Perspective.

I've become a recluse when it comes to anything other than fiber.  I had a call from a friend Friday which started "I used to have this friend..." and I just about died from the guilt.  This is a lovely person, and I'd just been thinking how long it had been since I'd seen her and that I should call her...but she beat me to it.  And mostly, that's what happens.   A lot of recent conversations have started "God, I haven't seen you in so long...."

I just want to be home with the wool.  Or out looking at wool.  Or hanging out with wool friendly people.

I've always been a little odd, we know this, but I think my oddness used to be more easily hidden inside of conventional social interactions.  I was willing to play along because I had no compelling reason not to and I have all these friends that date from then - real friends, people I love - but the re-discovery of knitting and the paths it has led me down have released my weirdness into its proper sphere, given it shape and direction, given me passion and purpose.    Overall I am pleased, but I need to work on handling the intersection of old and new a little more gracefully.

I did go visit that friend on Friday.  She's a good one, and listened with more patience than one might expect to the Rapture of the Wheel, as described by me.  When I noticed the polite glaze in her eye, we moved on to more mutually congenial topics.  It was fun.

Note to self:  Giving all my resources to this passion isn't, I think, any healthier than not having a passion at all.  I must make sure I do not neglect the good from the old way in favor of the good of the new.

On the other hand, what could be bad about activities that result in this?

I have the hardest time photographing the color of this - this is too dark, the others are all too light.  Please make note of the wood grain foam tiles: two thumbs way up on the new blocking surface, adaptable to any shape and size.

Yarn: Something in the vicinity of 1100 yards of Blackberry Ridge silk/wool fingering weight in Paprika. (One 4.7 oz skein, one 4.3, plus a bit of a third - ball band indicates 450 yards to the official 4 ounce skein.  But their skeins are generous.)
Pattern: Fiddlesticks Knitting Lotus Blossom
Modifications:  three additional pattern repeats - two in the blossoms, one in the stem
Needles: 5.5 mm ebony circs from Holz and Stein (The King of Needles)
Final measurements: approximately 109" across and 50" deep at the point, this is officially the perfect size shawl if you top six feet.  Just in case anyone was wondering.
Began Aug 18, 2005.  Finished October 28, 2005.

More pictures, because I just cannot admire this enough.

I think the silk reflects light, making these daylight photos appear more pinky/orange than spicy brown.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of the shadow cast by the lace against the whitewashed brick of my house when I wore it out today.  That moment alone makes lace knitting worthwhile.

Oh, and I hope everybody enjoyed Fitzmas on Friday.  I can't wait to see what comes next.  My glee is unseemly, I know.  It is, in fact a sad day for the United States that such things are happening, that the arrogance, greed, stupidity, corruption and narrowness of vision of our, I hesitate to call it, leadership has made it necessary....but it would be an even sadder day if the rot were left to creep and spread unchecked.
What I really hope for is a future I can feel more hopeful about.

Comments

[Bethany]

OMfreakin'G, that's one gorgeous shawl. I'd be sleeping in it if it were mine.

[Elena]

Beautiful shawl! I, too, am a fiber recluse. It's a little easier for me, since I recently moved across the country and don't have any real live friends to ignore. It's just me and the yarn, baby.
Just one other comment (which may have been mentioned before, but I don't read all the comments very often): I have a terrible time seeing the hyperlinks in your blog entries. The text is very light, almost the same color as the background. I'm not suggesting you should change it just for little ol' me ('cause it's not enough to make me stop reading your blog) but if others have had the same problem, it might be worth seeing if you can change it.
Thanks!

[heather]

loverly! can't wait to see it on you (ok, and fondle the blackberry ridge in person).

[melanie]

so lovely, I can see it on you looking spectacular!

[Kat with a K]

Ahhh, gorgeous. Where did you get the Blackberry Ridge? There as something I wanted it for (something from Scarf Style, maybe?) but I don't know of a local source.

[Kim]

Oh my............that is wonderful! I LOVE the color!!

[mamacate]

It is a thing of beauty. I can't wait to see it artfully draped, the perfect size.

Hooray. Congratulations.

[Kathie]

The shawl is lovely and I know what you mean about not being able to admire it enough. I recently finished my first shawl and keep looking at it, not quite believing that I actually made this piece of wonderfulness. It's a rush, that's for sure. Well worth the anguish and teeth-griding along the way.

And a Merry Fitzmas to all. LOL

[Lee Ann]

Dude. Need photo. I want to see this gloriousness ON.

You done good...and how can you not be passionate about something like that?

[Cassie]

The shawl looks even better in (and on the) person.

I don't know. I kind of love my woolfriends because they allow me to be the oddity that I am - and they are - too. I'm not really in favor of conventional social interactions, for the most part.

[Susanne]

Hey, your shawl is splendiforous!! Just lovely.

On the friend front...I suffer too from wanting to "just nest and knit" syndrome. However, I have to remind myself that if knitting were a man or a life partner of some type, we wouldn't ditch our friends for that life partner. We would hope they would have mutual interest, each in the other but we would not expect the partner to be the only thing in our lives. I always have to remind myself that if someday (GAWD FORBID) I am not able to knit, I still will want my friends regardless of their interests! ...just my thoughts ...

[S.Kate]

Behold the Fiber Recluse!
Spinning roving, tops and sliver into silvered sumptuous skeins -
Knitting berry bobble balls onto laceweight shawl-like webs...

Absolutely nuttin' wrong wit dat.

Sharing the boat...

[Laurie]

What a beautiful piece of work! It's hard not to hang out with people who understand what went into it, and what a gajillion hour binding-off means. Isn't it a wonderful life when there is not enough time to do it all? Careful planning might help. (I've personally given up.)

Goblins at the door. Must placate them and send them on their way.

[claudia]

Oooo. Ahhhh.

That color is really so different (and incredibly lovely) in person.

[Lauren]

Gorgeous.

[Kay]

We wish you a merry Fitzmas.

Of course, it's not exactly a happy occasion, but a satisfying one. Spin there is, but lame even considering the source.

BUT THAT SHAWL OY! SO BEAUTIFUL. Good on you! I've had good success re-training the old friends, by the way. Just wear 'em down. Knit 'em stuff. Put their kids' pictures on the blog. Whatever it takes. One world! xoxo Kay

[lanea]

Look at that shawl--lovely. Whooooweeeee.
Me, I just sneakily trick my friends into learning to knit or spin. I am apparently some kind of wool witch or something. It works most of the time. Merry Fitzmas.

[Becca]

The shawl is truly lovely--perfect combination of color and pattern. We do need to see it on you.

I'm afraid I jumped up and down a little bit on Friday. Here's hoping that Karl Rove eventually gets it too.

[margene]

I have been struggling with the same problem for awhile, too. It is easy to leave people behind when they aren't apart of our immediate lives or don't share the passion(s) we do. There are many wonderful people in my life that I need to make contact with soon. Thanks for the reminder and putting my thoughts into word (now for action).
Lotus is beautiful! Just picked up the pattern on Friday. It's in my future and of course it will be as big as yours is.

[Sarah]

Lovely, I feel priveleged to have seen it modeled in preson.

[cari]

Ahhhh! That's lovely. But yes, a modeling shot, please.

[julia fc]

Doesn't Alito's nomination just seem like spite after Friday? They want a fight? We'll give them a fight.
Lotus is an oasis. Cherish it.

[mindy]

Breathtaking - literally. And I'm loving those bobbles.

[Marcy, Blogless]

Well done, Juno! It is a thing of beauty. Hey, if we can't see you modeling it, how about getting The Harlot to model it?

And Merry Fitzmas to you, too, with many more to come.

[--Deb]

The shawl looks beautiful--that's one of the patterns I definitely like. I also know where you're coming from about being a Fiber Recluse. I want to either be out supplementing my stash, or home playing with it. (Well, or with Chappy, or a good book.) Socializing? With people who don't knit?? What's that?