over 30,000 yards and still wrapping…

That’s right. I’ve pole wrapped over 30.000 yards of string around poles making arashi shibori in the last year. I know this because I’m down to the last spool had to reorder string this week. My last order was a year ago and before that I wasn’t keeping track. I was still in the experimental mode, trying all sorts of string looking for the one I liked best. Lee Ann recently left a comment on a previous post wanting to know what kind of string I used. For my work, I have settled on something called D-Core. Someone asked about this in a previous post which I answered in a comment but is kind of hard to find so I’ll repeat it here:
I’m using something called d-core. It has a poly core and is cotton wrapped and is used in the textile trade I think- I first purchased mine at a local weavers annual show and sale but it can also be ordered online here:
http://www.amefird.com/d-core.htm

Now, having tried several types of string before settling on the d-core, experimentation and trial and error allowed me to discover why this string became my favorite. It may not be yours. Different strings give different results. Try several and discover what result you like best.

Lately, I haven’t had much time for blogging but have put up a few photos on flickr. Here’s another view of one of those pieces:

I call this piece “embers”.

Back to the 30,000 yards of wrapping. Even though this sounds like a lot I feel I have barely scratched the surface of this technique. Bruce over at narablog recently posted a shibori fabric that both inspired and humbled me. Apparently it’s a combination of stitched and polewrapping that is VERY labor intensive. That’s what I like about shibori. Endless possibilities.

On another note, it had been hellishly hot here for the past few days and finally cooled a bit today. At least we are near the coast. Inland was an absolute oven. Great for drying silk though! Giving myself a break now and then, I’ve been peddling my bike over to a friend’s house to take care of the critters and the *pool* while they are out of town. Taking my macbook and working in between dips in the pool. Hard work….but someone’s gotta do it!