One day down

[altivo]

Survived. Got the judging results from the show, posted them into the newsletter. Dropped off a printed listing at the gallery, visited with people who came to hear Gary and Rob in the farmer's market outside.

One of those who showed up unexpectedly was an old friend from Chicago, a fellow librarian I worked with back when I first came here from Michigan in 1977. I haven't seen her more than once or twice since I left my position at Columbia College, but we used to have lunch together nearly every week when I was still working in the Loop. She and several others came out to the farm after the farmer's market was over, and we had a little lunch and a little talk, which was really nice.

Then Gary, Rob, and Dawn went off to play for Settlers' Days in Marengo, leaving me to clean up the dishes and do the barn chores, which was fine. All done now. Tomorrow is the gallery reception for the weaving and spinning show, and Gary is playing for that while I'm demonstrating spinning. We expect to see some friends from Elgin at that one.

Oh, and my shawl got a "Merit" from the judge. My skein of flax got first in its class, but since it was the only entry that hardly counts for much. Fortunately I'm not in this for fame and fortune. I'm looking forward to reading the judge's commentary on my work.

Bedtime for ponies...

Comments

[pioneer11.livejournal.com]

Oh don't hand me that wretched understatement!

You did goodly!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, I did, yes. Just getting nine entries ready in time was an accomplishment. There is nothing wrong with any of them. The spinning judge said as much: Among all our entries, there wasn't a single item that she disliked or considered mediocre, so to differentiate between entries, she had to look for minor defects or inconsistencies.

Some of our guild members are very much perfectionists, and I am not. I prefer to take a practical approach. I like the saying I first heard from the Amish quilters at Shipshewana: "Only god makes something perfect." They will deliberately introduce an "error" into their work to remind themselves to be humble. Everything I made this year is serviceable, pleasant to touch and look at, and should be useful for many years. That's my goal.

[(Anonymous)]

They will deliberately introduce an "error" into their work to remind themselves to be humble.

I know they're generally not pharisees or the like about it, but every time I learn something new about Amish humility, I can't help but think of Uriah Heep & his "more umble than thou!" attitude. Attention to detail is a nice thing, it's funny that they'd pay attention to botching a detail in their work.

I have much the same attitude as yours in my crafts and building. While I do hold myself to high standards and can be overly critical of my own work, as long as something is done well enough to be serviceable and reaches close to my own standards of perfection, I view it as a job well-done and something learned (if not a new craft, sometimes I'll learn a new technique or train my hands into more dexterity).

Don't dis your flax either for having no competition! That it was the only in class tells me you went off the beaten path and went after something that is probably more difficult in more than one aspect than spinning the more commonplace fibers.

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

That was me, I'm switching between workstations at a frenetic pace this morning! :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's a good point about the flax and not one I had considered. You're right, of course. For some reason, most modern spinners seem to avoid the vegetable fibers. Wool is easier to spin and does produce some lovely stuff, but I'm fascinated with the history of flax and like trying to connect to the very long historic tradition that rests upon it. And I do like linen cloth when it is finished, though it does take a lot more effort than wool does.

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

There ya go, I figured it was probably something along those lines! In competitive situations, I've noticed most folks will go for the "easy" things that they feel they excel at, rather than more difficult things that do take effort and may not yield the best results based on their skill levels. In other words, they don't take chances and push their limits, which I guess leaves the door wide open for folks who are willing to do so. :)