Build: frame, bridle, bowline

I finished my first suruga!

Three points along the bottom make ideal places to mount tails.

Boy Scout workshop invite

I've been invited to give a kite workshop to a large group of Boy Scouts in March. It's so exciting to be able to volunteer my time! It's all very preliminary, but this is what I know so far:

• I'll lead a two-hour workshop for Capitol Area Council Boy Scouts of America
• The boys will be 7-9 years old
• The activity will be held at Ridgetop Elementary School, 5005 Caswell Ave., Austin, TX

I need to get to work on a supply list and presentation--WOOT!

Suruga: hems

I couldn't figure out how to fold the hems without making at least two cuts in the sail. I hope the cuts don't rip in the wind. Perhaps some reinforcement will help.

Detail of kite sail showing beads of glue along the 2-cm hem.

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.

Kite studio in operation!

Since October, we've tiled our house, celebrated holidays and burned lots of wood.

Zilker Park Kite Festival social media coordinator

The Exchange Club of Austin leaders asked me to set up and maintain a Facebook fan page and Twitter feed. It's really exciting to have the opportunity to promote the Zilker Park Kite Festival to members of the two top social media networks. Fan and follow the festival right now!

2011 Zilker Park Kite Festival workshop schedule released

Four workshops are scheduled throughout Austin in celebration of the 2011 Zilker Park Kite Festival. The kite making workshops are sponsored by The Exchange Club of Austin and the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department.

The workshops are free and will take place rain or shine. The kites in the workshop are easy to make and participants can enter their creations in the Zilker Park Kite Festival kite contest.

All materials are provided and volunteers will help make sure things go smoothly. Kites will be on display and kite makers will be present to answer questions about kite making or kite flying.

Workshop Schedule:
noon-1:30 p.m., Sat. Feb. 5 at South Austin Recreation Center
noon-1:30 p.m., Sat. Feb. 12 at Pan Am Recreation Center
noon-1:30 p.m., Sat. Feb. 19 at Dittmar Recreation Center
noon-1:30 p.m., Sat. Feb. 26 at Gus Garcia Recreation Center

For details, call 512-974-6700.

Kite making at Sheriff's Extravaganza

I helped a few dozen children make kites today. The Exchange Club of Austin provided the paper, crayons, straws, tape and string. About half a dozen volunteers provided patient guidance.

Children could choose from an alien, butterfly or smiley face. They colored the illustration, then made two folds. A few pieces of tape later, the children would run around trailing their creation behind them. Sometimes the kites even floated in the breeze.

Kites are on hold

I thought my kite studio would be a few weeks away when I last wrote. Make that a few months.

Since Denise and I bought our house in June, we've painted, improved the patio, reclaimed the overgrown yard and tore out the dingy carpet in the living room, dining area and hallway.

Our house:

Five things that get in the way of kites

1. Work: I'm a reporter. That means I work long hours, cover some night and weekend events and bring work home. Freelance Web design assignments pile up at home.
2. Buying a house: Driving neighborhoods, reading sellers disclosures and sifting through online listings eat up time. Getting outbid depresses. Maybe I should just squat in Zilker Park.
3. The Internet: Why must you have such a compelling, useless and time-sucking hold over my free time?
4. TV: Not any more. I gave up cable last year and, not only am I saving money, I have plenty more time for No. 5. I do still occasionally watch a few shows online and DVDs from Blockbuster.
5. Reading: Curse you Bernard Cornwell for writing the Sharpe series!

The number one thing that will help me cast all those things aside:


April 10 | Devine Lake Kite Festival
Flying demonstrations, kite making, music and concessions
Devine Lake Park, 1000 Maple Creek, Leander • 10 a.m.–2 p.m. • Free • 528-9909 • www.leandertx.org

I'm traveling much lighter to Devine Lake than I did for Zilker Park. I've packed three kites: Yatko 3, Phoenix and my stunt kite. Never made time to finish making a suruga. Tons of materials, but so little time.

Purchase: fiberglass, ripstop nylon, book

On a whim, I typed 'kite' in Austin's Craigslist search box and found what could be the purchase of the year:

• 1- spool of black 100% polyester thread
• 1- yard of bright green ripstop nylon (40" wide)
• 1- yard of white ripstop nylon (40" wide)
• 1- yard of royal blue ripstop nylon (40" wide)
• 1- 3/4" diameter metal ring for attaching a bridle
• 2- 4 ft. long flexible white fiberglass rods
• 1- 4 1/2 ft. long 3/8" diameter fiberglass tube
• 5- 40" long 1/4" diameter fiberglass tubes
• 20- 11 1/2" long 3/16" diameter fiberglass tubes
• "The Ultimate Kite Book," by Paul and Helen Morgan (retail $19.95)

I paid $20. WOOT!

Purchase: paper, silk and fabric

Paper, silk and fabric excite me. Every material, holds endless possibilities. A scarf billows as a tail. Leafs of paper catch wind and soar.

I went to Jerry's Artorama, 6010 IH 35 North in Austin, and learned the store has switched paper vendors. The guy at the register, Armando, told me the new selection will be better than their current stock, which I think is very good. Meanwhile, all decorative papers are 30 percent off. I plan to visit again soon to see if prices have dropped even more.

This is what I'll use to experiment with the suruga kite design.

Bamboo-printed paper caught my eye last time I was in the store, so this time I bought four sheets in yellow, two shades of green and orange. Each sheet cost less than $4.

I couldn't take my eyes of a final sheet of paper labeled "raspberry zig zag." No price tag, so must be expensive, right? It also cost about $4! I would liked to have bought more. An imperfection in the zig zag striations--two pale dime-sized dots--must be why no one wanted it. I think it's beautiful.

At the Goodwill second-hand store on North Lamar, I found all sorts of interesting fabrics. Denise giggled at me for browsing the woman's section for gaudy prints on sleepwear and dresses. Nearby shoppers must have thought me a cross dresser or perv. I found gold in the tie and house wear sections. PK enjoys testing the textures.

 One is an Italian silk scarf about 16 inches square that has an orange flower and bow motif on white--it'll make a great sail for $3. I found a navy on sky blue polyester scarf nearly twice as big for $3. A set of four place mats, 39 cents each, with a funky blue spiral design will make for a fun sail if the gauzy material will catch wind.

What I think is supposed to be a gaudy purple and green curtain with sequence and tasseled trim might make for a funky tail. I don't mind paying $2 for about three yards of fabric, even if it's brilliantly tacky.

A trapezoidal fall-themed banner made of nylon could make for a durable sail, but the weight will probably limit its flight to days with stiff winds.

PK loves to play fashion show.

Purchase: kite-making supplies

Tomorrow I'll be at the Leander Public Library showing children six and older how to make a simple diamond kite from tissue paper, dowels and tape.

This week I bought four pairs of child-sized scissors, two rolls of packing tape and 30 dowels. I still have a ton of tissue paper from a previous purchase. I should have enough for 15 kites. Not sure what the turn out will be like, but I'm excited!

Build: suruga

I've been reading the instructions for how to build a suruga kite. I love the wide-bottomed shape and its simplicity. I think this is the next kite I'll build.

I might have to buy some paper from Paper Source. Love the Japanese and Indian selections of hand-made paper.

Build: della porta

I picked this design because for it's simplicity and because the sail is a rectangle. It seemed to be a good match for the copper-square paper I bought a couple of weeks ago.

The cross spars, which are held together by a tiny horizontal spar, are made of bamboo. I think it took about 30 minutes to make. I hope it flies.

Build: Semi rigid double foil sled finished

I've finished the semi rigid double foil sled. I added the center bridle fin and the bridles. The three bridle lines are about a centimeter or two off in length from each other. It was difficult to make them all the same length since each end must be knotted. I hope the difference in line length doesn't affect flight too much.

 Lesson learned: don't let your cat lay on your kite. When she gets spooked, her claws leave puncture marks as she scampers away.

Build: Semi rigid double foil sled

Last night, between drinking a few beers to prepare for a night out and waiting for Denise to get ready, I built most of a semi rigid double foil sled, which measures nearly six feet wide by about three feet tall. It's the largest kite I've made.

I used three eighth-inch dowels, a sheet of drop cloth and some packing tape. I would like to buy some brass eyelets for the bridle fins, but a a few layers of tape should work.

This thing is really quick and easy to make. Probably the most interesting to me about the build was the fact that I could take drop off material to make the central bridle fin--it matched perfectly.

I also found that the drop cloth was the perfect width. All I had to do was measure, mark and trim out four triangles and four circles.

All that's left is to attach the bridle and see how she flies.

Purchase: more hand-made paper

I stopped by Jerry's Artorama today. While on my way to a meeting, I couldn't help but stop to see what I could buy for under $10. The answer is: a lot!

About half a dozen bays display dozens of handmade paper. I didn't have much time, so I asked myself "What would you love to see flying in the sky?"

The answer: a grid of copper squares.

This handmade paper is from India and silk screened with a metallic ink. I think it's going to make for a beautiful kite. Now to decide on a kite design.

More Craigslist bamboo

When I got home today, I went with Denise to a stranger's house. Denise had arranged for us to pick up some bamboo from a woman who had cut a pile four feet tall. Some of the shoots were more than 20 feet long!

We spent about an hour trimming down the shoots to a manageable size and clipping off leaves. We worked as it drizzled and the temperature dipped. My baby loves me!

 

I have doubled my stock of bamboo. This stuff was just cut down this past weekend. I'm not sure if I'll need to let them dry before I make them fly.

I love you bamboo!

First flight of the 2010 season

Today was a gorgeous day: cloudless sky, 60 degrees and light winds from the north. I took Yatko 3 out to my regular spot.

Construction has taken up about half of the field I normally fly. I suppose it's an expansion of Westfield Middle School. Work crews were moving dirt all morning.

I was nervous to launch Y3 because I didn't want to rip the expensive paper sail and I wondered how the bowline would act.

My first few attempts failed. Y3 kept turning and crashing head first. I attached a cloth tail cut from an old bed sheet and the takeoff improved. The tail's weight and drag helped the kite stay mostly head up.

I could tell the kite's angle of flight was off because when the wind caught the sail, the kite soared straight up until it stalled out. After a few goes, I realized the top bridle lines were too long, causing the kite to lean away from me. I wrapped the two lines around the cross spars to shorten the lines, and found the sweet spot at three wraps. Two wraps worked OK and four also caused the kite to stall.

This kite is very stable. It often stayed in one position, appearing to hover. When the wind faltered, it tended to drift to the ground gently. It responds well to light tugs. It doesn't like quick changes in wind speed or direction, which sometimes made the kite flip or turn and sent it tumbling to the ground. 

I'm really beginning to understand the strengths of this design. The cross spars and spine extend past the sail, which gives the pilot a lot of options for customizing the kite's flight, such as adding up to three tails, adjusting the bowline or changing the bridle length. Also, the materials are incredibly durable. I crashed several times from at least 20 or 30 feet up with no noticeable damage.