A Mānoa Girl's Bloggie

Day Four. I didn’t get to have a whole lot of spinning that day, but I could still see that my bobbin is getting fuller. It’s not filling as evenly as I’d like because my flyer hooks (da flyer is the U-shaped da kine that the bobbin slips onto) are all hamajang. I went to the hardware store to get new ones, and asked my talented neighbor if he’d be able to help me with them. He couldn’t do it for a couple of days, so I just did the best I could in trying to fill the bobbin as evenly as possible, considering that a whole bunch of hooks were missing!

I was so blessed that my Bird of Paradise was blooming on the very day that I needed to take some photos for the collage! And the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly had stopped by a couple of months ago, so I added his photo to the collage too.

Day Three. It was a really hard day for me because it was the anniversary of my mom’s death, and this year it was hitting me particularly hard. It was like I was experiencing the desperation to get down to California to say goodbye all over again, yet knowing that I didn’t make it. So I was more tense as I was spinning, and I can’t say that it went all that well. I was crying and spinning at the same time.

And yet, spinning was a good thing for me to do. There’s something wonderful about being able to create beauty in the midst of sadness. My friend Linda always suggests that when I’m having a hard day to find something nurturing to do, something that will touch me in those deep places where I’m hurting so bad. As my spinning progressed, I knew once again that she was right. I began to relax and was able to take a measure of joy in what I was creating.

Like this:

And this:

The white wicker chair is my favorite spinning chair. It used to sit in my mom’s bedroom draped with a pastel shawl that I’d knit for her. I like that I’m using it to create beauty, because my mom instilled in me a love for nature and its glories.

Here is the collage that I created for Day Chree:

I was so excited that my red hibiscus was blooming that day. We used to have a large red bush right outside our kitchen in Mānoa Valley, and the flower reminded me of home.

Kʻden. Here is the photo collage from Day Two. As you can see, the bobbin is a little fuller. I am learning how this fiber behaves and more and more how it wants to be spun.

Then I did this other da kine for artistic effect with the same photos. I kinda like it!

Next up: Day Chree!

“Tour de Fleece? I thought it was Tour de France!” I can hear you asking. Well, yeah, there’s the bike race, but there really is a Tour de Fleece. And guess what? I’m entered in it!

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