Passing the Torch

 

Now I'm beyond the 1 year 'anniversary' (birthday?) and trying to move forward, I have managed to think about some things and make some tentative decisions.

Right now, I still do not feel as though I am functional enough to give my prepared lectures.  Each topic was carefully created for doing it online, using Zoom and the slides are just (mostly) bullet points to recap my verbal presentation.  As such I have serious doubts (and therefore stress) about my ability to follow my lesson plan and present the information in which it was intended.

However!  The presentation with HGA in July was an 'interview' and as such more 'informal'.  A guild had contacted me in the spring and I asked them to contact me again in August, and rather than do one of my lectures (listed on my website) I asked if they would consider something less 'formal', such as a Ask Me Anything (wet finishing), where the guild members could submit questions ahead of time and I would focus mostly on what they wanted to know.

They have agreed to that, and set a date for next spring.  By that time, I am hoping that my recovery will continue and I will now consider such 'informal' guild presentations for 1 hour.  laura at laurafry dot com to contact me.

This week I will finish polishing the next article for WEFT and send that to the editor.  I worked on it over the weekend, and will read through once more (this will make 8? 9? times?) - after my alpha reader suggested some grammar/spelling nits that she spotted.  

As part of my recovery I accepted an invitation to join a large weaving group and have been choosing to answer some questions there, and recently I was on Ravalry  and contributed some information to a group there.  Someone in that group asked permission to use my answer in their guild newsletter and I gave permission.

When it is something involving ergonomics, especially, I will automatically give permission.  Over the years I have had numerous weavers contact me about inflammation issues leading to injury.  In addition to my own digging and consulting with local experts, I have had my general 'advice' about preventing injury confirmed by others.  One weaver came to the last craft fair we did in Calgary in 2019 to tell me how she had been unable to weave for two years, and after consulting with a long list of specialists finally found one who diagnosed her problem, and gave her a course of exercises to help relieve the pain.  She took my list of suggestions to the specialist who said that he could agree with all of them.  It took months, but by December of 2019, she was once again weaving, but only for short periods of time and lots of stretches.  She thanked me for giving people good advice and how much it helped her in her recovery.

Now, obviously I am not a medical professional.  So if someone is having problems, the first thing I suggest is to consult a physiotherapist, or someone versed in body mechanics.  But the advice I provide to help *avoid* injury?  They can help.

Of course every body is different, but the main thing to remember is that if you are having pain, stop what you are doing.  Rest those muscles.  If the pain persists, consult  a medical professional.  It is much better to prevent soft tissue damage than to recover from it.

As part of being part of a very large group online, I constantly see new weavers who ask questions.  I suggest to new weavers that - if they don't have a local guild - they look for good classes online.

Jane Stafford's School of Weaving will take a new beginner and walk them through the basics.  You will learn the glossary, and through the setting up of the loom and beginning to weave.

School of Sweet Georgia has a number of classes.  For floor loom classes Felicia Lo has some and I have 4.

Long Thread Media (Handwoven) has two classes by me and a number of other weavers.

Handweaving Academy has workshops in various aspects of weaving.

There are loads of books, of which 4 are written by me.  Three titles at blurb.com and one in my ko-fi shop.  The 3 at blurb can be ordered as a pdf download or in print.  These are printed in the US so not subject to a tariff.  The one in my ko-fi shop is pdf download only, again no tariff.

Right now I am putting my primary energy into writing for WEFT magazine.

So I am hoping to continue to 'teach'.  I am just changing how I go about that, given current circumstances.

I am not having a huge significant change with the new pain meds.  I need to phone the pain clinic and set up an appointment to talk to the doctor and let him know how it's going.  (not nearly well enough, but *some* improvement).  It is time to turn my gaze towards the future and figure out what happens 'next'.  I am through the 'rough' part of the journey.  I am blessed with supportive friends and spouse willing to chauffeur me around to my various and sundry appointments.  And I can still weave, although since the procedure on Tuesday I've been mostly taking it 'easy'.  

Good thing I have lots of jigsaw puzzles to make and which helps me from going squirrely.  We are in September now, and autumn is on the way, to be followed by winter.  Time marches on.  I may be 'staggering' but I *can* still make progress.  Time will tell how far I can manage to go.