Tien Chiu

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December 11, 2012 by Tien Chiu

More pretty birdies

I finished debugging the sample last night, and started weaving the scarf-length section.This section of warp has a scarlet ground warp and a pattern warp that shades gradually from scarlet to orange to yellow and then back again, which should (at least in theory) produce phoenixes that start out invisible and gradually become sharply visible, then fade back into invisibility again. So far I’ve woven the scarlet portion plus a few inches of orange – the last bit I wove looks like this:

orange phoenixes on scarlet background
orange phoenixes on scarlet background

It’s going to be gorgeous. I’m very pleased.

I had originally intended this section of warp as a scarf, but I’m thinking I may turn it into a wall hanging instead. This is partly because I have some major flaws in the first four inches, but also because I think it would make a better wall hanging than a scarf. It’s a foot wide, which is a bit too wide for a scarf, in my opinion. Also, because I wasn’t thinking too deeply about the design, the phoenixes are most visible in the center and essentially invisible on the ends – exactly the opposite of what you want in a scarf. Finally, I think it would make an absolutely gorgeous wall hanging, if I cut it in half so the phoenixes were flying upward, out of scarlet invisibility, up into the light. If it turns out, that is.

Off to finish cooking dinner! Tonight I’m making one of my favorite stews – a beef-ginger-tomato stew with onions, cabbage, and carrots. I’m pretty sure it’s not traditional Chinese cooking (tomatoes being a New World introduction and all) but I learned it at my mother’s knee, and I still really like it. Especially with lots and lots of ginger!

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Filed Under: All blog posts, textiles, weaving Tagged With: phoenix rising

Previous post: Look at the pretty birdie
Next post: Stewing, gingerly

Comments

  1. BlueLoom says

    December 12, 2012 at 5:29 am

    Very nice birdies.

    As to the stew, EVERYTHING is better with ginger.  When I visit my sister in NYC, I can get ginger Altoids.  I haven’t found them anywhere here in the DC area.  Trader Joe’s has a wonderful granola with a lot of chewing pieces of ginger in it.  Great yogurt topping!

  2. HelzHart says

    December 12, 2012 at 9:48 am

    Hi Tien, still love your blog and how your book is coming along.  Your phoenix rising project is magnificent.  Do you share your beef stew with ginger recipe?  Sounds wonderful.  I love Chinese food and would love to be by your side when you cook it.
    Helen Hart

  3. Diane Irvine says

    December 12, 2012 at 10:19 am

    You can’t just casually mention that you are eating something totally delicious, and then not tell us how to reproduce said delicious thing. That’s just mean. 

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