neki desu

accute japanophilia attack and an invite

this morning in front of the computer and with my coffee i checked into sharon b's  and being naturally curious,i  followed a link she provided.there it was the name of this tool i had bought years ago in sado-ga-shima! i once heard its name in a documentary i was watching, but not having a pen near not mentioning the darkness made it impossible to note down  and retain. this beautiful tool is called a baren  馬連、馬楝  and it is used as a brayer in block printing. once you know the name it's the proverbial piece of cake.with icing.

the find incited more knowledge acquisition :D  and as everyone knows one thing leads to another, another and yet another one. so i spent practically the whole day  in a very non academic research  rich with finds.

you are invited to follow my steps if you'd like to.

firstly baren and japanese brushes here. they are irresistible, and work like no other, trust me. you can give them  other uses than those prescribed.

there is a wealth of information in this one. some techniques are applicable to surface design.

over here you get the why and how of nikawa　膠 or binder glue and /or paper size that can be bought here.

for my book arts friends perhaps you already know this paper place that also carries japanese brushes.but the top shelf find are these papers.don't tell me they are not the essence of awesomeness. 

as they say here i'm  roaring like a motorcycle, como una moto. this is not to mention the amusing maiko and geisha groupies that i found and sakuran via joan lintault at facebook.

 but those will be subjects of another post.
i think i need a rest.

neki desu 

few things compare

few things compare to a nice stitched border. this one is a vandyke stitch. it is an easy stitch with an almost zen like quality ,once you get the hang of it, that works quickly and fills up nicely. 

this piece has gained a lot by using it as a border.more of the piece tomorrow. perhaps.

turning a page yesterday i mentioned colorand composition and on my visit to blogs found a  great post regarding color at mags ramsay's. she talks about  color as less representational and more allegoric of the subject, as a creator of moods.

follow the link she includes as  it is a very good read.

must be the zeitgeist as there a few people in the community reflecting on the topic.

neki desu

game over

curious how some works tell you when they're finished and some others don't. and even more curious how a smudge of gold wraps it all together. this one's done. i think i worked more with the mood of the piece and worried less about color and composition which was becoming a stress factor  with this  heat.

i have come to really enjoy ermine stitch. it's a simple, effective stitch that paired with straight stitch or seed stitch can make up  a whole scene.

and the idea for setting off and also blending the image with the background  with slpit back stitch comes from jude over at spirit cloth.

this putting together from two sources has made me think and i'm considering  putting  a resource page to share weaving drafts, images etc. the vintage stitching charts will be there also.

need to do a bit more thinking about the  logistics.

ideas anyone?

neki desu

ob*se*s*sions of late

 audrey hepburn one of the prettiest, most graceful and dignified women ever. revisiting some of her movies.

languages and linguistics, reading don't sleep there are snakes by daniel everett. won't even start on this one.

this blog with its innovative crochet and knitting. so many ideas here.

 procrastination and its effects(via textile arts resource guide) don't we all suffer from it?

 and this exercise in awesomeness that has been going around the net for a while now. 

it worked in firefox for me. i could see my house and my patio!!!

still obsessed with livebrush   :)

have a fun weekend!



neki desu

the stitch-a-tron

the fabric that i wanted to use for yesterday's  fractal image. although it was a good choice there was no way the image was going to function and integrate with the background as i noticed when i started stitching.

undo stitches and start working on the fabric, no stress involving the operation:)

lots of paint and  tissue paper lamination later i had a more cohesive background and the first stitching layer had a place to sit.i was using cotton perle recycled from the shibori scarves and occasionally an unexpected color surfaced.

i put the image in place, but the first layer of stitches was too dominant. i did not really want to alter the texture of the stitches, just make them less visually  focal.i have some japanese tissue  paper, the ones that have specks of fiber swirling around and thought it would work and catch the  subdued swirls in the image. so i laminated it on the stitching and the paper did just what i wanted.

on to stitching layer two. there is a lot more to stitch on this piece, but so far and if the stitchery gods allow it will have a nice end.

i'm slowly easing my way into the coming season, less outdoor work  which means  more studio and weaving work.

neki desu

slowly adapting

to the change of seasons. there's  no direct sunlight in the terrace until one o'clock, so that's good and bad news in one shot.

i have some things on the proverbial back burner, slowly cooking. meanwhile i'm shifting focus and working with the image above.

this is a flame fractal generated with apophysis a wonderful freeware program. it  has  an incredibly steep learning curve, but it's worth learning. give yourself lots of time in order to create your own flames and don't expect instant results.

the image was printed on lutradur™ and it will become a surface piece with lots of stitching and various other treatments. 

doing mental workouts for the backburner stuff.

neki desu