Crowning Glory

People regularly ask me about my (very) gray/silver hair and comment on how I seem young to have so much... I've been called "brave" for not coloring my hair and am looked upon as something of an oddity because at 44, I so little pigment left in my natural hair.  I stopped dying my hair more than a year ago now... it was a combination of changing priorities, new life expectations and (quite honestly) laziness.  Bravery had nothing to do with it.  I started "turning" when I was 23.  I really enjoyed my years as a redhead -- and being a ginger totally suited my lifestyle and world view... then.  Now, the return to a closer connection to my roots and the embracing of life, as it now & is becoming dictates my manner of outward appearance.  If you want to get down to it -- the dread locks are far, far, far braver than the gray hair... where I live and work, they are, anyway... I'm not a religious person, but I've actively sought that spiritual connection or spark that spoke to my soul.  I was born and (sort of) raised Catholic, I've studied and applied other monotheistic and more Earth-Centric and ancient forms of worship, and I've hung in that chasm between belief (of any sort) and disbelief.  I still don't have a name for what I believe... but I think I understand it a little better these days, and find comfort within its perimeters.  For lack of a better work, I refer to myself as a Deist.  A rational believer - embracing both science and the divine... and their interconnectedness. So... where does my hair play into all this?  It silver in honor of my emerging crone -- my third aspect of this life's journey.  My crone is more patient that those forms that came before, but she is also a little more selfish -- focusing on her own needs and wants for the very first time.  In my maiden form, I was energy and innocent guile and adventure and experimentation.  As a mother (which I haven't totally left yet), my need to nurture and protect outweighed any other drive.  As the (trying to become) Wise One... I plumb the depths of my own soul, what is truly important to "me" and finding that sense of deep spiritual peace that has eluded me thus far. The silver hair, and also the dreads are a departure of societal standards of beauty to that which I find beautiful, and whole and fulfilling.  The dread locks and their silver color embody a simpleness, a return to self... the inclusion of the hot pink, purple and turquoise blue extensions are my lingering maiden and need to not shun color, just for the sake of being "natural."  Make sense? Ultimately, I'm very, very happy with my silver-hued locks... to me, they feel right & express who I am at this very time during this specific journey.  Will they stay forever?  No, no likely - but, who knows?  I'm only half-way through this life... I'm a very different person than I was at half this age... I hope to be a more fully evolved and spiritually fulfilled person as my days progress. Love & Peace to all.

From the Heart

Times are hard all over... my home is no exception. For nearly three years, we've survived on one (not nearly large enough) paycheck. But, I remind myself frequently -- there are others with even less and who face far more dangerous circumstances everyday. This exercise not only reminds me to retain my humility, but also to nuture my humanity.

In honor of all my good luck... a roof over my head, good food in my belly, people who love & care for me... the only proper way to say thank you is to share with those who are not so lucky, or in some way selflessly contribute to the good of many. With this in mind, I'm going to regularly post links to charitable organizations or causes that I, myself, would participate in... That said, there are a bazillion (that's the technical term for "oodles") of worthwhile and worthy groups... so I'm going to (mostly) limit to those involving crochet or some other skill I possess...

Ironically -- my very first posting is for knitting... which I really don't do too much of -- but it really spoke to me.

Blankets For Deployed Daddies
(http://blanketsfordeployeddaddies.com/)

In a nutshell, volunteers knit blankets & send to deployed troops, who - in turn, sleep with these baby blankets to impart their own special Daddy scent to the blanket. The blanket is then sent home, so the baby can get to know Daddy...

This one hits close to my heart. My own grandson was welcomed into the world and straight into his Daddy's arms... for this, I am FOREVER grateful... as my son-in-law died 9 months later, as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan.

If you knit, and are looking for a way to share your own blessings, or to say thank you to a soldier & his family.... you may want to consider this opportunity.

Happy Spring!

2012 - A year of new opportunities

I don't do the resolution thing (anymore)... I hate setting myself up for failure. I've done the resolution thing... it just doesn't work for me. Instead - I set goals. A series of goals. Some are stepped, some are one-timers, some are part of a much bigger picture.

This year my goals include simplifying my life and home (this is one of those stepped, waaaaay bigger picture goals), riding my beautiful pink bicycle at Heritage Park with my honey this Spring/Summer/Fall, deciding what I want to do when I grow up, making Dragonfly & Clover a better site and shop, and further developing my artistic style.

One of my holiday presents this year, was a simple top-whorl spindle and a big bag of colorful roving, plus two books on the age-old art of spinning. I'm really excited about this expansion of skills. The hard part has been to stay out of the roving and diving right in... and setting up myself for failure before I even really begin... So instead, I've counseled myself (and I appear to be listening) that study and research are critical aspects. Thankfully, the internet has once again come to my rescue, in the form of a bazillion websites and the glorious venue known as YouTube. Big, big thanks to the many fiber artists willing to share their knowledge with folks -- I'm a visual-kinetic learner, so books only take me so far. My goal: 2012 Holiday Gifts will all be either hand-made or bartered for... and will include the use of my own hand-spun fibers. :)

Another goal is part and parcel of the bigger SIMPLIFY goal. I've finally take the first step and admitted I have a bit of a problem... I love (and I mean in a border-line psychotic way) LOVE fibers!! I was sorting and organizing my stash into 32-gallon plastic totes and I came to the realization that the guys in my life are right -- I have A LOT of yarn. 3 tubs later, and I still have cardboard boxes, bags, sacks, totes and even a laundry basket FILLED with yarn that still need to be cataloged. On a positive note? I have REALLY good taste in yarn... not much low-quality stuff. LOTS of gorgeous llama, alpaca, merino wool and mohair. LOTS of smooth and nubby cottons and blends. Lots of nifty specialty ribbons, furry and fuzzies and super-colorful bits of fiber-y goodness. Good thing I have LOTS of projects in mind!!

For 2012, I intend to start (and finish) no less than 12 significant (and stash-busting) projects, in addition to the one-skein scarfs, hand-warmers, hats, toys, etc. Considering I taught myself to crochet from a book just this last July (6 months ago) -- It's a pretty ambitious goal... but I feel up to it.

The first is going to be a simple Solid Colored Granny Square lap blanket. My mother gave me a HUGE bag of acrylic yards in a rainbow of colors, and I like making afghans from wash-and-wear materials best. I started this one a few days ago, learning a basic granny square. One of the biggest challenges for me, is getting bored doing the same thing over and over and over (and over), which is something crochet is intrinsically all about. To break up the monotony -- I worked up the squares in alternating colors (instead of all of five of each color, one color at a time). I'm at the joining stage now... so (again to break up the monotony) I join a column and then a row, and now I'm back to another column...

I don't know what I'll do with these big items as I finish them -- not everyone is thrilled at being gifted a (lovingly constructed) granny afghan... but, re-homing these beauties isn't this year's goal -- making them is.

Stay tuned for more rites of passage & challenges overcome.

Happy New Year All!