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July 09, 2004
Kikkō
Well, a lot has happened, let’s see a broken finger, another “sure thing” that didn’t pan out, a few visits to the Aquarium, raised two broods of butterflies…
Broken finger – right ring finger, playing that incredibly dangerous game of frisby with my 4 year old. Don’t ask.
So on to the new stuff…
I just ordered a whole ton of silk to do up. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new venture. I have sold 4 scarves so far (out of less than a dozen I have made) so if this continues it could be good. Most of the scarves right now are being made using shibori techniques. Hopefully soon I can rig up an area where I can stretch out scarves to be able to apply resists through katagami.
The scarf above is an example of both itajime, and kikkō. Kikkō is the tortoise shell pattern and represents the tortoise, a very auspicious symbol. According to Japanese folklore, the tortoise lives for 10,000 years and thus is a symbol of longevity, happiness and wisdom. The tortoise is also a symbol of the Japanese Buddhist deity Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom, wealth, and longevity. The kikkō pattern is obtained using one of the oldest shibori techniques, itajime. The fabric is folded in a specific pattern then clamped tightly between boards before dyeing.