Saori Weaving: Taking the Plunge

With just a small amount of warp remaining, I decided to play around with the Saori style of weaving, including roving and loose fiber, bits of silk and threads and yarns of all kinds…not that I limit my regular weaving to exclude these things, but the Saori style allows all of it and more.

Saori comes from a Japanese style created in 1968 by Misao Jo, the name comes from SA- from the Zen alphabet meaning each one has their own individual dignity and ORI is Japanese for weaving.

I am eager to see what the future holds for my weaving as I allow it to unfold.

In this first piece, I have used the small hand made comb beater Alisha loaned me rather than beating across the whole warp at once, and it allows me to create the curves and swells and mountains in the fabric. The warp threads are actually flat on a horizontal plane, it just appears bent, but that is an illusion. The texture on the surface is just the roving and locks poking through.

As much of a risk-taker as I consider mysel to be, taking this plunge into Saori weaving has been harder than I expected. I wanted to warp the small Cricket loom with black rayon first, and botched that all up; well, tangled it up, really. Then I figured I would wait until I had rounded up all the color coordinating fibers I wanted to use all together with other inclusion and get everything totally ready, then yesterday I just jumped in with the end of the warp on the 4 harness loom. Now I think I will work a few more inches and make this into a bag or purse.

I will post the progress as I continue. Stay tuned.