Wool gathering

On this last day of 2008 I've spent further time mulling over what's next for me on my fibre journey and revisited some of what I accomplished over the past year. I am especially pleased that I displayed my art quilts in two shows. This year I will enter a juried show, join Fibre Art Network, continue to improve on technique, sink deeper into my style, sell a piece, complete one quilt a month, delve further into surface design, make business cards, read daily about art, work in the studio nearly everyday, go on an artist date once a week with my camera, keep a list of books I complete, write an article, teach something and create storage for my fabric (Is that laughter I hear?) Each of these intentions is much more specific and to help keep myself aware of them, I'm going to make a collaged poster to hang.

So what is that photo above? I decided I wanted to try knitting. When I was a young girl my Grandmother taught me how to knit. I knitted 6 or 8 inches of a 'scarf' and that was it. Well - it turns out that the body does remember. I did have a book with diagrams that I planned to use but these proved undecipherable to me and when I played around I got it. Earlier today I went to Beehive Woolshop for roving and to find some hand felting needles. Part of the morning's planning was deciding how best to spend my Christmas money. I have a library book on hand felted pets - and every one of them is so cute I want to make them all. I never found the hand felting needles but I walked out with some sparkly blue and silver sari ribbon to trim the last gift journal cover I plan to make. Funny how that happens :)

Earlier in the day when I was in the studio clearing supplies from the last journal project to make way for the next, my eye was caught by an embroidered piece I've made and I wondered what if I put it on velvet and made it a journal cover? So then I went to my basket of velvets and began trying a few out and found a good fit. And then I realized how disorganized the basket was and that some of my velvets were elsewhere and suddenly I was reorganizing and that's when I came across a piece I'd forgotten about that I got at 'Mostly Silks'. I knew it would be perfect for the next journal cover. So my point is that I love working in this random 'feminine' fashion - cruising from one thing to the next as I desire and somehow this leads not only to productivity but to a sense of joy as I work. No stern task master saying 'You can't reorganize the velvets now, you have to look for fabric for the next journal cover!' I wasn't looking and I found it anyhow.

Also today I bought a silkscreen, squeegee, fluid for inkjet printing on fabric, a collage book and a lino cutter for stamp making. Okay - and a bit of roving and a purple shiva oil stick that is the only iridescent colour I don't have. Oh -yes - and another wildly exciting thing I did was sign up for an on-line class with Susan Sorrell called 'Fertile Earth'. I was actually looking for a different class when I came across hers and felt that unmistakeable call...

And now in the last hours of the year I'm going to do the I Ching and draw some cards with an eye to the year ahead.