Tired

I've felt exhausted after I steam-pressed the baby blanket for the last time yesterday.  Before lunch.  And I mean physically exhausted, like I can't even sit up straight.

I wonder why it is that we seem to have to be, in Elaine Lipson's words, "relearning the same damn lessons." In life, too, but with my weaving, the more years I weave, the more I seem to be caught by rude surprises, to which my reply almost inevitably is, "I should have known better."

I clipped the fringes of the hearty blanket last night.  The blanket felt soft and airy, so warm, though it's not a light-weight blanket.  In these respects my plans worked.  But the dimension still looks wrong.  I don't have enough of the first weft yarns to weave an identical piece, but I know if I use the alternate weft, it will be slightly heavier.  And now I don't even know if I need to weave another.  The erratic picks aren't as evident under most light, but then I already know they are there.

I set out to revise/summarize what I learned in the Block Weave workshop, three time so far, but I don't have the mental stamina to finish.  I'm taking the notebooks with me today, and maybe I can get it done in the library, with the change of scenery, before or after taking down Changing Threads at Refinery.  I hope so, because I've been dying to tell you about it, and to investigate one aspect further.

I said I get so frustrated in my drawing class with the long coffee break.  I got so twitchy with the many interruptions and breaks during the Block Weave workshop and though I tried hard to stay polite and listen, a few times I had to walk away. When I am engaged in weaving or designing, I am focused on the task for half a day to a day, though I've learned to take breaks and exercise if I'm on the loom. I wonder, though, if the flip side is, when I can't concentrate, that goes on for a long time, too.

We have to go back to Blenheim tomorrow.  While I was in the workshop Ben was supposed to take moody pictures of the region so I can use it on the Festival blog, etc, but during the three days we were there, it was sunny for only half a day, and rained heavily for over two.  Grape leaves are expected to fall any day, and Blenheim being in the heart of New Zealand's premier wine region, Marlborough, we can't get away without them, especially because our Festival will be held this time next year. Over the Easter break tomorrow is the only day various forecasts agree there will be some sun, and fingers crossed, no rain. I've asked The Committee to ask for pictures of Marlborough, but so far only Rose has obliged with nice pics of the Convention Centre, so we've got to go back.  I feel so tired I wished I could read in bed from, like, Thursday night (tonight) to maybe Sunday noon, instead.  

Anyhoo, my easy lief goes on. I've been trying to get up early so I can get more out of the day, but at a slower pace if I so choose.  I think it's working, because I'm stumbling on more hours in the day, though, you know me, not all of them is being spent productively.