Woolgathering

I turned in the first draft of my big project yesterday afternoon. It's always hard to "release" something that feels not quite done, but at this point it needs the input of others. Sara, the designer on the project, encouraged me to let it go and enjoy the weekend. (Now there's a concept that hasn't caught on in this house in quite some time...but that's another post...)

Although it doesn't seem to be in my nature to let loose when other projects are on the immediate horizon, I decided to give myself the night off. I wandered up to my sewing room and nosed around--what could I do that could be accomplished in an evening? My eyes lit on a little kit I bought a summer or two ago. I've always been intrigued by wool and though the countrified style of the project didn't exactly scream "ME!" I decided to give it a try.

Et, voila! Here's the little pincushion I stitched up last night, while watching Ghost Town (a funny-sweet movie with Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear). It was so satisfying--no raw ends to turn under, no fancy stitchin'. I love working with wool!

It's a fiber I've been attracted to for awhile--the saturated colors seem so much deeper and richer than those found in cotton fabrics. In my weaving days, I especially admired wool rag rugs, though they're hard to come by. I'd been admiring wool pillows stitched by an acquaintance's mom for a couple of years and finally splurged this year and bought one. The style of this appeals to me more--while still traditional, it's also very graphic.

At Market in Houston I happened upon a booth that really hit all the right buttons for me—great colors and bold designs. I was tempted to buy a kit, but didn't know if I really enjoyed working with wool. I've had their postcard on my bulletin board since October because it's so beautiful. Now I know a kit from WoolyLady will be my next splurge!

And just fyi..."woolgathering" is defined (in my 1970 Webster's): n.[from random wandering to gather tufts of wool caught on thorns and hedges] absentmindedness or daydreaming. Hmmm...I'd think plucking stray tufts of wool off thorny shrubs sounds as though it requires a bit of concentration...