A philosophy I find worth embracing is that you need to remove the things in your life that are blocking you when you want to make room for new things to happen. And in the spirit of that, I've been working on a rather thorough spring cleaning of tools lately.
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I'm pleased to say the first three items went quickly at the Whidbey Spin-In, giving me the energy to return home and pull together the next 19. These are a significant step for me in reducing how much is around me, so I am free to focus on the weaving I love -- my rigid heddles, my mechanical-dobby equipped Baby Wolf, and my ever intriguing Bergman Counter-marche loom.
It's not always easy to decide what needs to go. Tapestry weaving, for example -- there is a lot I could do there, plenty of ideas that sprang to mind as I worked through a sampler and learned how to bubble and tie butterflies. But I know my heart is in functional cloth, for home textiles and clothing. So I use that knowledge of myself to create a space and a set of tools that enable it. The tapestry looms need to go to an artist making tapestries -- gorgeous works of art that enrich all of us with their vision.
And there are plenty of other spaces to tackle -- the bookshelves, the fiber cubbies, perhaps even the spindle racks (yikes! not those!) But I know, too, that focus comes in baby steps. Today was huge -- taking the pictures, researching second-hand pricing on the items, getting them posted on my website, ravelry, and weavolution. So now I will let myself enjoy the progress, not worry about the work remaining.
As Scarlett liked to say, "Tomorrow is another day!" and thank goodness for that.
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© April 5, 2011 by Ask The Bellwether, posted at http://askthebellwether.com/blog
5 comments:
I suppose it's a good thing that I now live too far away to come pick things up at your house...otherwise, I'd be sorely tempted by the Dobby loom (and possibly the carder, too).
I bought a table loom from you several (3?) years ago; the one with the levers on the side. I've been weaving steadily away on it since, and have loved every minute of it. Thought you might like to know that your previous spring cleaning created another weaver!
I use the 3 year rule. If I've not used it for 3 years out it goes (unless I really need it or it's pretty)
You and I are on a similar path again. I, too, have cleaned out a lot of items that are in need of love and to be used.
Just found your blog and hope it's not defunct. I'm a beginning spinner and a wannabe weaver, and I have a question about spinning. I would like to duplicate the weight and structure of Jamieson & Smith jumper-weight yarn to knit a Fair Isle Sweater. I have some of the yarn, so I can figure out TPI, etc., but I was planning on using a Shetlend fleece (being washed now in my bathtub) with app. 4" staple length and thought that combing it was the best way to process it. Is this (worsted style) the best way to try to duplicate J&S or would carding be better? BTW, my husband is laughing at me for deciding my first real objective (as opposed to just spinning yarn with no objective in mind) in spinning involves processing fleece, spinning it and dyeing it to knit a FI sweater. It probably will take me a long time to finish, as I've never knitted a FI sweater, either. But I have many steps before I get to the knitting. Thanks for your help!
Inspiring as always. I too have started to clean out and re-organize my space. i have found this is a difficult thing for me so I am doing it in baby steps but doing it none the less.
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