A slightly frantic celebration of colour, fibre, and creative urges that won’t settle.

This blog probably needs its own recurring segment called “Look What I Made” because more often than not, that’s what I’ve got.

No cohesive story, no tutorial, no grand reveal. Just: look.

The recycled sari silk ‘confetti’ that gives this yarn its character came from a small fibre and yarn shop in Japan

It Started in Kyoto

In a tiny Kyoto fibre shop, I stumbled upon these vivid bundles of recycled sari silk fibre for spinning.

The idea immediately began to take shape, I would blend these vibrant bursts of colour with neutral, natural wool to create a modern tweed with confetti-like flashes of silk.

The Yarn: Subtle Mayhem

75% Haunui wool
10% Recycled Sari silk
15% Mulberry silk

Blended on my hand-cranked drum carder, then handspun into fine singles, this two ply yarn brings together the delicate softness of extra fine-micron wool combined with the cool drape of mulberry silk.

The sari silk does whatever it wants – bursting through the calm, silver-toned Haunui wool. Each crackle of colour a moment, suspended.

The Artworks

I didn’t plan to paint. But after spinning, I felt like I hadn’t finished the sentence and was compelled to create two watercolours to accompany a very limited few skeins of this handspun Confetti art yarn as they made their way to new homes.

The Connecting Thread

One resonant highlight of my time in Kyoto was the Yayoi Kusama Print exhibition, whose swirling dots and bursts of colour perfectly echoed the playful chaos of my handspun Confetti yarn and accompanying watercolour paintings.

As a fan of Kusama, I have visited several exhibitions of her work during my last two trips to Japan. But for now, here’s a couple of out-and-about in Kyoto snaps.

I have a series of blog posts to come about my June 2025 adventures across Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Nagano, where I chased after art, rare fibres, and traditional crafts.

These stories — or, I suppose, yarns — will have to wait for another day. Hopefully, very soon.

Cheers,
Charlotte x