Tag Archives: yarn

New Weaving Project: Cotton and Kudzu

October 6, 2014Bast fibers, Cotton, Fiber, Garden, My Work, Textiles, Thread and YarnCotton, Hand Spun, Hand Woven, Indigo, kudzu, kuzu, momen, new, project, thread, weaving, yarnNathan S

I started a new project a few days ago. I used a natural linen for the warp with hand spun indigo dyed cotton and kudzu for the warp. I am pleased with how it is coming along.

My Hand Spun Cotton Thread

September 1, 2013Cotton, Fiber, Garden, My Work, Thread and YarnCotton, Hand Spun, Indigo, momen, spin, thread, weaving, yarnNathan S

I’ve been spinning cotton for about 3 years now. I started by using a drop spindle and then moved to a spinning wheel and charkha. I have experimented spinning short staple, long staple upland and naturally colored cotton. Its really rewarding to dye upland cotton thread with indigo. Because of the luster in upland cotton the resulting color is bright and picks up different levels of color due to how much oxidation occurs. The process of spinning my own thread has allowed me understand the huge amount of patience and talent held by spinners dyers and weavers in the past.

Zanshiori

August 21, 2013Cotton, Textiles, Thread and YarnAntique, Boro, Cotton, Hand Spun, Indigo, Japan, Japanese, left over, meiji, momen, thread, waste, weaving, yarn, zanshi, zanshioriNathan S

Here is some Zanshi or “left over thread” fabric I recently found. Zanshi was traditionally woven at the end of a bolt of kimono fabric. Once the kimono length had been woven the weaver would use up left over threads and bits and pieces left at the ends of bobbins to fill up the end length of warp. The resulting fabric was used for domestic purposes while the kimono bolt was more than likely sold. Zanshi was used most often for futon covers or work clothing. Notice the variation in pattern due to the different colors of left over threads.

In these last two photos you can see the numerous knots used to bind the left over threads.

Handmade Thread In Antique Basket

July 25, 2013Bast fibers, Fiber, Garden, My Work, Thread and YarnAntique, basket, fujifu, Indigo, Japanese, paper, persimmon, sakiori, shifu, spin, thread, washi, wisteria, yarnNathan S

This antique paper covered basket holds some of the yarns I have been making over the past few months. The basket itself is really special. It has been covered with a layer of hand spun cloth and then encased in multiple layers of paper taken from daifukucho or shopkeepers ledgers. some of this paper has been treated with persimmon tannin which turned the paper dark red/brown and made the basket waterproof. I think the basket is probably from the early Meiji period.

Here are some wisteria or fuji yarns. The blue has been dyed with indigo.

I dyed this fuji yarn with indigo that was past its prime. It has a gray quality I really like.

This paper yarn or shifu I made from part of a roll of washi paper I found. I cut the paper into a long narrow strip and then spun it using an Ashford spinning wheel. the thread is really strong and has a lot of elasticity. I would like to try dying shifu in the future but it seems like the nature of paper and water might cause problems.