March 17, 2005
Projects and destinations
I've been hunting around for fiber events in the area, in the nation, while Winter clings to us here in Missouri. A place to escape with wool and needles, something to keep me inspired until I finish my two current projects and Spring breaks out.
I've been working on the birds nest shawl, from Folk Shawls, a labor of love for the last year.
Moods swing on this one. I feel better about it after finding the same work on another knitting blog. That's the lovely thing about blogging, searching other people's public personal diaries with a kiss and a wave from Google.
If she finished so can I, although she doesn't sound like she has children or a gaggle of pets. Or a husband. But she lives in the South
Gawd, I wish it did honey.
Actually I think life just moves slower when you get out of the Main Stream. When you step off the Normal Path, dump the TV, the Soccer Mom schedule, the high pressure job and start focusing on stories and connections, on old people and children and old ways, then life just naturally slows down. Could be in Missouri, or Georgia, or NYC.
I think these things don't really slow us down, they really just make more time, like when we were kids and summers lasted so long we had time to be bored and pout and told our parents until we figured out that was a good way to get more chores.
Anyway - as I searched for a picture of the shawl I also found the yahoo support group - now I'm worried! Thus mood swings - and would you believe they are reflected in my knitting?
I barely touched it over the holidays, but have set a target ETA of end of April to finish. No later than when we go to LEAF in May. Yes, it's for me. A gift to myself that is sweeter because it is so hard won. Not just in time and in coinage, but also in hours spent learning to knit lace, learning the pattern, fixing mistakes that are as difficult as Ken Wilbur is to read.
So I was looking for a retreat, and waiting for inspiration to hit with my other project, a scarf to match my new coat - bought for St. Louis weather, when I found this site with tons of great links, and then I found this wonderful alpaca farm. I thought I might go looking at fiber when I go to Nashville this weekend.
Those sweet creatures, alpacas look so alien though, don't they? Who designed those necks?!
And then I found this cool SW Virginia bunny farm. Our beautiful german-cross angora bunny, Raz, looks just like her Greenberry Amber. And this is the time for gathering Rasberry's wool, placing it carefully into a box for later spinning. I love that it doesn't need washing.
I hate trimming it.
But, of course, the choicest fiber is plucked from her. She doesn't mind. And as it warms up she probably appreciates it!
A wonderful dear spinner and Estonian knitter, Merika Saarnit also lives in the SW Virginia, near this bunny lady. And she is coming to Missouri in April. I'll have to get in on her class! Best of all, this dear woman showed me spinning about 10 years ago, on her farm in NC, when she used to sell spinning wheels and teach and raise sheep. Generous and good natured, she's got nice karma.
And here is the last wonderful retreat destination I found in my re searching escapes, a Wisconsin fiber B&B. That's what I want to do when I grow up.
And write like Susan Sontag.
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