Last Day of Fiber College

Yes, it is over until next year. 

My last class was "Spinning with Paper" taught by Sarah D. Haskell who is an artist, educator and weaver of woven voices.  The technique is called Shifu and was developed by the Japanese . The story is, in olden days after spies had completed their expeditions into enemy territory and needed to return to their lords with the secured information, it was imperative that the missives be kept secret and intact.  Onto washi, Japanese handmade paper, the confidential message would be brushed by ink.  The paper would be cut and twisted into thread and then woven into cloth. A spy could then pass through inspection without being caught by the enemy.  Once home, the cloth would be unwoven, the thread untwisted and the communique reassembled and transmitted to superiors.   

The truth is that because so little is known about shifu and with no written record, we can only theorize about its origin.

An important part of Shifu is that it can be washed without damage to the paper threads.  The Japanese have made kimonos, obi, formal kimono sashes, short working coats, men's summer robes and doorway curtains.

Our instructor likes to have her students write messages, letters, or pictures,  to sometime get out their frustrations on paper. The paper is cut into strips, spun and then woven.

Here is an example of her work

This picture is made with a linen warp and weft with the house inlaid with the spun paper.

I have never been able to use a drop spindle.

Unfortunately or fortunately, for spinning paper you need the control of a drop spindle.   Part of our class was on how to use the drop spindle. I can now spin paper but still will not be able to use the drop spindle to spin wool.

Examples of spun paper

Mulberry or rice paper cut and ready to spin.

My spun paper.

Our class with the teacher in the middle.

I went back to Miss Kitty to wait for guests to come by to see her and then went to the goodbye dessert social.   

I am looking forward to next year.  I even plan to meet up with a couple in St. Augustine, Florida, at a campground there so we can work on nuno felting.  I also have friends that work at the State Farm office in Jacksonville and others who live in The Villages that I want to see and it will be easier for them to come visit and meet Miss Kitty.

Tomorrow is a rest day then I head to Salem, Massachusetts, to meet up with two ladies that I have never met but we have corresponded online for ages.  One is a knitter and that is how we met and the other was introduced to me back when I was planning to get Miss Kitty and now she has just purchased her own 27 ft RV and will be hitting the road as a fulltimer soon.