Fan Cord

After searching and researching all sorts of cords, I decided to make a pair of colorful and easy to twist a kinkarami no katayori (abbreviated as k.n.k.)..  My inspiration came from The Techniques of Japanese Embroidery by Shuji Tamura on page 29.  This picture has a lovely cord with tassel that looks absolutely carefree.  

The kinkarami no katayori is twisted using a total of six into one with #1 gold.  This makes a really nice non-stitchable cord that gives a feeling of movement that I was looking for.  There are several publications on how to twist this thread, my preference is to go back to my original instruction and use Traditional Japanese Embroidery: Instructions for the Basic Techniques by Shuji Tamura.  

I really love to "lay" non-stitchable thread.  By this I mean couching down a pair of the  k.n.k. using 1 into 2 couching thread.  In this case I twisted my own using the same color silk thread that I used in the k.n.k.  I continued to use the couching thread with the #3 gold for continuity but more on that later.  The k.n.k. are wrapped around the wooden Koma so that it is easier to place just right and keep taught.  The thread is supposed to be kept relatively stretched tight and wrap under the Koma.  In reviewing this picture it appears that I need to work on both when I lay the rest.  Perhaps this was because I was taking the picture and not actually laying it?  I hope so!

In URU, I placed the k.n.k. around the novel effect in the cloud and for the cord.  The cord has not yet been completed because I've been debating some design aspects with my JE buddies here.  I think my mind has been made up not to include a tassel for the cord under the tree limb but to let it fade out. There will be some floating Ume petals in the wind so I think this will work nicely.   Also, I will carry the cord off to the right behind the fan then to the right.  More to come on that subject but feel free to weigh in. 


Notice that in the spokes of the fan I am choosing to lay the k.n.k. both on top of and end it depending on where  the cord should appear.  Technically I should be putting a 1 pt space between the k.n.k. and gold spoke but in many cases there simply wasnt space.  In the design of this piece I could have chosen to have left the k.n.k. and let the eye fill in the blank but I decided it just didn't look correct so I left them in.