One day

So this one is finally done, to be a water bottle of sorts. I started it in August or so, and like the shoe, it was done in spurts. It didn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but it will do, and I learned plenty (partly that working in spurts makes for lots of gaps in memory, and errors). Of course, I want a better one, closer to what was in my head, so I just started a new one tonight. Tomorrow I'll set up some kakishibu to help waterproof it, though I may consider three layers: kaki, then rice paste, then kaki again. We'll see.

Today was my first day off in a while, and I got to enjoy the company of a dear friend, dress for the sunny warmer weather, shop, and do normal person things like get groceries and cook and eat and do dishes. I also watched this excellent short doc about Twinrocker, which was good timing because I've felt so frustrated by the sloth-like progress at work. Thank goodness for people like Kathy and Howard Clark, people who work hard, believe in the handmade, and have faith in doing what you love. And for people like Jim Croft, who does the same thing and shares the wealth: yesterday, I got a wonderful package from him filled with photos, the beginning of a book, paper and textile scraps, a bone tool, and a long handwritten letter. Charity said, "You always get such fun mail," and I said essentially that you get what you give.