Caladium Leaves (2)

After a few experiments in colour and yarn size, I decided that 2/10 cotton would be better as weft. Partly this is because of the slightly thicker yarn but, more important, the 2/10 is mercerised and the 2/12 is not. When woven up, the mercerised positively glows.

I only had limited suitable colours for caladium leavse in 2/10, dark green, a vibrant pink and a pale grey/blue

Since I only really want one of these weavings, I went to a draft of birds I showed on this blog some time ago and revamped it. This time I was not so limited in colours and even included some orange. The only thing that has not worked is the bottom row of birds where I turned the draft to be back to front. This means I get a row of different coloured birds but the warp is dominant so their poor feet have disappeared.

I still have more than a yard of warp left and will continue weaving but I will make these up first to see what they look like finished up. I had thoughts of weaving Christmas cards on the rest of the warp but decided that each stripe was too narrow.  So more birds it will be. Thinking of Christmas cards, made me wonder what the effct of Lurex on the birds would be.

Since posting last Friday, we have had family to stay and had 10 for lunch on Sunday. So a great deal of scuttling about

Caladium Leaves

Caladium leaves on the loom. I have turned the photo upside down because that is the way it will be hung. The top section has a black weft and is in a 3/1 broken twill. Bonnie Inouye commented on the draft for this weaving that she would not herself do a colour gamp with this draft but use quite different colours in the weft. You know something? I think she's right. I have used the same colours in the weft as in the warp but not in the same order because using the same order would mean that there is a diagonal of leaves which are texture (self on self). It is not the texture I mind but the diagonal. When I have completed six repeats, I will do another black header and then weave another piece with the few non-warp colours I have. I am wondering if, for the sake of experiment, I could use 2/10 yarn instead of 2/12 because I have a lot of colours in 2/10.It would make the leaves a bit longer which I could live with. The deadline is 25th July so I do not have much time for ordering more 2/12 and weaving it.

I spent an hour in the cellar this morning throwing things out - mostly papers. I do feel virtuous!!

New Fuschia

This wall is six foot high and has gooseberries and blackcurrants trained against it. There is a large golden bamboo in front of it which means what grows on top of the wall cannot be seen very well unless you go behind the bamboo. I went to pick some soft fruit this afternoon and discovered a large new fuschia!!! The red and purple one you can see on the right is a seedling which appeared a few years ago and was so nice, I just left it alone.

The one on the left is a new seedling only just appeared. The flowers are white outside and purple inside, clear cut and attractive. 

We collected a lot of soft fruit and a friend took away the black currants but there are lots to come. I think I may have to make some more jam with the goose-berries

The threading on the Megado is complete and half the sleying is done. Tomorrow will see ti completed and tied on.

I am already thinking of the next project which will be bookbinding. I need to paste some fabric to paper before I start on the Japanese sample books. So a major session with wheat starch paste will take place this week. I have had trouble finding suitable paper and have settled for 50gsm bank in a pad of A2. This was delivered yesterday. I also have ideas about a printed book like John Agar's Rainbow full of haiku and drawings/paintings/photos of morning glories. I was not happy about the printing of Rainbow and will start by setting up a better template in Framemaker and printing one copy again.

And while we're at it

Take a look at this fox

Thanks to Rosie Price for pointing out these National Geographic photos.

More on Haiku

Later on Wednesday 14th July (Vive La Republique)

It seems like morning glories were a popular topic for haiku. Various kind readers have sent me haikus but Michael has found what I was looking for


The morning glory!
It has taken the well bucket,
I must seek elsewhere for water. . 

This is by Chiyo-ni, a famous lady poet who lived from 1701 to 1775. Find a lot of her poems here.

Why do I find these short poems attractive? Economy of means?  Imagine what that poem means. I go out to fetch water from the well in the morning and a morning glory is in full flower twined round the bucket. So I say Bother and wonder if I can use the neighbour's well rather than destroy the flowers.

Haiku

I have been bothered recently by not being able to remember a haiku about morning glory and a well and it is not the famous one which goes

• morning glory!
• the well bucket-entangled,
• I ask for water

I am bothered by the thought that I am remembering a different translation. I have been hunting through  our books to see if we have it anywhere. In between hunting, I have got the warp for caladium leaves on the Megado and half of it is threaded up. It's a dawdle! 24 epi and a nice yarn (2/12 cotton) which slides easily through the lease sticks. I might have it finished today but I have Wednesday afternoon off and am going to Worcester to have a hair cut. We decided to keep my Wednesday afternoons off even when the bookbinding class is on holiday. I have signed up for bookbinding  next year and intend to get to grips with leather!! I have also signed up for a class (halfday a week) at Bournville College of Art on Creative Textiles. That starts in early September.

On the way back from Worcester, I will look in at the Plough and Harrow and see if it is suitable for a wheelchair. I hear good things about the food there. We have discovered that the local Community owns a vehicle kitted out for a wheelchair which you can hire by the day or by the hour. This might make a big difference to our lives. We have been thinking about buying such a vehicle and I would not mind trying one first.

Devore Leaves (3)

Various people made suggestions as to leaf placement (thanks to you all) and I tinkered with it a bit myself. So this is the current placement. Having seen it as a photo, I now think the fourth leaf from the bottom needs to move to the right. (Note the colour is not right in this photo - far too dark).

I shall give it another day or two. To introduce another colour into the leaves, I painted the sample with SETA silk paints. It wicked from the  two small leaves into the body of the scarf but was contained within the large one. Not sure about this. The paint needs heat setting. I will try to wash out the paint with cool water. If that does not work , I won't risk painting  the scarf.

I have made progress with warping up for the caladium piece on the Megado. I have not used the warping wheel for a bit and the counter is now definitely kaput. So I have emailed AVL for a new one. The current warp can be completed without the use of the counter since there is  only 4 yards of warp. But the next Megado piece definitely will need a counter.