it feels good to finish
alongside the books from the two previous years
I won't say "never again" but that is the way I'm feeling now
using recycled paper and the same technique (slot and tab) I made a book for the haiku
it is much easier with paper and is excellent for a small notebook - using recycled paper
working to a theme with this book took a lot more thought, time and research
much more difficult than the first two
I learned to focus on the 15 minute days and just keep going
I found it difficult to never take a day off - it helped to schedule the time, doing it at tea time each day
tucking it into the bookshelf alongside the other two is a happy reward
now on to other things
I've been spinning while thinking, and as the only fibre on hand is hemp, not my favorite, here is the start
fine 2 ply, as strong as rope
and woven on a 4 inch pin loom
what to make with them??
and I have a new weaving student
I first started teaching in my studio in 2011 after I retired from my real job - teaching weaving to a young woman with multiple challenges - in American sign language
when teaching , I start at the beginning
designing the project, discussing yarn and weights and weave structures
measuring the warp on a warping board, warping the loom from back to front
students are always surprised at how much work and time it takes before they sit down and start weaving
this student is Japanese and she has a cultural appreciation for textiles but has never woven
she has always worked in metric and Western looms and equipment work in epi (ends per inch) and yards
both of us have had to make some adjustments
she is a professor of Japanese language so encourages me to use the Japanese I learned in 1987 and have mostly forgotten
from sign language to Japanese my old brain is working overtime!
she grows a plant called "fuki", which translates to butterbur/coltsfoot and has brought tastings of how she cooks both the stems and leaves
I'm enjoying it and it is very healthy
she has also brought roots to plant
and before or after cooking? she peels the outer fibre off the stems
in the front is my attempt to wind it into cordage - like the Artful Acorn from the Guild presentation
next it is damp and behind that it is very dry
maybe we will find a way to weave with it
while thinking about wild fibres I gathered some dandelion stems and then tulip stems, will see if they can be made into cordage after drying
now I'm off to mow the lawn and maybe weave a bit
need to finish these tea towels
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