kumo temari: oliver twist

Sunday, August 7, 2011

oliver twist

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.
—Charles Dickens

This is "Oliver Twist," a pattern by Barbara Suess. It's a deceptively simple pattern with the finished temari looking exquisitely complicated, a puzzle, Escher-like. It does require that the stitching be consistent and methodical, so it's good practice. Given the name, the quote above by Dickens for the bell box seemed apropos. 9.75 inches (25 cm) circumference; about 3 inches (10 cm) diameter. Completed 6 August 2011 (no. 009).

1 comment:

AnonymousAugust 10, 2011 at 10:48 PM
So beautiful! Elegant!

Teasing and then captivating.

Do they curve?

Or don't they?
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do you sell temari?

I sell select temari in my shop on Etsy.com — KumoTemari.etsy.com. Temari are added to the shop as as I finish them, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time, on average once a week. To learn how to find out when new temari are added to the shop, please see the FAQ section of my shop policy page, "How to Find Out When Temari are in the Shop." The FAQ page includes instructions for joining my mailing list.

All sales loan funds to low-income entrepreneurs around the world through the micro-financing site Kiva.org.

temari diagram

The temari is traditionally referred to in terms relating to the globe. Thus, the top and bottom are poles (north and south), and the horizontal circumference around the center is the equator (marked in red; it's called the obi, which is the sash around a kimono). The vertical gray lines represent the division lines that are marked with thread on the temari before stitching. This is a "simple 8" division (S8), resulting in eight equal "wedges," as if slicing an apple from top to bottom (wedges is not an official term, but it gets the idea across). Divisions include simple (S) and combination (C) — S4, S6, S8, S10, S12, and S16; C6, C8, and C10.