I Am Not Alone

One of the very nice things about traveling to other guilds is meeting up with old friends, and making new ones. This trip, in Escondido, I met Jean. Jean is a longtime weaver, who also has a yurt for a studio (hers is purple). Jean's husband has a business collecting and selling old textiles and tribal arts, from South and Central America, and (I think) Indonesia. What a fabulous job: travel, collect textiles, come home and sell them to earn money for more travel....

It's so nice to meet people with whom I feel an instant connection, and Jean is one of those. It is often the case, among weavers, spinners and knitters, and one of the reasons I so enjoy retreats, guilds, and conferences.

Jean's studio is the same size and age as mine. The fenestration is different, she has almost all her windows on the back side, with a deck overlooking the lake beyond. It is a fabulous site, and a fabulous studio. Hers felt more spacious and open than mine. Hmmmm. Maybe I have too much stuff? Mostly I have too many (big) worktables. I came home and surveyed the mess that I call my studio. So far, I've done nothing overt to change or correct anything, I am still thinking.

One of the things that struck me at Jean's studio is the open central area. Yurts have wonderful acoustics, the sound travels around the circular structure in ways different from our more common squared-off rooms. When standing in the center of the room, any sound you make surrounds you. I used to have my CD player on the table, in the center of the room, and the sound whirled around in a very satisfying way. But I have blocked that acoustical ability with a large worktable I am loathe to give up. I just might have to think of a way to re-arrange the studio.

I am still thinking.

Another delight in returning to the area was meeting up with Deanna (frequent commenter, but no blog) and Judy, both of whom I know from previous trips. Judy brought me her completed knotted pile bag from this class:

front

back

It was a treat to see the finished bag, Judy did a fabulous job, (despite my blurry, very unfabulous photos) even unto the French knots! Happily, she said working on the knotted pile has inspired her to many other, more hands-on kinds of weaving and needlework, including pine-needle baskets. She tried to fool her husband by saying she'd only need a few pine needles, and that they are free. We all know where this story ends!

And on local notes: spinner and knitter Stef has a new blog: you must go check out her chicken coop. I'm just hoping chickens are color-blind, or they might be just scared off their nests :).

And the lion has not been sleeping, tonight or any night. His return has meant Sue lost her last angora goat, and another pregnant ewe. Sue's animals were locked up in the barn, but the lion so frightened them that they burst the lock on the door, to escape into the pastures, where he met them.

The trappers say this guy is just marauding, killing and not eating the animals, killing for sport. Others in the area have lost sheep, llamas, alpacas, calves and chickens. We listened the other day as the tracking dogs bayed, but they did not find him. The trappers will keep trying, and may the lion finally rest in peace.