First build of 2011: Suruga

It feels good to be in the process of building my first kite of the year. This suruga design has a unique bottom-heavy shape, which looks a bit like an arrow pointing down.

I'm finally using a sheet of the hand-made paper I bought from Jerry's Artarama back in March of 2010 (read "Purchase: Paper, silk and fabric"). I chose to use the yellow and green bamboo print paper, which matches the pale green color of the bamboo I'm using for the spars and spines.

I've retired the last kite  I made, Yatko 3, which now hangs on a wall in the studio. Repeated crashes and the rough edges of the bamboo cut away at parts of the sail.

To reduce that from happening with my first attempt at a suruga, I sanded down all the rough edges.

I'm using the same technique I first used on Y3 for keeping the bowline in place (read "Build: Yatko 3 -- bow line").

So far, I've cut the sail, glued on the wings and prepared the spars. Next, I'll hem the sail and assemble the frame. I'm toying with the idea of staining the bamboo to give it a finished look.

The hard part will be to set up the bridle and attach the bowline. Not really looking forward to that part.

I am happy with our little garage studio. It's a bit crowded and all very impromptu, but it's functional. Refining the work space will be enjoyable, but the real fun is just beginning for the season.