quietly creating

22 years ago, I left my home province to begin teaching in a large city in a neighbouring province. My ulterior motive at the time was to join a Mahayana Buddhist temple in this city and eventually “leave home” and become a buddhist nun.

About a year and a half into living this dual identity, I realized that the latter career idea was not going to pan out. One of the monks mentioned to me that no matter how hard I tried to go through with my spiritual plans, it seemed that I did not have the karmic conditions for it to become a reality in this life.

Fast forward to present day and surprising to me: I still live in this city and am now entering my 22nd year of teaching with the same school organization I started with.

I was thinking about this a couple of days ago as I drove home with an impulse purchase from Kijiji. As is sometimes the case with impulse buys, the Lazy Kate I purchased was not quite what I expected. Yet, the seller was so effervescent, and I, in such a hurry and committed to following through with my plan, brought something home that will take me a bit of work to get to a serviceable status. However; I welcome this new to me, slightly neglected non-human item into my creative space. I look forward to seeing how we will work together.

Conditions. The condition of items we hold in our life and decide to let go of because of loss of value or meaning. The condition of our relationships to others and the condition of past experiences that lead us to choose one direction over another. Also, to be honest, I haven’t fully let go of the idea of something bigger than me having a hand in also setting conditions for my life. Yet, I prefer now not to name it and I am learning to no longer use it as an excuse for determining how and why I am in this world. That piece: a work in progress.

The conditions for spindle spinning continue to be great for me! The portability, the varying ergonomic possibilities and the artful variety of support spindles has me completely enamoured. Also, it is such a beautiful way of working: slow, rhythmic, meditative.

Here: two spindles I am currently working with. The cherry wand style is from Mawdsley Fibre Arts and the maple and purple heart cauldron style is from Woodland Handcrafts.
I feel the fibres I have chosen to spin on each match the personalities of the spindles. beautiful, rustic, natural Babydoll Southdown pin drafted roving from The Small Bird Workshop fits the cherry wand well and creates an airy, springy yarn. The luxuriously peaceful Polwarth and Eri silk rolag from Crafty Jak’s sings on the Woodland spindle. As the spindles fill; I will now be able to transfer them to the Lazy Kate bobbins for future plying.