Poem: "Spinning Intimacy"
Feb. 7th, 2017 09:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis is the freebie for today's fishbowl, spliced from prompts by librarygeek and redsixwing. It also fills the "Internet Friends" square in my 2-1-17 Love Songs card for the Valentines Bingo Fest.
"Spinning Intimacy"
Picking out yarn
for internet friends
is like spinning intimacy --
my fingers drifting over
the fibers, remembering what
I've seen of someone's work,
their favorite materials and
the colors they've used,
freed from my own limitations
(allergic to wool, and most of
the good stuff is wool) because
theirs are different than mine,
imagining what could be made
from this ball of color or that set
of several gradient shades,
this skein deliciously thick,
that one fine as fairy-floss,
thinking about the shepherdesses,
the spinners, the dyers, the clerk of
the little yarn shop all playing their part
in the long slow trail of creativity
and I playing mine, gathering up
the chosen skeins to cast afar
through the mail --
a connection made
between self and other,
as thin and strong as silk,
as colorful as the best wool
as intimate as a texture against the lips.
* * *
Notes:
Fibercrafts rely on a wide range of natural and artificial fibers. Choosing yarn requires understanding many factors including weight. Choosing yarn for someone else benefits from knowing practicalities such as what colors they like, what kinds of things they enjoy making, and what if anything they're allergic to -- plus the more ephemeral aspects of personality that suggest which of the 2000 awesome balls of color would most make them go "Squee!"
librarygeek and redsixwing. It also fills the "Internet Friends" square in my 2-1-17 Love Songs card for the Valentines Bingo Fest."Spinning Intimacy"
Picking out yarn
for internet friends
is like spinning intimacy --
my fingers drifting over
the fibers, remembering what
I've seen of someone's work,
their favorite materials and
the colors they've used,
freed from my own limitations
(allergic to wool, and most of
the good stuff is wool) because
theirs are different than mine,
imagining what could be made
from this ball of color or that set
of several gradient shades,
this skein deliciously thick,
that one fine as fairy-floss,
thinking about the shepherdesses,
the spinners, the dyers, the clerk of
the little yarn shop all playing their part
in the long slow trail of creativity
and I playing mine, gathering up
the chosen skeins to cast afar
through the mail --
a connection made
between self and other,
as thin and strong as silk,
as colorful as the best wool
as intimate as a texture against the lips.
* * *
Notes:
Fibercrafts rely on a wide range of natural and artificial fibers. Choosing yarn requires understanding many factors including weight. Choosing yarn for someone else benefits from knowing practicalities such as what colors they like, what kinds of things they enjoy making, and what if anything they're allergic to -- plus the more ephemeral aspects of personality that suggest which of the 2000 awesome balls of color would most make them go "Squee!"
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 03:25 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-02-08 03:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 04:41 am (UTC)(and, Ysabet, endings, PURRRR... :)
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 04:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 05:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 05:20 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-08 05:09 am (UTC):(
>> what my senses here have been giving me is more than enough shit to make me want to crawl into bed and come out sometime in another millennium. And not because of my sensory processing issues; <<
Years ago, there was a cop show called "The Sentinel" about a guy with super-senses. I didn't see it at the time, but discovered it much later through the fanfic. It's one of the few examples outside my own work where I've seen plausible portrayal of both the pros and the cons of having such abilities. There is quite a lot of material in there about managing acute senses.
>> because of my JOB. <<
*sigh* Nichevo. Nothing to be done about that.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-08 05:18 am (UTC)The worsening sociopolitical climate makes me more inclined, not less, to do what I know I can, and just accept the personal price. But I know there are limits to that kind of thinking, and I'm *trying* to stop short instead of crashing into them. Some days aren't good for that, s'all.
But. It is worth it.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-09 09:12 am (UTC)Just remember to swim across it.
>> Really, what else is the point of being here, if not to be here for people? <<
Well, personal growth counts too.
>>The worsening sociopolitical climate makes me more inclined, not less, to do what I know I can, and just accept the personal price. But I know there are limits to that kind of thinking, and I'm *trying* to stop short instead of crashing into them. Some days aren't good for that, s'all.
But. It is worth it.<<
When you're going through hell, keep going.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-09 03:19 pm (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-02-08 05:06 am (UTC)LOOOOVE
Date: 2017-02-08 03:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 04:46 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2017-02-08 05:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 05:02 am (UTC)Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-08 05:30 am (UTC)My grandmother could crochet and my mother could knit; I have no knack for either. I can do fingerweaving and braiding, though. I'm better at hand-sewing. But I love yarn. The colors. The textures. I had a totally awesome time yarn shopping for someone else. \o/
>> The texture of words though, I don't think I've given as much consideration as it deserves. Thanks for this, it's lovely and evocative. -kellyc <<
I'm happy I could give you a wider perspective on that. Something else I enjoyed doing was writing a description of a scarf that a friend made for me.
We have an afghan over the back of the couch. It is a box-bottom blanket from a different friend. Every time I walk past it, I run my hand along it to enjoy all the different textures. One row is made of black-and-teal bobble yarn. It is one of the most ridiculous yarns I have ever seen, but it is perfect as an accent row to add interest.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 05:22 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2017-02-08 05:46 am (UTC)Travel without motion. ;)
Re: Yes...
Date: 2017-02-08 05:49 am (UTC)Time. Time matters. And giving the gift of paying attention.
Re: Yes...
Date: 2017-02-08 10:33 am (UTC)Well said! Time and attention are indeed gifts, ones that can benefit many people when used well. Such as thoughtfully-chosen, surprise presents for friends, or evocative poems inspired by one prompt, or several, and shared widely.
I'm feeling *very* grateful for far-flung friends, and their creativity, just now.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 03:36 pm (UTC)I love the thread (ha)! running through time as well as space. Just delicious.
Thank you!
Date: 2017-02-08 09:37 pm (UTC)that's what I was aiming for.
>> I love the thread (ha)! running through time as well as space. Just delicious. <<
;) Strings tie everything together, including the whole spacetime continuum.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 05:30 pm (UTC)I also love knitting for my fellow crafters, even if they aren't knitters. They know how much time & effort goes into a project. - Readera
Thank you!
Date: 2017-02-08 09:44 pm (UTC)Yay!
>> I love picking out yarn for my knitting/craft friends. Getting yarn gifts is the best and it is super intimate.<<
Agreed. Around here, fibercrafts are fairly popular. Sometimes people bring homemade yarn to craft or street fairs. I love that, because there's no way a distant friend could find exactly the same thing. It's always unique.
>> I also love knitting for my fellow crafters, even if they aren't knitters. They know how much time & effort goes into a project. - Readera <<
So very true. Time is love.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-02-08 06:57 pm (UTC)Yes. Choosing yarn for another, whether to send as fiber or to make into a gift to ship, is an act of love and intimacy.
Thoughts
Date: 2017-02-08 09:39 pm (UTC)I'm glad you found this so touching.
>> Yes. Choosing yarn for another, whether to send as fiber or to make into a gift to ship, is an act of love and intimacy. <<
Sooth.
I needed this today
Date: 2017-02-09 12:54 am (UTC)A few minutes of even virtual perusal of yarn was enough to make me rethink the current idea and rip out four hours of work in favor of trying something different.
Thanks. I bet you didn't even realize you were giving advice!
Re: I needed this today
Date: 2017-02-09 01:51 am (UTC)You may have the wrong yarn for that pattern, or be using a stitch that doesn't suit that yarn.
>> A few minutes of even virtual perusal of yarn was enough to make me rethink the current idea and rip out four hours of work in favor of trying something different.<<
I hope the new plan works out better!
>> Thanks. I bet you didn't even realize you were giving advice! <<
Yes and no. One thing I've learned is that my poetry has a life of its own. It goes where it's needed, and sometimes it says things between the lines that I didn't realize were in there. :D
Re: I needed this today
Date: 2017-02-19 05:17 am (UTC)A recent cold snap in Rain City inspired me to create a hooded cowl pattern. It had to be very close-fitting because I had *one* skein of bulky yarn that was just perfect for the concept - but only the one skein (Malabrigo Rasta, azulamora colorway). A couple of hours on Ravelry provided some ideas which I morphed together, then debugged, frogged, and knit again ... six times in total, but the result is *very* pretty, and I did succeed in covering the basics with just the one skein of yarn. If I'd had more yarn, I'd've made the cowl part bigger - which I have done with later models. Also, stitching the hood up the center back was the first time I *ever* got Kitchener stitch to work. It's a PITA, but it *really* looks fantastic on this particular pattern.
I'd love to see a picture of the WIP, or the finished object, and "geek yarn" sometime, if you have enough spoons for such.
Re: I needed this today
Date: 2017-02-19 05:24 am (UTC)Re: knitting natterings
Date: 2017-02-19 05:45 am (UTC)If the pattern you're trying to make calls for wool and you're using acrylic, or vice versa, that's going to be difficult to pull off, for sure. There's plenty of variation *within* a type of fiber (merino wool feels and knits up differently than Peruvian wool than Icelandic wool, for instance). Extend that to different kinds of fiber and ... yikes!
In my experience most acrylics knit up stiffer than most wools, though the "baby yarn" acrylics, and ones called "Softee" and "Satin" respectively, are softer and behave more like wool.
How complex does your hubby want his hat to be, and what weight of yarn do you have to work with? I'm currently working on a cowl from a pattern called Brain Frieze that I found via Ravelry; it uses fingering weight yarns and a somewhat complex pattern, but knits up *very* stylishly, and it can be adapted for a hat as well.
Best of luck with your projects!
Re: knitting natterings
Date: 2017-02-19 05:59 am (UTC)Re: knitting natterings
Date: 2017-02-19 06:09 am (UTC)Yep!
>> It looks complicated... <<
Exactly. Usually I wouldn't attempt something that complicated, but the shop sample I saw was done with a particular yarn that didn't seem all that soft to the touch, but the finished garment *was* ... so I had to try it for myself. Definitely requires a fair amount of concentration, though!
Re: I needed this today
Date: 2017-02-19 05:30 am (UTC)hooded cowl
Date: 2017-02-19 06:11 am (UTC)Re: hooded cowl
Date: 2017-02-19 06:14 am (UTC)I would enjoy that.
>> I could see the design possibly working for you, as it's somewhat close fitting but not super-close, and combines head coverage with neck and upper shoulder coverage. <<
Maybe? I've only needed the scarf a couple times this winter, the weather has been so mild. I put it over the top of my head, cross it in front, and tie in the back.