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The story behind this temari
pattern is ..... About three (maybe four) years ago a good temari
friend plopped the
Cosmo book my my lap and said "ok, figure how to stitch this one for
me". Well... we tried. Actually several of us tried. And we came real
close. Very close, infact. But - as I found out this summer with Ai's
visit (since this pattern was at the top of my list to ask her for help
on), this happens to be one of those patterns in the Japanese books
that no matter how well we can figure things out from photos and
digrams, you needed to be able to read the Japanese text in the book to
learn how the design was worked. So much for three years of
trying.... Within the TalkTemari list it's become known as
"Ginny's Headscratcher" since that is about what I've spent three years
doing while pondering it, along with help from a few folks on the list.
Ai was very supportive in saying how close we had come for not being
able to read Japanese, and she was very sincere in it. But, finally -
we can share this interpretation. It's from Cosmo Book 2,
(ISBN4-9377-0280-5), pages 25 & 52-53, and Ai's lessons. You will need a 3 inch prepared mari (I would not recommend much less than 3 inch diameter). For this example, it's a white mari wrap and stitched with red (contrast) and white (coordinating) pearl cotton 5. Plan on a skein of each color - it's a bit hungry on thread -, and a nice gold metallic for marking and embellishing. Work a Combination 10 division on the mari. |
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Add extra marking lines (Jiwari) after
completing the Combination 10 marking, as shown in green in diagram at
left. You will be stitching "off-set" pentagons, around the center of
each C10 pentagon. The points of the additional pentagons fall half way
between the centers of the ball and the common borders of the C10
pentagons (shown in red). Point Y is half way between Center A and the
pentagon side/border. Point X is half way between Center B, and the
same shared pentagon side/border. Do this around all centers marked
while doing the original Combintaion
10 division. You will end up with marking lines forming mitsubishi
diamonds as you go. The design is worked in two layers. The first layer focuses on the triangles that form around each 10-center pole, with a kiku design worked in each one. The basic stitching is Uwagake Chirdori Kagari, but it is modified so that rather than a point at the bottom of the zigzag, a passing stitch is taken to the next set of marking lines at the outer border of each triangle. This allows the bottom point of a normal UCK to "disappear" and become invisible under the wrapping threads. |
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Locate the triangle formed where three pentagons
overlap, as shown by the pins. The additional jiwari formed a center in
the triangle with ten lines - the kiku design will be stitched with two
sets of five lines. The center of the design is worked with the usual Uwagake Chidori method, but the bottom of the zigzag is "hidden" by passing under the mari threads. Begin with the contrast color - (blue here, red in the completed photo), and enter the thread as shown in Step 1 in the photo. Work Uwagake at the center, and then take a small stitch at the bottom (shown as steps 3 and 4) that passes under the mari threads to "hide the point" at the bottom of the Uwagake Chidori Kagari. Take the next Uwagake stitch at the center, and then a small stitch to pass under and move to the next section of the triangle. Repeat until you have worked Uwagake on five lines at the center, as shown. This technique of working Uwagake Chidori Kagari in each triangle, but passing the bottom of the Uwagake Chidori under the mari threads rather than creating the usual "bottom point", is the crux of working this design |
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Using the coordinating thread color (white in the completer photo - yellow is shown here so that there would be photo contrast), repeat the same Uwagake Chidori technique, passing the bottom of the stitch under the mari threads to "hide the point" on the alternate set of lines in the triangle. My personal hint for working the modified Uwagake - hold the ball with the center of the triangle as though it were 12 oclock when taking the pole/center stitch (the Uwagake part of the stitch). For the next stitch that will pass under the marking thread, turn the ball upside down, so that the border of the triangle where you pass under the marking threads now is at 12 oclock. You can complete each triangle like this before moving on to the next one, or you can work the ball in layers - do all Layer 1 in each triangle, then work all Layer 2, etc. Each triangle is independent of the others so it doesn't matter, you can do what you prefer. |
 Repeat in each triangle all over the mari. Repeat the layers to work a Kiku design of about three or four rounds. If desired the last round can be metallic. |
 The actual number of layers will depend on the size of the mari; judge by how well-filled it becomes. |
 The overlaid stars are working in Shitagake Chidori Kagari - taking the next round stitch tightly under the previous one when at the pole. To start, enter the thread (coordinating color) just under the long point of the diamond formed with the extra jiwari. |
 Carry the thread to the center of the design,and take the pole stitch in the space formed from passing the thread under the mari threads. Be sure to not catch the stitching threads when you take the stitch for Shitagake star. |
 Continue to work each star in Shitagake, tucking the next pole stitch as tightly under the previous one as you can. Bottom stitches should be placed to form sharp star points, they do not have to "fit" in between stitches on the previous layers. End just above the marking line dividing the diamond. |
 Work Shitagake star on each center, about the same number of Uwagake rounds, but you may need one more or less. You may overlay contrast threads on the stars if desired (see example finished photo above).. Work out-line in contrast thread, zigzagging around from start indents as shown. |