Reclaimation

If you're a grown-ass adult, you already know when your best hour of the day is... If you're lucky, you get one hour of the day where you feel like you're awake and your energy is good and you've got your best mind, your shiniest mind. My question is, who or what is currently getting that hour? Claim it for you, that's yours, that's yours, that's yours, for your work, for the thing you are creating, the thing you are passionate about. You that that hour and put a border around it. --Elizabeth Gilbert

We've finally had a few summer-like days here on Vancouver Island... days when the sun is shining for most of the day, where the heat starts early in the morning and intensifies throughout the day, and we have to take Mr. Seymour out in the wee hours to make sure he doesn't overheat during his daily constitutional. It also means that many of the flowers in my yard burst into bloom, as they've been waiting for a bit of warmth to nudge them into their colours:

If you've read my blog for a few years, you already know that I find the summertime overwhelming. I'm one of those people who wish that everyone would just calm the eff down... no, I don't want to go sit outside on a patio all afternoon... no, I'm not that interested in tubing down the river and burning my skin to a crisp... no, I don't want to devote my whole weekend to outside get-togethers and barbecues. I've always put it down to becoming antisocial as I've aged. But it occurred to me this weekend that maybe the reason is that my personal time to myself is precious to me. I look forward to those few hours when I can take my time to sit and muse about what I'm currently making or what I'd like to make. I am loathed to give them up for any reason.

This is not to say that I am not happy to spend time with friends. The ironic, converse side of this is that I often find myself feeling lonely. But the balance between spending time with people I like and carving out my own personal time is difficult. So I'm trying to be careful about what I say yes to, and trying not to feel bad about turning down invites to things I really don't feel like doing.

I was happy to have some time to myself to just be at home this weekend. I had been itching to get back to working on the project I started in my Textile Illustration workshop last weekend. I found a few ideas throughout the week and was able to sit down today to try them out. It was just as enjoyable today as it was when I first tried it out. I think I might fill the fabric with more things and then quilt it to make it a wall-hanging or cushion or something like that:

I was also happy to get some time to apply some linseed oil to some weaving supplies I ordered a while back. I got two new reeds and a couple of pickup sticks to use for a weaving project that I've been thinking about for a while now. It's annoying how the tools never come finished when you get them, because it means that I couldn't get started on the project until I made time to prep the tools. I suppose other weavers like to have that kind of control over their tools, but I can't say I would know any better. Ah well. At least they've been oiled and will be ready in the next couple of days for the idea that's been trapped in my brain for the last few months:

After a week of tedious thermal crochet stitches, I am very happy to be finished my Heads or Tails Zebra Bag... except it's not exactly "finished" yet. The more accurate description is that the crochet part is finished, but I still need to find some lining, sew the lining, attach the lining and baste in the handles. I haven't had a chance to find any suitable fabric for the lining yet. I dug around in my fabric stash in the hopes that I had something that would work, but my fabric stash is like my yarn stash: a lot of dreams but not many actual purpose. Heh. So I guess this thing is just going to have to sit until I can get a trip in to the fabric store. Still, it's a stunner to look at:

I have a few precious hours left of my weekend, so I'm off to go and hang around in the living room until it cools down enough to take this guy out again. Have a great week.