kumo temari: toward what I don't understand

Thursday, September 27, 2012

toward what I don't understand

Every day I make an effort to go toward what I don't understand.
— Yo-Yo Ma (b. 1955)

A small temari with the traditional all-over flax (a.k.a. hemp) pattern, known in Japanese as asanoha kagari.

Thread wrap in purple; C8 division in #8 perle. Embroidery in two weights (#8 and #5) of dusty antique lavender (the "blossoms" [which are traditional pine needle stitching] are in #5, the heavier—and more common—weight thread). The quote by Yo-Yo Ma is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 9.125 inches / 23 cm; diameter: 2.9 inches / 7.3 cm. Completed 26 September 2012 (no. 169).

Sold to benefit Kiva.org.

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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.