How to focus?

(Of course, I loved the ones with sheep best of all)

A few days before we left for our big trip, I managed to visit the downtown Lexington Public Library to see the Salley Mavor-Pocket Full of Posies exhibit. I've been a fan of Salley Mavor for a years and the opportunity to see some of her creations in person was an unexpected treat. I have her children's books and a wonderful poster that she calls Self-Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion, that depicts different styles of clothing she has worn through the years.  I'm sure I have posted this before, but I love her short film Rabbitat.  If you haven't seen it, please check it out. It's magical! The detail in her work is astounding and being able to see it close-up only made me admire her skill even more.

(The detail-the stitching!  Sorry about the glass reflection)

I'm always impressed by someone who can focus on their art in a way that shows real commitment and accomplishment.  I don't consider myself an artist in any sense of the word, but I do have a craft (actually, I should say crafts) that I love and I have great difficulty focusing my energy and attention long enough to actually produce any tangible results. I'm prone to blame farm work and animal care for my lack of productivity, but truly I think it's more a  case of my being undisciplined and inefficient in the way I spend my time and energy.  For me, there's a feeling of guilt associated with spending "too much" time spinning or knitting during the day, because on the farm, the work is never, ever really done. (Not to mention the washing, ironing, cleaning, patient files.....) There are so many crafts and activities that I'm interested in: spinning, weaving, dyeing, knitting, sewing, felting, embroidery, hooking, photography, gardening, cooking, reading, blogging, etc., etc.  The longer I live, the more lengthy the list of things I want to learn becomes.  So, my question is how do I learn to focus at this stage in my life?  How do any of you ignore the distractions and temptations that will keep you from doing the things you love to do?

Celebrations

Last week seemed to just roll over me and it's looking as though this week might do the same.  We  had a week of such highs and lows.  We gathered family together and held a celebration of my sweet mother-in-law's 90th birthday on Sunday.  There were four generations present who wanted to honor her and show her how very much she means to all of us.  She handled it all with her customary grace and good humor and seemed pleased (though she kept saying that she never expected to still be here on this earth for so long!).

On Tuesday, my 23 year old grand-daughter moved to California and my feelings about it are very conflicted.  It's an exciting adventure for her and I'm happy that she's having the opportunity to experience it, now while she is young.  On the other hand, I am, quite selfishly, very sad that she's so far away.  In the past few years, she's become more like the daughter I'll never have and I'm going to miss having her just an hour away.  It is a comfort to be able to stay in touch easily via email, phone and texts, so I can be grateful for that.

Late in the week, my youngest son's father-in-law quite passed away quite unexpectedly, after complications from surgery.   My daughter-in-law is part of a very close-knit family and it has been very sad for all who know them.  They chose to hold a celebration of his life, rather than calling it a funeral. He left a legacy of a family who never doubted for a moment that he loved them and the service was full of fond memories they have of him.

Two celebrations of life in one week - one for someone continuing to live a long and full life and one for someone gone too soon.  It's sobering to think how tenuous our life on this earth is.  None of us know what tomorrow brings or even how many tomorrows we have left.  I know I need to practice living each day to the fullest (and fullest does not mean filling it up with busyness), to avoid dwelling on negative thoughts and to tell those I love how much they mean to me more often.  Lately, I've been getting messages from different sources (even facebook, of all places) to slow down, simplify, be present and awake in my own life.  I've thought a lot about the concept of simplifying for some time now and it often feels as though the more I yearn for it, the more elusive it becomes.  Am I alone in seeking a more simple life?  I don't think I am, but I'd be interested to hear how others feel about the idea of it.  I'd love to know if you've managed to achieve a balanced life and how you accomplished it or if, like me, you're still trying to figure it all out.

It's a "Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out" Giveaway

When Susan B. Anderson's publisher contacted me about being part of the blog tour for "Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys" I was more than happy to do so.  As everyone surely knows by now, I'm a huge fan of Susan and her designs.  She is a rock star in the knitting world, but even better, she's one of the nicest and most generous people you would ever hope to meet.

(I couldn't help myself - I chose this as my first project!)

(and this one may be next)

I love everything about this little book.  It's cleverly designed with a pull-tab on the front cover to demonstrate how the toys work and is spiral bound (as I believe all knitting books should be), which makes it easy to keep open while you are following the instructions.  It's a great size to tuck into your knitting bag and the pages have an easy to read finish.  The very best part is the toy designs.  They are all cute, cute, cute!  I can't even imagine how Susan thought up all these precious toys.  They are designed with lots of unique features, but are not difficult to knit and Susan's directions are easy to follow and include an abundance of pictures to demonstrate exactly how to do details like the embroidered faces.  Susan answers all your questions before you can even think to ask them!  I took the book along with me to Michigan last week and spent a little while knitting up a toy.  I had a difficult time making up my mind which one to knit because they are all so unique, but in the end decided I had to start with the animals I knew best, the lamb and the bunny.  Susan used fabulous Quince & Co. yarn for her version but I decided I wanted to make mine with my natural colored handspun yarn from my own animals.  (It occurred to me, too late, that knitting the bunny with some handspun angora would be really sweet, but then concluded that since babies love to put everything in their mouths, maybe a really fuzzy bunny might not be the best choice for baby gifting.)

I've had to discipline myself to not use the word clever over and over again while describing this book and all the toys.  On the front cover it states that these two-in-one reversible projects are "Magical" and that is true.  So, here's the good news for you.  Leave a comment here and you'll be entered to win your very own copy of "Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys".  Tell me if you've knitted from one of Susan's books before or if you've ever taken one of her classes or if you're hoping for the chance to take a class from her some day!  Comments will close at midnight on Sunday, September 29th.  I'll use random.org to draw a number and will announce the winner on Monday morning.  Good luck!!

Inspiration

I recently saw this on Heather's blog, Beauty that Moves and am completely enthralled with it.  I think I've watched it several times, every day.  I don't even know how to describe the feelings I have when I watch it ..... maybe a yearning for the grace, wisdom and discipline that Maia embodies.



My friend Maia from julia warr on Vimeo.

Going to Gee's Bend

Well, I didn't physically go to Gee's Bend.........only in my imagination, inspired by an exhibit of some Gee's Bend quilts and by the two ladies who came to Lexington with the exhibit. Mary Ann Pettway and China Pettway held the crowd at the Carnegie Center in thrall last evening with their stories and especially their songs. What a gift these women have! To just stand up in front of strangers and sing, loud and clear and beautifully of their faith and their lives. I can't imagine, ever in my lifetime, of being brave enough to do that! And then there were the quilts. Some of them were very much like abstract art and I'll confess right here to liking them much, much more than any abstract art I've ever seen. I know the need for their quilts originated in the grinding poverty Gee's Bend experienced during it's history. The women who made these quilts deserve all the more praise for being able to produce something so joyful to warm their families, in spite of their circumstances.

Please believe me that I am not, in any way, trying to romanticise how difficult life must have been for these women. I come from very humble ancestors. My maternal grandmother raised six children and lived her whole life without ever having an indoor bathroom. I know from hearing her stories that every day was hard work from sun-up til sun-down. I'm just saying, I admire the spirit of these women. And it makes me feel ashamed of all the times I have whined and complained about doing the laundry, running the vacuum, having to put the dishes in the dishwasher, for goodness sake.