Friday, August 21, 2020

Watersheds



Both of the warps collected in these bins are now complete.  Yesterday I finished weaving the current warp.  There might have been enough warp left for one more towel, but I had used up the yarns I wanted to use for weft, and I didn't feel like having a single towel of one other colour.  Since the remaining warp is most likely less then 2 ounces worth of yarn, I decided it could be sacrificed to the loom goddess.

Went to the massage therapist yesterday.  I had been feeling quite well, nearly myself again, so I dragged out the vacuum cleaner.  My floors have suffered because vacuuming is the worst thing you can do with a wonky back.  However, the herds of dust buffalo were growing and I was finally feeling well enough that I cared about how large they had gotten.

Of course I wasn't able to do more than half the house before my back started to seize up on me, and I put it away again.  But I got the worst of the worst.  When I told the therapist what I'd done, he looked at me sadly and said that at least I'd done it before I had my treatment, not after and messed everything up again.  I told him that was exactly why I'd done it - I needed to find out my limitations.  He agreed that I did, and now I had I needed to lay off the vacuuming again.  I said I also had a Swiffer 'mop' and he agreed that was better and that the rugs would have to wait until I had recovered further.

But it was a watershed moment - the realization that I was actually recovering some of my ability to function and that allowed me to hope again.  I am well aware that I am now much older and more physically compromised than I was when I started weaving.  Rode hard put away wet, comes to mind.

When I got home I rested, took a Tylenol and then finally got to the loom to weave the last towel on that warp.

It feels very satisfying to use up the tag ends of tubes of yarn.  To the point where I am finally beginning to think about what comes after the tea towels.  By the time I weave off the four warps waiting in the queue, I might feel tea towel saturated.  In which case, I have loads and loads of rayon(s) that need using up and maybe it is time to do a run of scarves to start using up some of that.

In my quest to use up stash, I feel I have only made a tiny dent in it.  Fine yarns go a very long way!  But I also like the quality of cloth that a finer yarn can make.

I still have to deal with all that silk, and now that I've made nearly all of the jigsaw puzzles I own, it is nearly time to clear off the dining room table and set up my e-spinner.  And make yarn I can actually see.  My cataracts are getting worse, and the one in my 'good' eye is actually distorting my vision.  I may not be able to drive after dark this winter, which may impede my ability to participate in guild drop-ins. 

OTOH, with the pandemic still in the equation, there may be good reason to continue to self-isolate and stay away from groups of people in confined spaces with poor air circulation.

I still have the internet (fibre optic was installed this week!) and can maintain contact with friends near and far virtually.

Stay safe, everyone.  Wear a mask if you need to go out, maintain safe social distance, wash your hands.

{{{hugs}}}

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