sakiori pouch

Here's the pouch that I started on the mini loom!  It didn't actually take me a month to make.  I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to sew up this long, thin band. (If you don't know what sakiori is, see my previous post.)

Turkish spindle for paper spinning and other fibers

I've been meaning to try out a Turkish drop spindle.  You can spin and wind your ball at the same time!  Here are some helpful links: https://wizzley.com/how-to-make-a-simple-turkish-style-drop-spindle/ 

 http://askthebellwether.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-do-you-make-turkish-spindle.html#.Vy4FjORjV0R

I decided to go w/ the sticks, since I have them around.  I had to add a large bead on the bottom part for more weight.

Here's the paper tape I started out with.  I used 2 pieces at a time,

                                         Cord wound on to my home made Turkish spindle.

                                          The ball of yarn slips off of the bottom part.

Now I'm ready to weave.  If I want to ply the yarn, I'll need 2 balls.  Take the start from the inside of the first ball, and the outside end from the 2nd ball.  Tie them together, and spin them in the opposite direction on your spindle.

Of course, you can do other fibers, this is just one possibility!

Here's a beautiful quote for all of my basket weaving friends.

"Basketry is more than just weaving. It represents a balance with the environment, seasonal collecting, material preparation, storing, aging and dying. Baskets have always been more than just simple utensils, although functional as the core utilitarian tools of daily living. Their intricate designs often capture an event in time, telling a story (often known only to the weaver) or revealing the territory of the weaver and their clan. The woman who created baskets was many things. Not only was she an artist, but she had to be a botanist, a chemist, a poet and a mother. All had to be gathered at the proper time of the year, and all had to be prepared with love and care". 

 ~ Gregory Schaaf, PhD ~

Shifu

Yesterday I taught a workshop at Art and Soul retreat in Portland. I couldn't find my camera, so here is a pieced together sequence.  I had a small class of 5 lovely ladies, who signed up to learn how to make paper yarn.  They cut Thai unryu to make continuous strips, as I've shown here.

Then we roughed up the paper a bit to prepare it for spinning. (Different sheets of paper.)

Since I met Susan Byrd this summer, and have studied her video, I can now do the pre-spinning part on my woven yoga mat.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81sC5VcJEZL._SL1200_.jpg

 No need for scratched up knuckles from rolling on concrete blocks.  It's not as tight and compact as it should be, but it worked fine for me.

 

Then you separate the links at the top and bottom to form a long strip.

Spinning can be done on a spinning wheel, bobbin winder, charkha, cord winder, drop spindle, drill, and other devices.  Since no one in the class tried my battery drink mixer, I decided to use it today.
I did not dampen the paper overnight.  Instead, I moistened it with water on my hands while I was spinning.

 

 Ready to weave!