I finished this book in late September for an Art Books Cleveland exhibition. The exhibition just ended, and I was finally able to take photos of the book. The theme of the exhibition was rituals. I thought about it for months, came up with several ideas, but never actually started anything... I kept getting distracted by spinning wool and dyeing yarn. That is when I realized that my book should be about the rituals involved with fiber- the things I had become obsessed about this summer!
I came up with seven different rituals associated with wool, and illustrated each one of them. Scouring, mordanting, dyeing, carding, spinning, plying, and knitting. The whole book is only about 4 inches tall.
To make the cover, I dyed strips of kozo paper with leftover plant dyes. Then I spun the paper into thread using a drop spindle, and knit it into a rectangle. It was my first time spinning paper and using it for a book. It is a little tricky to get a nice thread without breaking or tearing the paper. Compared to spinning wool, it is almost easier because you don't need to worry about drafting the fibers, you just need to give the paper twist.
I know I am way behind on my 14 Art Books for 2014. It has been an interesting year to say the least, with several big changes in my life. I have two unfinished art books sitting in my studio, and the ideas/materials for at least three more... Time to get back in my studio and do this!
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