Donsu (3)

I have been writing up Donsu (= polychromatic damask) for the Japanese Textile Group and examining some samples under the microscope. The photo on the left is the back (lower) and front (upper) of a modern piece I bought in 2009. It is 55 epi  and ppi and the yarn is bundles of silk filaments rather than twisted. And it is drawloom stuff. I am disappointed. It is clearly beyond the capabilities of a Megado. Oh well. 

I think it is drawloom because donsu first arrived in Japan from China about 1600 and there were no Jacquard looms then! I suspect the pieces I have were actually done on a Jacquard loom. I still have hopes that I can accomplish a simpler pattern on the Megado but I need to get to grips with The Woven Pixel. 

Life has suddenly been complicated by my deciding to ask Margaret Roach Wheeler if she minded my warping up a wider, longer warp for her class in May so that I could weave enough for a top. She very kindly sent a leaflet about what dimensions to use, suggesting a width of 18 inches.  I cannot really use the Voyager which is nominally a maximum of 15 inches but in practice is 14 inches max. Well there's the Kombo but I planned to use the fan reed on that and need to have the fan reed piece finished by early June. I want to do a new style of fabric and also make a video of operation. I certainly can't meet that date if I do the fan reed after Margaret's course. which is 7th to 9th May. Michael suggested that I do the fan reed now which gives me six weeks.  The silk  for the fan reed project has been laid out beside the warping mill for four weeks ready for winding a warp.

This morning's irritation is with Google Reader. There used to be a system where it gave a list of blogs which might be of interest and I enjoyed reading some of these. But it tells me this morning that I am not using it enough. I am surprised. I can't spend hours every day looking at blogs. What are they expecting? The trouble is that I did not bother bookmarking the ones I liked.