Sunday 7 February 2010

End of Books

I have finished! There are two more full shelves above what you see and more full shelves on the right hand wall. I was out yesterday at Kennet Valley Guild and decided while driving home that I had to have the table back by tonight as I must glue up some bookbinding endpapers and silk covers and have them dry and pressed flat by Wednesday. This morning, my daughter gave me a hand with the highest shelves which require me to stand on top of a step-ladder. Next thing to do is to clean the carpet  before I go to bed tonight so that it is dry by tomorrow morning. After that, I can return all the 'small' things at my leisure. 'Small' things means the AVL warping wheel, my reed and stick holder, the chairs and not forgetting the pictures.

In between times. I have been thinking about paper. I have been rereading Kijiro Ikegami's   'Japanese Bookbinding' and thinking about using Japanese paper which is very light, 30gsm to 80 gsm. The proper stuff is made from mulberry bark and other vegetation and it is very expensive here. It seems to run at £7 a sheet upwards and that is for one sheet 50 by 70 cm. Not the sort of stuff you want to make a mistake about. However when I was in Kuala Lumpur in April 2009, I bought Michael as many different kinds of Chinese paper as I could find and, when I looked at these last night, they are the right sort of paper and weight. They are Chinese but apparently the Japanese think quite highly of Chinese paper so I am going to start with the two sorts I have. There are three sorts in all and Michael says only one is what he wants. Besides I can always order my KL family to bring me some more back!!

I have a long roll and ten packets of 20 sheets each - that should do for a bit. The packets cost the equivalent of two pounds each. The paper is not something you can easily write on as it is intended for Chinese watercolours or inks and is very flimsy. The photo is of a cock done by Lian Quan Zhen, a gifted Chinese artist. It was done for us in the front of a book I bought from him.  Very cheering.
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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.