Threadaholic Alert: Kyo-Temari UPDATED TO MIYAKO

This morning I stumbled across Barbara Suess's temari website again.  This is the best website I know about for learning the Japanese craft of making temari balls.  I've not been there in a while so of course I did a little browse, aiming to enjoy the gallery of Barbara's finished temari.  That's when I stumbled across Barbara's page about Kyo, a thread made from cupro.  Cupro is waste from the processing of cotton fibers.  It sounds really fascinating!  Breathes like cotton but it has the sheen (and the unruliness) of nylon threads and there are metallic versions as well.  Here's the link for all those who love tracking down and trying new threads in their stitching.
http://www.japanesetemari.com/Kyo/Kyo.thread.html

The link to a website that sells kyo doesn't work but I was able to find this Australian site.
http://www.temariaddictaustralia.bigcartel.com/product/rayon-temari-thread

Kudos to Barbara for all her work introducing us to temari.

UPDATE:  I heard from Barb Suess herself!  Here is what she has to say—

"Hi Jane! Alas, I need to update my website. Kyo thread is no longer being carried by Ai (the link on my website). However she is carrying another thread that is very similar. It's called Miyako. You can buy a whole set in a beautiful box for color indulgence.
http://www.tentemari.com/AIs_store.html

The box is Chiyotemari
http://www.tentemari.com/shop/chiyotemaripage1.html

Thank you for the compliments on my temari - I'll update that page!
Barb Suess"

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 29, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Temari Glory

Recently this story has made the rounds on Facebook-
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/12/11/92-year-old-grandmother-creates-gorgeous-traditional-japanese-toys/#more-109043

Basically the story is "92 year old grandmother does crafts."  There is so much more to the story!  There is more here.
http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2013/12/23/nana-akuas-grandmother/

And there are many, many more wonders here.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nanaakua/tags/temari/

The real story should be why more of us don't make beautiful things our whole lives?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Temari Book Review

Here is Mary Corbet's book review covering a new temari techniques book, which she say is good for both beginners and more advanced students of this Japanese art.  Having tried to understand temari myself from a book, I know how difficult it is to teach oneself to make these lovely decorative balls.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2012/06/temari-techniques-book-review.html

If you aren't familiar with temari, here is a site full of information and eye candy.
http://www.temari.com/


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Book Review: Temari

If you are interested in learning to make temari, this is apparently a great book.  It also is recommended as a reference book for experienced temari makers.
http://stitchinginnc.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-temari-book-by-barb-suess.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Thread Stash Credits

Last night I wasn't in the mood to stitch. So I didn't! Occasionally I need a break and I also feel I need to gather strength before tackling the May stitch on my Glittering Kimono. It is going to be a hard slog, that stitch!

Instead I read my emails. Marj sent me something utterly charming--an idea for thread stash credits. I think I'll try it starting with Glittering Kimono and South Seas Fiji as I know exactly what I've used on each project to date. It's a fun way to keep track of progress using what I have.
http://temarimath.info/temaritrain/?p=14

And isn't that what we all like to do, make the best use possible of what we have?

Ok, I looked at my records and Glittering Kimono has used nine threads to date (some were used on multiple areas). I have almost used up one spool of my May stitch's Kreinik. It will be gone shortly, so that makes my thread stash credits 10. I'm going to add an extra point for that almost gone spool now. (Makes the numbers look more impressive, you know!

I've used two threads so far on South Seas Fiji which is just underway. That makes the number twelve!

Ok, let's see what how high I can go. Thanks for the tip, Marj. I'm off to add a counter block to Blog. As I watch these numbers I may get a sense of how many colors I use in each design. I know that Kaffee Fassett normally used 12-26 in his NP designs due to the limitations of printing the silk screened canvases that Ehrman sells. And he manages to do stunning work with just that many. I am curious not only how much of my stash I'm using but just what actually goes into a typical painted canvas I stitch.

P.S. The temari site is a lot of fun to browse. I love temari although I have never figured out from books how to do this myself. Perhaps all her photographs will help me understand the process.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Listen Up, Class!

Last night I continued the Basketweave Marathon background around Holi, my "Tudor" dog pet guardian angel. It always seems to take forever but this is 18 count. If I stitch an inch or an inch and a half of background all around the perimeter of this angel, I am stitching probably 600,000 tent stitches! WHEW.

Of course my math might not be correct.

I might be stitching more....

[Jane feels faint.]

In other pet guardian angels news, Beth reports from IL that her pet guardian angel (she is doing the Medieval Cat for the ANG Auction) is demanding pearls. What's next? A fur coat? A Cadillac?

I also have chosen thread for my final angel, the Georgian Rabbit. But I have to finish Holi first. Speaking of which, remember how I planned to leave some of the areas at Holi's hem blank so I could put gold beads there? It looks to me that the couched green hem is so raised up away from the tent stitches in the background that any gold beads under the couched area among the tent stitches are going to disappear. (I'm using Petites from Mill Hill, not the larger gold beads.) So the plan now is to put gold beads on top of the hem couching. My lesson for you today is to always be flexible. Any plan you make or idea you come up with may not work. You can't always tell, so be ready to come up with an even more fabulous plan if the first one does not work.

Speaking of lessons, I have lots of class news for you today. The Shining Needle Society is offering a class on Japanese temari balls! Read all about it on Barbara Suess' temari website.
http://www.japanesetemari.com/classes/morningglory/MorningGloryClass.html

Needle Works in Austin, TX has announced three new classes--Margaret Bendig is doing a sampler of NP stitches for them, Tony Minieri has a great new teapot based on house in the Glen Elleyn suburbs of Chicago, and Kathy Kulesza is going to teach the Christmas Packages design from Associated Talents. The first two projects are pictured at the link below. To see Kathy's class, click on the In Store Classes link in the header next to the big flower.
https://www.theneedleworks.com/classes_teachers.html

Finally, Amy Bunger lists new classes for her shop, shows off customer projects including a fabulous Melissa Shirley circus horse (the Canvas of the Day is the Circus Tiger from the same series), shows you how to open a skein of Gloriana silk perle without tangles or tears, and gives you a preview of Tony Minieri's "In the Footsteps of the Pharoahs" design which will be taught in her store this fall. Plus more.
http://www.amybunger.com/current_enewsletters.html

Lots to learn, lots to stitch. Guess we'd all better get busy!

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow