Cold time in the old town tonight.

Oh - so much I want to write! But first let me get this off my whiny, petty chest. (And my chest is petty, that’s for sure.) Two friends of mine back in Indiana are going to the Edinburg Fiber Festival this year. Yeah, so first I am happy for them until I think, well shit,  here I was happy to be going to the Fiber Event in Greencastle, Indiana this April. Makes my dreams seem piss ant, right? And it ain’t cheap, either, that flying stuff! How can they afford to go to Scotland? Again? 

Oh, right, they both worked hard all their lives and so have money to spend on travel. Not like me, who hasn’t worked a real job in 25 years. 

And also? I hate traveling. New situations make me anxious and I would rather spend my few measly dollars a different way. Don’t like vacations, or even the thought of vacations. (Because you are going to come home in a week or two, and maybe less happy in your same old situation.) I don’t even like holidays because they throw off my routine. I am a homebody and I am not ashamed. Also an introvert with anxiety issues. 

I hope my friends have a great time, I really do! They both like to travel and both really like Scotland and I hope they buy a shit ton of yarn and take some classes. I  

will be happy to take my little trip to a place that I know pretty well, having been there 6 or 8 times before, and I will buy a shit ton of fiber and have a good time. I’ll be going with a buddy that I am very comfortable around, even though she is a Christian and believes that Satan walks among us on Earth. Can’t have everything.

It snowed Christmas eve and it didn't melt until last week and we finally had 2 days above 32º. Now it's snowed again and is -3º this morning. Fuck me.

On the other hand, the orchid I brought myself last year for mothers' day has bloomed again this year! Not that I had anything special to do with it except not killing it.

So. I have been enjoying my freedom from the arts council. It’s as though my brain has been freed up to think of something arty shit instead of being bogged down in a million little, (and some big,) details. I am not worrying about the next meeting and changing banks and getting that grant in on time and checking on emails. I have been able to let my imagination travel to weird places and think about several ideas for art pieces. I have been spinning and knitting and weaving, but I am ready to move beyond scarves and hats. Something useless and impractical.

I bought a new reed for my rigid heddle. It’s the Kromski Weaver’s Choice, which is basically a build-your-own reed with your choice of dents. I  bought extra heddle pieces, so now I have a 5, 8, 10, and 12 dent reed for my 24” Kromski Harp. I love that loom and I am enjoying messing around with the new reed. It came with a 10 dent reed, and I am thinking of getting another pair of heddle blocks so I can use 2 reeds at once to double my options. Honestly, though, I prolly have enough on my plate just using pick up sticks.

I have been having adventures on the drum carder, too, using a diz to pull off the batt as a roving. So many ways to use that technique! I made the diz from the bottom of a milk jug, (talk about cheap, nay, frugal,) but it works great. Those are the things that make me happy, simple oaf that I am.