Jay Rich's Shibori Workshop - All Sizes, Shapes and Colors

String of Purls recently hosted a Shibori Knitting workshop conducted by Jay Rich, a gifted local knitter/spinner/weaver. Jay walked us through the essentials of this ancient Japanese knitting and dye technique. By banding a "resistance" object, such as a marble, rock or fish bobber into a piece of feltable knitting, you can create the most appealing shapes and formations during the felting process. He also showed us how to create "gathered" lines by running thread through the fabric. This produced an accordion like crease. We experimented with different weights of yarn from fine sport weight wools to heavier felters like Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride.

We appreciate Jay's expertise and inspiration and are already at work dreaming up ways to incorporate Shibori into felted bags, clogs and scarves.