More Common Ground.

These are the three masks that I wrote about in an earlier post. They were on display at Common Ground in the Wednesday Spinners' Tent. Lori took the photos.

Susan Barrett Merrill's work has really made a very strong impression on me in a pretty short period of time. I finished reading her book Zati: The Art of Weaving a Life within days after getting it and have been digesting it since. I enjoyed Writing Down the Bones and The Artist's Way - both mentioned in a review of the Zati book, and Katharine Cobey's work has intrigued me since I first learned about her several years ago - and she reviewed the book positively.
When I read the other books, I was looking at writing and the process of writing; this new creative experience - involving sheep and their fleece - is so different from writing. Yet, the process is definitely familiar. Weaving has been a metaphor in my own writing throughout the years, and so the concept of Weaving a Life is one that feels about as full circle as it comes. Still knitting up hats but am eventually going to try my hand at weaving and working my way through the projects (keyforms) in Merrill's book.
A winter project to look forward to...

Those Masks

I wandered over to the Wednesday Spinners Tent while Lori was "lost" in the fleece tent. I had never heard of this group before, and so I was instantly drawn in by a table of natural dye stuffs and some beautiful artifacts on/about dyeing, including some hand bound books with wool samples and notes on the process. It was exactly how I envisioned keeping track of my dyeing experiences, so that was the beginning. As I made my way down the back table, a row of women sat spinning in the front of the tent, three masks appeared before me and totally took my breath away. It's hard to describe how they made me feel - but they brought up all kinds of memories immediately and I found myself standing in front of them, in awe. And then their creator walked up.

Susan Barrett Merrill. One of the Wednesday Spinners. We started to talk - about spinning - and then it turned to weaving and the masks. This one is named "Crow"... many more can be seen in the gallery on her website. The three that were on display at the fair were very different than this one; then again, from what I have seen, each one is very different than the next. The more I read, the more I am intrigued by the masks and everything they represent. It was one of those encounters that seems far from coincidental. Had I not gone on a Friday, it would have been too crowded to have the conversation we had. Maybe we would not have met at all. If I did not have my own sheep and was as enthralled by the Fleece Tent as Lori was, I would not have spent that time in the Spinners Tent by myself. And so it goes. Uncle Herbie was right. I am going back to the family's roots.

Common Ground Fair

I am still digesting my day at the Common Ground Fair. Incredible day all the way around - from the company of my friend Lori to incredible conversations with people I may never see again, it was a full day of everything I love. Such a good feeling to be amongst like minded people, although this year the crowd was much more diverse than what I remembered from years ago.  It's been many years since I have been to the fair; I worked at it for Maine Times when it was in Windsor, and then went twice after it had moved to Unity. Next year, we plan to take two days to do it. The more I think about it now, maybe three for me!  The sheep dog exhibition (made even better by the backdrop of some incredible fiddling from a nearby tent), meeting Kelly from Romney Ridge and Betty from Spinnakees were high points. Seeing the Zati masks...pivotal, I sense.  I made some great connections and gave out a number of my new business cards to fleece people -a whole new experience for me. Signed up to add my name to the Maine Sheep Growers list and think that I will enter some fleeces into the competition and sale next year.
Another thing I am struck by is how much I really enjoyed not having people on cell phones. It was the first time in as long as I can remember being in a group that large and not having thousands of people plugged in. It was so refreshing. Everyone was present...talking to each other, interacting and making eye contact. Soaking in everything there is to see, hear, touch and smell. I loved it. Am sure to be writing more about my unexpected meeting of some Wednesday Spinners and the masks. And the Journey Loom. And the thoughts about how it may all come together someday. It was one of those days that was just so full of positive things that you need to take a few days to process it all.