A tale of the forest and the trees
A problem I’ve always had with my writing is missing the obvious while concentrating on certain details. This happens to me in real life, too. Last month I related in this blog how I came to be a passionate knitter (7/16/06 – A Knitter’s Ramble), but forgot to actually introduce myself.
So, here goes---
Hi, I’m Laura Phillips, writer, homemaker, small-time farmer, part-time software executive, and fiber addict. I write, knit, and dabble in various archaic arts and crafts from my rural Midwestern farm. I’ve published seven contemporary romance novels and at least a couple hundred non-fiction articles in my career as a writer. I’m also a daughter, wife, and the mother of three college students, and I am very fortunate to have a family that tolerates my eccentricities.
You caught that empty nest reference, didn’t you? All three of my offspring are away at college, which means I have a bit more time than I used to have. Theoretically speaking. Maybe a better way of stating it is to say I have more control over my time these days, and the distractions are of a different sort. I’m currently ‘between contracts.’ I put that inside quote marks because I took a few years off to help run a natural toiltries business and then a small software company. So it’s actually been a while since I made writing a top priority. I’m getting back to that now that the first blush of empty nesting has passed and finding that in my middle age I have much more courage as a writer. Just as I have more courage as a knitter, and a farmer, and a businesswoman.
So join me as I babble on about middle age, wordsmithing, awesome books, irresistible yarns, the occasional breathtaking sunset, and the weird, wooly creatures who donate their fiber to my craft. And don’t be afraid to say ‘enough already, let’s move on!’ After all, not everyone’s obsessively fascinated by the difference between the structure of sheep’s wool and llama, or even the wool differences between breeds of sheep, or within the breeds themselves. Most people don’t care what plants make good cordage or how to knit that cordage into a doormat – or that baling twine also knits into a sturdy bootscraper. Or how to create a quick bookmark from the hair your neighbor’s dog shed on your favorite black skirt. Or whether one can match the glory of a sunset in an afghan knit from yarn dyed from garden plants…or why someone would even try to accomplish that. Or…well, you get the point.
Happy knitting!
LauraP
So, here goes---
Hi, I’m Laura Phillips, writer, homemaker, small-time farmer, part-time software executive, and fiber addict. I write, knit, and dabble in various archaic arts and crafts from my rural Midwestern farm. I’ve published seven contemporary romance novels and at least a couple hundred non-fiction articles in my career as a writer. I’m also a daughter, wife, and the mother of three college students, and I am very fortunate to have a family that tolerates my eccentricities.
You caught that empty nest reference, didn’t you? All three of my offspring are away at college, which means I have a bit more time than I used to have. Theoretically speaking. Maybe a better way of stating it is to say I have more control over my time these days, and the distractions are of a different sort. I’m currently ‘between contracts.’ I put that inside quote marks because I took a few years off to help run a natural toiltries business and then a small software company. So it’s actually been a while since I made writing a top priority. I’m getting back to that now that the first blush of empty nesting has passed and finding that in my middle age I have much more courage as a writer. Just as I have more courage as a knitter, and a farmer, and a businesswoman.
So join me as I babble on about middle age, wordsmithing, awesome books, irresistible yarns, the occasional breathtaking sunset, and the weird, wooly creatures who donate their fiber to my craft. And don’t be afraid to say ‘enough already, let’s move on!’ After all, not everyone’s obsessively fascinated by the difference between the structure of sheep’s wool and llama, or even the wool differences between breeds of sheep, or within the breeds themselves. Most people don’t care what plants make good cordage or how to knit that cordage into a doormat – or that baling twine also knits into a sturdy bootscraper. Or how to create a quick bookmark from the hair your neighbor’s dog shed on your favorite black skirt. Or whether one can match the glory of a sunset in an afghan knit from yarn dyed from garden plants…or why someone would even try to accomplish that. Or…well, you get the point.
Happy knitting!
LauraP
posted by LauraP at 12:07 AM
2 Comments:
Laura, I'm hungry for exactly those details and experiences you have to offer. Can't wait to read more.
I definitely want to know how to knit a quick bookmark from my dog's sheddings. Poor Max has allergies right now so I have gobs (literally) of dog hair to work with. I'd rather turn it into to something useful than constantly drop it in the trash can. Sounds like a novel idea. Heh, heh, heh.
Post a Comment
<< Home