Ode to Imperial Japan

Above it the warp prior to winding it on the warp roller.

The spacer bar and leash sticks made rolling the warp onto the winder a breeze.  We used a two person method of keeping tension on the warp and winding and it made for a smooth warp.

The warp is thirteen and a half inches wide gold cotton with two red cotton stripes on either side.  It is much finer than any other warp I have used in the past.

I used a short heddle hook so I threaded the heddles 1,2,3,4 and then tied bundles of 20.

I threaded the reed at twenty ends per inch.   

The red and gold waves are washi paper that I brought back from Japan last year and wanted to use for weaving.  I cut them in one inch strips and rolled them so the top side was showing.  I used them as weft and left the ends unfinished.

Mt. Fuji in hand dyed baby alpaca (Morning Moon) surrounded in gold chenille.  I wove the mountain first in tabby and then added the chenille in tabby wtih two shuttles.

The finished piece.  I used a combination of green chenille, gold chenille, red ribbon, gold ribbon, red cotton, gold cotton, white Japanese paper yarn (similar in texture to raffia), and red/gold washi paper.