On New Leaves and Shedding Skin

It's been so overwhelming, I don't even know where to start.

A week ago, the journey home began with a bus ride to Boston, a bus only narrowly caught by jaywalking across a wide, busy road with several small children and gigantic luggage. I traveled with only one of the small children, my own, and he was quite enamored of bus travel and made things much easier than I could have hoped. A little confusion and lack of communication on my part made for some fruitless runnings-around on Sarah (

sarahcoyne

) and Megan's (

suncloudedover

) parts (sorry!!!!!), as Alison (

wonderlandq

) found me lickety-split and we blew right on outta that bus station right quick, beating Sarah to her casa by about an hour and a half. OOPS! I missed Megan entirely. Boo on that bit.

Sarah heard some bedtime story and the little guy crashed out hard on the Deadly Daybed while we had the best dessert ever, which consisted of handmade ice cream, strawberry-rhubarb sauce and crushed dark-chocolatey/salty cookies. Seriously, it was so good. I'd try to recreate it here, but the strawberries aren't the same and the rhubarb here is ridiculous.

Anyway, the flight was uneventful but exhausting, and I've spent this entire week just settling into our latest state of limbo.

We're at my in-laws in the East Bay Area, and for several weeks, possibly a couple months, C will be up and down between here and the farm up in northern CA...the farm job is going to be awesome, but we need to get our shelter figured out. Right now, the plan is to build a platform and set one of these on it.
The little guy and I need to stay behind down here until something is set up. The only setback is that it's going to be a while before C is paid and we're not sure how we're going to purchase the actual structure. I'm confident we'll figure it out, though.

I avoided getting in touch with anyone since we've been here so I could process and absorb my new surroundings. Sure, it's all familiar...it's not like we've been gone twenty or thirty years, but still...it's very different from the life I'd gotten used to...flying in over brown, dry hills instead of lush, green mountains made my heart heavy...we hiked today and it felt like we're suddenly in a different hemisphere entirely. Bristle thistles and crunching grass, air that is dry and crisp...tell me that it's summer here.

Moving on, there has been a decision made through all this transition...this being that it's time to retire The Spun Monkey in it's current incarnation. I will still be producing yarn, and I will retain my Etsy shop...probably not my website, but the domain will link to Etsy...maybe just x-post to a wordpress blog that links to everything...but I cannot be a yarn factory any longer. Stick a fork in me. I can't keep staying up until 2am to meet the quota I set for myself so that I have enough for shows, consignment and my own shop. I have a child and a husband and will also be integrating myself into a cooperative farming scenario. I will still be spinning and creating art, but it will no longer be during hours when I should really be sleeping. And normal hours means less productivity. However, this also means that my time with my art will be precious and more fulfilling because I will be exploring what I want to rather than what I feel I should be working on in order to sell product, meaning: more complex pieces, fine art and mixed media works and varied mediums. This shouldn't be disappointing to anyone, as it should make my shop more interesting to follow and incorporate more of my passions as it evolves. Fiber and yarns will always be there, but I need to branch out creatively or I will burn out.

That's all I've got for now.

Plunking Away

In one week, I say goodbye to Vermont as home.
Soon, it will just be one of those places I visit, where friends live whom I miss but don't keep in touch with as much as I'd like, a place to pine for when I'm lonely and a place to be glad I'm not when I have a mild northern CA winter.

BUT, I don't really have time to think about it, as I spin and spin and make arrangements for getting stuff home. I am beyond exhausted...the boy is clingy because he misses C (we are going on the fifth week of single-parenting) and so I don't start working until 9pm. He wakes up around 7am, so there is not much happening in the way of rest...but I'm accumulating a nice pile of work for Renegade.

Even though I was fighting to keep my eyes open during story time, we managed to create a little solstice festivity. Behold, Mr. Sun:

He's made from soft, plant-dyed felt, cotton/linen thread and LOVE.

They made friends:

We lit a candle at dinner while it poured and poured outside. The sun was mysteriously absent from his big day. We are hoping he's made at least enough of an appearance in the last few days to ripen some strawberries up on the ridge, but I'm preparing myself for slim-pickin' at the farm.

Today is filled with good-bye...friends I won't see again before the Big Day and friends who are starting their own new journey West. Impossible now to deny it's really happening.

xoxoxo

Marshmallows make everything Better.

I am going to say this really loud because I really mean it:
I REALLY WISH CRAIGSLISTERS WOULD GO BACK AND DELETE THEIR POST WHEN A PLACE IS RENTED OR THE ITEM IS SOLD.

I am already sick to death of getting excited about cabins in the woods where I could keep my chickens only to be ignored when I make an inquiry.

So, what do you do when the housing market is getting you down and you've decided to get aggressive about going back to school for your MFA in Fiber Arts??!? You celebrate by making yummy things with maple syrup:

No corn syrup...maple only, and they are awesome. I didn't have powdered sugar, so I dredged them in cocoa powder to keep them from sticking to each other after slicing them. We tried roasting them over the fire, but they just don't puff up like the hydrogenated kind...they melt, rather, but will be excellent in hot cocoa tonight. We have perfect cocoa weather today...delightfully gray and gloomy.

Anyway, so yeah...I'm aspiring to be a Duck: http://art-uo.uoregon.edu/index.cf

m?mode=areas&page=fiber

Back to spinning and obsessively refreshing housing listings.

Stuff and Nonsense

So...the move:
-Plan A: Santa Cruz, CA
-Plan B: Humboldt, CA
-Plan C: Eugene, OR

We've picked it. The spot. Apparently, The World's Greatest City of the Arts and Outdoors. Anyway, third plan's the charm. Right?

So, next step...find a place to live and job/jobs and stuff. No problem, right? Seeking reassurance here, people. Oh, and if you know anyone in the area we should hang out with, let me know.

When not in a knot (ha!) about impending major change in my life, I've been working on new goodies for Renegade:
Monkey Mitt Knit Kit:

Tea not included. Just some yarn and a pattern.

Maybe yarn that looks like one of these:

Or maybe not. Whatever tickles me. Don't worry, there will be a color you like.

Am actually feeling rather hopeful today. In fact, I'm going to make rhubarb sauce to celebrate. Lots of ginger and love, people.

Oh, and PS: there is this downtown.

overwrought much?

x-posted from LJ May 26

Yeah, so I went to the naturopathic clinic today to get the blood draw for my allergy panel.
After leaving my crying kiddo at school, then passing the clinic by and driving several minutes out of my way, I arrive fifteen minutes late.
The receptionist is sorry but the doctor is already in with her next appointment.

It was just. too. much.
I started to try to explain and next thing I know I am weeping and she wants to come around and give me a hug. Can I be any more of a mess?

I found out yesterday evening from an exhausted C that the Santa Cruz situation wasn't going to work out. In pretty much a thousand major ways. Not the least of which being that the roof is rotting and the contract is all kinds of different from what we'd discussed with the landlord previously (like not being able to tell anyone we live there). C and his dad spent the night at the house and the former woke up at 1AM, turned on the light and found a scorpion next to his head. Thank you very much, Universe, I read your signal LOUD AND CLEAR.

So, in my flustered panic at being 3000 miles away and completely powerless in helping to make decisions regarding my very near future in California, I call an old friend.
Who just so happens to be in need of a farm manager.
Goodbye, Santa Cruz. Hello, Humboldt County (tea, modernacorn ?)

Everything has changed in a span of 12 hours. Instead of the south-of-San Fran Pacific Coast I will have the Trinity River and HELLO I WILL BE LIVING IN THE BIG FOOT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. No joke.

I need a nap.

btw, I love you all who offered encouragement in my locked-post moments of freak-out. And you, sarahcoyne , I am so taking you up on your offer, but just for one night before we fly out from Boston later in June. :)

Points of Interest...

*It's time again to make dandelion biscuits. Remember these? YUM.

*I saw a naturopath today and have an appointment for an allergy panel blood draw. I've never been so excited about getting stuck with a needle.

*It is, apparently, amazing that I can even stand up with such low blood pressure. I am a delicate flower. Or maybe my adrenals need some TLC.

*C leaves with the truck tomorrow. Our space feels very lonely right now...a shell of a studio and a futon on the floor. The little guy was awesome about saying goodbye to all his stuff for a few weeks. He seems to understand that goodness will come of this move.

*I sold the Subie to a junk guy for $100. When he came to get the car, which mind you is/was actually still running at the time, he said, "So, since I came today, can I give you $94 for it?" $94???!?
I took $100, thank you very much.

*I still miss my goats.

*I'm going to miss my cat.

*I appreciate "the nineties" more as a decade than as a temperature. This is only temporary, seeing as how all my skirts are now packed on a moving truck. Why did I do that?

*I have a new pattern/kit...pdf coming as soon as I figure out how to make one. Ha ha. I need to find me some of this magical stuff called "time" so I can learn how to use some of the seemingly awesome programs I have on this computer.

*Anyone know any tattoo artists who knit?

The Crapola and The Goodness

Crapola first: I haven't been posting because I'd love to have something else to talk about besides how preparing a cross-country move is rapidly destroying my soul.
We are seriously tense over here, people. C and I don't usually argue over petty bullshit, but here we are, doing just that. I've been purposefully avoiding most forms of communication with my friends. It's so much easier to shut down and be an asshole than to feel my heart break every time I feel closer to a good friend I'm soon to leave behind.

Goodness = The weekend was awesome. Stacey and I went out to see Jill Sobule at the Iron Horse, and I am really going to miss that venue. Jill was full of Adorable and Charm and Hilarity, and I had a very nice sparkly water with lime. Before the show was a shared pile mountain of deliciously greasy tempura (hence the sparkly water to settle the tum) and a solo-effort chocolate truffle that was much too large and delicious for one person to consume (but somehow I managed it).

The next morning was you-know-what (which, btw, I had totally forgotten about...I'd like to think I honor my mothers every day) and I was allowed to sleep in (7:50am!!!) and a pile of french toast awaited me at the bottom of the stairs. Sleep + Toast = The Good Life.

The rest of this week I can pretty much do without. Our tenants (yeah, the new ones who moved into the house we haven't been able to sell) just decided to move out...a week before C leaves and so now we scramble to get new tenants in.
We have friends to buy our wood, though, and I might even get $100 for the sad Subie that is minus one cylinder. It's all about balance, right?

Oh, and before I forget...and this one's for the locals...well, the locals who are into fiber:

This Saturday, May 16th 10-4pm...The 6th Annual Jamaica Fiber Festival
in Jamaica Village, VT

Come visit. It is my last New England hurrah.

And when we get to where we're goin' and I have a whole new set of locals, there will be this:

Here: on July 18th and 19th! Woo!

I'm teamed up with Kim of Infiknitty for this event, and I'm very excited! It's a fabulous way to be welcomed back home. I'm keeping just enough of my studio here to keep up on production while 99.5% of my worldly belongings are on the other side of the continent. I'm borrowing a spinning wheel and I won't have my drum carder, but felting gear is very minimal, so I will be focusing on the summer Tangled scarves and a couple of new kits for the show involving a sweet little mitt pattern and some dyes.

Happy...what day is it? Thursday! Happy Thursday!

Where I've Been...

Here:

I have a few hours of tagging ahead of me before I can ship a big fatty box to Cloverhill Yarn Shop for MDSW. No sigh of relief, however, as production mode shall remain in full swing until C takes my studio away...I will have zero fiber for nearly an entire month. I am building inventory like a crafter possessed. No sleep for me. Oddly enough, I don't even want the sleep. This deadline business has been fueling my creative fire rather than dampening it. I just can't get enough wool play.

There are other places I've been....mainly enjoying the quiet of the housemates (a family of five) having been away for two whole weeks. I had no idea how much I missed about having my own cozy home. We function much more smoothly as a family unit on our own...I need a village, not shared housing.

I've also been in packing mode in between things like eating and felting. We're aspiring to a much higher standard of pre-loading organization this time around, because we won't be able to unpack right away when we get there, maybe not for several weeks or months, and will undoubtedly need to find this or that in a box somewhere. I'm not at all anxious about this and that's a BIG FAT LIE.

Okay, I've gotta know...***BRIMFIELD LADIES***...what is UP?!?
which day? can it be on a weekday, like Friday? (I have a fiber fest on the 16th I really shouldn't flake on, but will if I have to)
I want to see you all and fight over buttons at least this once before I leeeeeeaaaaave.

It's official.

I'm going to miss this place.

I've been spending my days in a wistful haze, quietly drinking in sounds and smells, trying to take in as much of this amazing seasonal transition as I can...knowing the seasonal shifts in the redwoods will be the merest of subtleties compared to the utter bursting forth that is a New England Spring.

I'm going to miss this girl, too:

My Alice.
But she's a Vermont girl and has zero interest in long journeys and the salty sea. She likes bracken. And lots of it. And she probably won't miss me all that much. Or at all. But I'm okay with this.

Really, I'm okay with all of this. If only because I am very distracted with the fact that I have only two more weeks until Twist and less than that to ship out for Maryland Sheep and Wool.
I have been mad prepping:

Have not even begun work on the shiny new thing that I intend to have ready for both. Luckily, I can run remarkably well on very little sleep.

Since C has been back and housemates have still been away, there has been family time and even a few quiet moments in the day...I had forgotten what it was like. We are quite the efficient little unit when we have our own space and time to manage. I really enjoy not needing to schedule my laundry and showers.

C leaves soon...in a few weeks time. A solo drive. The whole storage idea became ridiculously expensive. So, the standard moving rig it is, and we'll just have to move everything around a lot when we work on things like the floors and such. The little guy and I are still planning on taking the train...just the two of us...a few weeks behind C so he can get some of the more major work done without having to worry about kid-safety, or un-safety as the case may be.

I'm going now to soak up the remaining bits of this glorious Spring day. And eat a popsicle.
xoxoxo

I love today...

*Woke up, feeling empowered...fed the horse and the sheep and goats and the chickens, even the nasty rooster who went out of his way to attack me yet again, pilled and fed the dogs and then the cats, built a fire, made an awesome multi-grain hot cereal, got us dressed and out the door for 8:30am school...

*Seems I should be left alone with a shitload to do more often.

*Took an amazing snowy, hilly, winding, windy walk to my friend's house where we had tea and knit on things.

*Came home to find that C had called...we are 100% go on this place...we will be in the heart of redwood forest...oh how I have missed those amazing trees...5 acres not 3...some prime veggie-growing conditions once the brush is cleared and terrain that is perfect for raising goaties again. So much work to be done to make it a safe place to live, though, that C is thinking about going out there a few weeks maybe a month ahead of the little guy and i so he can get started on creating a livable space before we get there. I intend to spend most of my time outside this summer, anyway, but it would be nice if there was, you know, a place to cook, a dry place to sleep and that kind of thing. The views are of pretty much the whole damn Bay all the way to Monterey. This is so worth the leap.

*With this slight change of plans (staying behind for a few weeks), I may not entirely miss strawberry season in Vermont.

*I have an amazing yarn on the bobbin I hope the little guy lets me finish. Time to get him.

*Whoooooooooooooo!

April 8, 2009

*C's out there right now...camping out at the place we're likely moving to in less than two months time. Want desperately to know what's going on, his thoughts, what it looks like feels like smells like...anything. No cell service so am in the dark. Boo x 10, I'm feeling anxious.

*This is my first night alone in this house. The housemates left (also for California coincidentally), and now I am in charge of my boy, a giant nipping draft horse, three crazy voyeuristic sheep (they are endlessly watching the windows of the house from the pasture), three goats (including one master escapee), two dogs that need to be pilled (one of which has taken to leaving diarrhea on the floor) and two awesome cats (who require very little from me). Oh, and about fifteen chickens and one asshole rooster who bruised my calf the other day.

*Am looking forward to when the roads are no longer the consistency of cake batter. Seems I will be neighborhood-bound for the next few days as even the all-wheel-drive Subaru is no match for the deep, gooey ruts from our driveway to the main road. Had to park it a mile and some away at the town center.

*At least for a couple of days the SNOW and frigid cold will harden up that cake batter I mentioned, making a more pleasant walk to the car if I desperately need it, but it's a long walk for a four-year-old. And snow? Come ON. There's even talk of accumulation.

*Will need to rent a car to make the 3 and a 1/2 hour drive to pick up C from the airport on Saturday. I'm out a wheel bearing and strut. See that part about cake batter.

*Wind is wild and whipping about. I'm surprisingly non-plussed by this whole situation. Just getting sleepy...finally.

This week...

*I made things.

*And ate things.

*And my baby turned FOUR.

( Birthday stuff and FooooooD )

The first question out of his mouth this morning was "How do rocket ships go up in the sky?"

Whoa. How did we get here.

I put the house in his birthday ring to represent the journey to our new home...he's getting really excited about it (as are we)...and much of his imaginary play is centered around going to California. He got a pail and beach tools from his Nonna and spent much of yesterday "digging" on the bed beach. "When will it be summer?"

If only there weren't totally overwhelming preparations to be made before we get to a California beach or I would be frolicking in imaginary sand right along with him. We were hoping for a POD for moving our stuff ('cause I'd really like to take the train across), but it seems that, even though they service 48 states, Vermont isn't one of them. Another option we are exploring is a freight car...this seems so ridiculous, but we are bringing building materials and insulation materials and a cookstove and and...much more than we would normally move...so things get BIG and heavy really quickly. Plus, we'll need storage when we get there because the place is not exactly move-in ready. Basically, we need to be able to put our stuff in a box, move the box, and then keep the stuff in the box for a while after we get it there. Must be a way...

Back to taking the train across...looks like we can stop in NYC, Kansas City (

insubordiknit : hang out for a day or two at the end of May, bake things and knit things?!??), Santa Fe and then San Francisco. However, Amtrak website is not helping me figure it all out. Will talk to a human on Monday. Same for the Pod People. There just must be a way...

Alright, now he just asked, "Can you drink blood?"
It's time to go have breakfast.

March 21st, 2009

Had a delightful time celebrating the first day of Spring with a little egg-dyeing mayhem and used the leftovers on some wool. Waste not!
It's lovely but I just now realize that, even though it's a bit after noon, the temp is not yet above freezing and so likely said wool is icing up in the breeze rather than drying in it. A cruel little Spring joke that I don't find particularly funny.

Keeping warm on this chilly day by dismantling a rag rug full of amazing colors of fabric strips...still no camera, but it's on the way and soon I'll share the results of their whirl through the wheel.

Body is ready for a run or a swim or...something. Spring may not be warming the Vermont air, but I sure do feel it in my bones and muscles, ready to explode from the cabin fever of the last few months.

C is going on an expedition to the other coast in a couple weeks...(E, can we come and play in B-town before/after??!?)...figure we'll make our move a little less blindly than moves past. Even though we're going back to a familiar place, there is this little matter of finding work and actually seeing the place we're moving into before we actually get there.

May 19, 2009

The Little Guy and I...we stand alone in wellness, looking down over the wreckage that turned our home into The Vomitorium. We've pounded the probiotics, the honey-lemon and elderflower teas, smoothies of homemade yogurt and summer berries. We step over the casualties...3/4 of the household brought down, and we are ready for them to all feel better so we can have normal meals again, use the bathroom whenever we want, and in my case, to get some work done again.

I still have not ordered my camera. The whole wheel thing really has made me nervous about investing in any moderately expensive piece of equipment for my business. I can find the Xsi for $600 or $219 depending on the website. My gut says go for the reputable biz that I've trusted for photography equipment forever and pay the higher price, rather than take my chances with a place that is obviously selling it for less than cost or perhaps it's just a knock-off???? Ugh. I really should look into whether or not there's a place in Bratt I can go to buy locally if I'm just going to pay full price anyway. I excel at making things a lot harder than they need to be.

In other news, there are several things I'm prepping for:
Twist Fair, May 1 and 2, Northampton, MA
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, May 2 and 3, West Friendship, MD (sending my stuff down with the Cloverhill Yarn Shop...I won't be there myself)
Still on the fence about applying to the BUST Spring Fling Craftacular and Art Star in Philly. If I don't apply to BUST I'll be doing a local fiber fest that weekend in Jamaica, VT. I'm just worried about putting too much on my plate right before moving.
Anyone do the Spring Fling last year? Any thoughts? I did the BUST Holiday Craftacular the first year of the event, but haven't applied to any of their events since. It's kind of a long haul to a very unfamiliar place for me, but now I have some family in that area so it could be a fun trip on the train.

And then there's filling up consignment/wholesale accounts...I want to have everyone taken care of before I take a month or so off during the move.

Speaking of, we are now in the planning stages, trying to figure out how the heck we're going to get ourselves and our stuff 3000 miles west. The way we did it last time was ridiculously expensive...we're hoping to find some info about train cars but research is less than fruitful. Anyone have a transporter we can borrow? Preferably one that won't bring us to the other side as insects, please.

Oh, and it's snowing today.
Happy Thursday!

Feb 19, 2009. Wee hours.

In less than two weeks, a renter will be moving into the farmhouse. OUR house. The place where my son went from little blob of baby jelly to walking, talking, thinking small person, the place where I started my business, learned how to can veggies and make jam, the place where we buried my furry best friend...I don't know if I can handle this. It seemed like we needed, more than anything else, to get out of there. Townshend was a very lonely town for me...Crispin always gone and no neighbors on the same page or even reading the same book as I...driving, always driving to go somewhere else, anywhere else. And now I miss everything about it, the great old barn and my gigantic studio with lime green walls...even the slate floor that broke every time we walked across it and the traffic and the lumpy bumpy backyard. Especially now that we are living with another family (who are awesome, btw), I miss quiet mornings, just the three of us. It only ever happened on the weekends, but I ache for those mornings. I know I felt so trapped there, but it's hard to remember that right now. I just wish I knew if we've made the right decision. I wish I felt confident that things are going to be better for us because we've made this decision. I wish I wasn't up at 1AM typing this through a sea of tears, but I cannot seem to let myself come to a place of acceptance. What's done is done and there is no going back, so somehow I need to find a way to shelve this and think about the Spring and fixing up the cabin...get excited about it all somehow. There are seeds to order and fresh snow in the morning. So many things to look forward to in the coming months if I can just let this go.

Happier things in the morning.
I have photos to share of the goods that went West for Stitches.

My boy said "I love you SO much" today. Then he said, "Mama, you're hugging me too hard."
Goodness.

Balls!

It was warm enough in the studio today to play with the carder for more than five minutes. Hooray for a little teaser thaw!

I made these:

Some are for my shop and some are for Urban Fauna...

I have been absent, yes. Winter melancholy is really sinking in...it was warm today, the moonlight is bright and sparkling, but another snap of cold is sure to follow, and it turns me inward...I am ready for Spring and planting veggies and opening windows and muddy boots and only two layers of clothing instead of six.

I hate to say it, but we're still moving...there is a renter moving in March 1st, though, so we have added impetus to complete the process and just be done with it already. One of us has to get out there each day to feed the chickens, who are still holding down the old fort, waiting for their chicken coop to be finished on this side of Hwy 9.
C has been sick on his days off every week for the past three weeks, hence the slow progress...on pretty much everything. It's hard for him to get well when every exposed orifice gets filled with shredded paper all day. He's always pulling chunks of it out of his eyes and ears, constantly blowing it out of his nose. Gross.
However, after the job he's working on is finished, it looks like his hours will be pretty dramatically cut. The economic crisis has finally trickled it's way down into the cellulose insulation industry.

So. I'm getting my arse in gear, applying to shows and regularly updating the ol' Etsy. Starting with tonight's ball update and continuing with some yarn and felt scarves throughout the week.

Oh, and I tried hanging out with a new friend:

Apparently we have zero chemistry. Needless to say, the relationship did not last long.
Sigh.

Mr. Lendrum, however, has come through above and beyond...LOVE HIM. New parts are on the way to me now, at no charge. LOVE HIM.

And now I shall attempt to rest even though the night seems brighter than the day and this giant round moon makes me crazy. Chocolate cookies have been washed down with peppermint tea and the house kitties are on the prowl, waiting for me to turn off the light so they can use their night eyes.

I'll leave you with this:

I made a hat. (Rav link)
I love it.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

x-posted from LJ January 26:

...wishing you to be prosperous in the new year...

calm
hard work
resolve
tenacity
prosperity through fortitude

Welcome to the Year of the Ox

Don't know 'bout ya'll, but I plan on working my arse off this year...I will make the ox proud.

Still learning about my new life...some things about sharing a living space are so much easier...some things are quite challenging. But not at all in the ways I expected...
The biggest struggle for me is erecting boundaries...as in, retaining my own personal rhythms rather than simply melting into the flow that existed here before we moved in. But then again, maybe that isn't important at all...maybe my rhythms can use some adjustment...A huge blessing is that our two families jive really well and I know we will all be enriched by the experience. Most importantly, we all genuinely like each other and are building friendships, learning and sharing, creating...it's a beautiful thing. We have many similar goals and will all benefit from the mutual support.

Today, I get back into my spinning...the studio is still not ready to be heated, but it's fine for the wool to be frozen...I grab what I need and bring it up to the house for now...there are many events to prepare for...Stitches West, the SF Quilt Show...as well as finally updating my own shop so it doesn't look quite so ridiculously bare when I apply to upcoming shows.

The moving process is starting to slow down, although we still have a lot to do at the house. We are hoping a potential renter becomes more than just potential after coming to see the place this weekend. That would certainly give us more impetus (as if we needed it) to finish up over there, and take a great weight of worry off our backs. It was not the right place for us, but it is a beautiful old farmhouse and I would hate for it not to be lived in and loved by someone who can appreciate it and care for it.

Here's to a productive Monday...off to the wheel!

Madness!

x-posted from LJ January 20:

I've been so disoriented with this move, I had to be reminded more than once of what was happening today...

Yes, I am that self-centered right now. It's kind of hard not to be when there are monumental changes happening in my own tiny life. I wanted to get really excited and celebrate and all that...but...today was a school day for the little guy, which meant I had to take advantage of that time to make a run to the old house to feed the chickens and grab what I could (the chickens are still living there, 40 minutes away, until we finish building a coop for them over here. Funny, they seem happier and healthier than ever...), get back here, unload stuff, maybe unpack some of it, maybe store some of it, and then it was my night to cook dinner for the household, which I enjoy, but by the end of the day lately I feel I've run a marathon and wrestled with a dinosaur. Crafting, writing, thinking is not happening much until we get a bit more settled. Anyway, most every day is ridiculously over-scheduled....except now that we have a communal situation going, I am on cooking-duty for eight people two nights a week instead of three people every night of the week. I find it delightful and hope we continue the theme of community suppers even after we move into the cabin this summer. It's so much more satisfying somehow, to cook for a larger group of people occasionally than smaller meals all the time.

So, dino-wrestling aside, I know this is the perfect thing for us right now. Our housemates are amazing and fabulous people and we jive in a million ways. I just think a week-long nap is in order, and the Magical Moving Faeries can finish things up for us while I sleep. Is that really too much to ask?

In the midst of my current chaos, I finished something!
The Little Guy's sweater...finally:

He's already got it pretty well covered with bits of food and other oddments of fascinating texture and color, so I'm glad I was able to sneak a few pictures when it was fresh.