S H I B O R I !!!!

or 'Nodules-R-us'


OH MY - How fun is this?

A while back I read about a Japanese technique called shibori.
What is shibori? Glad you asked....

Shibori is the collective term in Japanese for tie-dye, stitch-dye, fold-dye, pole wrap-dye, etc. It is translated into English as shaped-resist dyeing, because no comparable embracing term exists in English. Learn more about the World Shibori Network (WSN) formed in 1992. In other words, Shibori is the Japanese word for a variety of ways of embellishing textiles by shaping cloth and securing it before dyeing. Although shibori is used to designatc a particular group of resist-dyed textiles, the verb root of the word emphasizes the action performed on cloth, the process of manipulating fabric. Rather than treating cloth as a two-dimensional surface, with shibori it is given a three-dimensional form by folding, crumpling, stitching, plaiting, or plucking and twisting. Cloth shaped by these methods is secured in a number of ways, such as binding and knotting.
Okay, so mostly it is related to dying resists, but I had read an article about a year or so ago in Interweave Knits about applying the principle to knitting and
I had to try it as it relates to felting. Then, more recently, more information on this technique is in Interweave Knits, current issue 07/11/06. Check it out - there is a pattern in there for a scarf. Looks pretty fun, not sure about the finished shape as there is a lot of distortion when making the nodes.
Anyway, taking a pre-felted piece of wool, I wrapped small foam disks (about the size of half of a marshmallow) in random places. I wish i would have taken pictures, but it was SUCH an experiment one afternoon I didn't think to do it- next time definately!
This is what appeared. Big bumpy 'nodules' that aren't felted amidst a firm felted backgound. I just recently pulled this bag together, added some needlefelting aroung the 'nodes' and the standard magnetic snap and pretty cool wooden handles. I will definately have to do more with this style of felting.