Routine

 

I've managed to make some progress on this warp, and it should come off the loom in the next few days.

Overall, I'm pleased enough with these towels made using the 'mystery' yarn from my stash.  But I have a lot more of it and will not use it up on the current warp.

Mind you, some of each of the two warps was used to weave samples for the two articles I'm working on.  Even so, I doubt I could have used up all of the mystery yarn.  

What to do?  What to do?

Do I put one more 2/8 cotton warp on and use it up, or switch back to the 2/16 cotton so I can begin weaving the fine linen?

Right now I'm torn between the two.  On the one hand I'd love to use up the mystery yarn.  On the other, I'd really like to go back to the lighter weight cloth that is more suitable for tea towels.  

I wouldn't call the heavier weight 'tea' towel, just 'towel'.  However, I did use up one of the gigantic cones of the mystery yarn, and am making a good dent in the 2nd.  Still, it would be nice to get rid of all of it and free up some more space on my shelves.

This week I started another pain medication, plus I'm reading a book called The Pain Project.  Chronic pain is, in so many ways, mysterious.  It can manifest in different people in so many different, and ultimately personal, ways.  It's hard to get to a solution for everyone.

I feel enormous gratitude that the local pain doctor I'm seeing is willing to *listen* to me, and try to help by offering suggestions.  To have someone believe me when I say I'm having pain actually makes the pain easier to deal with.  And I'm so grateful to be off the opioids and not have the brain fog they caused.  I can tolerate quite a lot of pain if I can just keep my brain!

Since I can no longer travel to teach, or even teach in person anymore, my choices are limited.  If I have my brain I can still write about weaving and teach that way.  So, I'm pleased as punch at the opportunity I have been given recently to write articles.

One will be available shortly - will let folk know where and when as soon as I'm told I can do that.

Three articles for one place are on hiatus for a number reasons, partly because Life Happened to one of the editorial team.

Two articles will appear next year.  The lead time for actual print production is generally 6-12 months, so this is not unusual.  

I'm hoping the new medication will allow me to sleep through the night and generally make my life more 'comfortable'.  And in the meantime, the Pain Project is giving me some insight into what that journey looks like for someone else.  

Acceptance is not giving up.  It is taking a good long hard look at the present reality which then lets me begin to think about how to move forward.  If I can't physically teach in person, I *can* still write.

So I guess that is the direction I will point myself going forward

And in the meantime, keep weaving down my stash as best I can.  

Onwards!

(Birthday Bash Sale begins July 1 running through July 9 in my ko-fi shop)