A Very Long Piece of Zanshi ori: Leftover Yarn Weaving

early to mid twentieth century
12' 4" x 14 3/8", 376 cm x 36.5 cm 

Zanshi ori is cloth that is woven from threads either leftover from home production of yarn making, or from broken threads that were purchased from local commercial weavers. 

Usually the weft is fed with these random threads while generally the warp is regulated producing an irregular horizontal 'striping'; if home threads are used, knotted slubs can often be seen.

This is a particularly interesting length of zanshi ori for its generous length and its dark color. The overall tone of the piece is deep and murky tones of blackish/brownish/blue with warp-based stripes in brown and blue. The cloth feels a bit stiff overall.

Leftover yarns are easily recognized in the weft areas for the random striping they produce: this is a hallmark of leftover yarn weaving.

The great length of this cloth is a very attractive detail as much can be done with it.