a field guide to needlework
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tending the tale i'm in

9/2/2021

 
Picture
Yahoo!
Ply Magazine, Fall 2021
is out in the world!
Picture
If you have a subscription
it should be winging its way to your hands right now.
If you don't, it is also available HERE.

The theme of the magazine is "Consistency"
which makes me giggle whenever I think of it.
Me, consistent?
Well, I can spin a pretty decently even yarn after all these years,
but as you might gather from the snippet  above,
my essay is not so much about spinning consistent yarn
as the consistently inconsistent
(or maybe inconsistently consistent?)
way my work has unfolded over the years.

It's no coincidence that I named this website
a field guide to needlework .
Picture
The field, indeed, been a useful metaphor over the years,
for it can include endless bits of the textile landscape--
from things that are new to me
to the unseen areas of techniques I think I know.
Not that I don't often imagine someone asking:
"is she into mending or spinning or tapestry or paper yarn
or wool or barefoot running or comics or....what?"

Yet what can I say?
The ideas keep showing up
on this circuitous path of mine,
many exuding such irresistible pheromones
that I'm instantly distracted from whatever I am doing.
How many times, without really knowing how
have I ended up deep in a rabbit hole
or embroidered into a thicket of blossoms and thorns
 trying to train my hands and mind
to do whatever it is that has captivated (or captured) me.
Picture
All of which is to say,
 it is more than a teensy bit delightful
that PLY is coming out right now,
just as my new zine/guide
of coffee filters and rabbit holes.
is also freshly in the world.
Consistent inconsistency, right?
Picture
Of course the coffee filter guide
 has instructions on how I turn coffee filters into yarn.
That is part of its point.
But like the Ply essay
  it is also about feeling my way into an idea,
noticing how that idea tastes, smells and interacts with my hands,
and figuring out how to pursue only the aspects
that go straight to my core and refuse to be ignored--
despite good sense, hard evidence
or cultural programming that can lead a gal to believe
(if not act upon)
 the notion that focusing on one thing,
and only one thing,
 is the best.
Picture
For long time blog readers
my inability to adhere to this last idea
will come as no surprise.
For even as I am given to pouring
everything I have into the tale of the moment
(generally sure that it'll last forever),
I continue to be taken aback,
(and completely diverted again and again)
by the power of pure delight
as exuded by those mysterious somethings
that shape my life.

That are, indeed,
having their way with me
even as as I type.
For it is time
(and has been for a while even as I've had my fingers in my ears),
to shift things yet again--
to slip away from this blog and off into the forest
where I hope to work quietly on my own for a while
and see what comes my way.

Which means that this is my last post.
Picture
Of course given the circular nature
and general relatedness of everything
(not to mention my addiction to parenthetical asides),
another blog with a different focus or structure
might well show up some time in the future.
But lest I start repeating myself once too often here,
or this becomes one of those sad blogs
that, guiltily ignored, slowly grind to a halt,
I'm going to deliberately sling my bindle over my shoulder,
and see what what lies ahead.
Picture
 Thank you so very, very much for your company
in this marvelous blogging rabbit hole these many years--
for your support and inspiration,
for your patience with my creative peregrinations,
and for all the rich, delightful, warm and rewarding
ideas and you have shared.

May the fleece be with you.
xoxoxo
Sarah
Picture
ps. On the technical side--
For the time being (the next few months anyway)
the store and website will stay live
with the 7 little  PDF Guides in the store available for purchase and download
and all 334 (or does this one make it 335?) blog posts
here for your meandering pleasure.
I'm not sure I want to clutter up the inter-webs forever, however,
so may eventually clear this space for other voices.
We shall see.
For now, however enjoy!
Lara link
9/7/2021 08:39:45 am

And may the fleece be with you too, Sarah! Your posts have been so delightful that I remember the day when I had an "Eureka! See, blogs are not dead!" moment finding where you were at then. Thank you for all of the generosity tn producing these, and I do hope that the space is retained with your voice for the community's meandering to reach where you have been taking us. Best wishes as you set to new paths.

Cedar wallace link
9/7/2021 08:40:04 am

You will be sorely missed, but I totally understand ..keep travelling down that creativity highway, whatever road it takes you on....blessings and happiness to you and yours....

Lynn link
9/7/2021 08:40:37 am

Thanks for your warm lesson on when and how to say good by.

I’ll miss you.

David
9/7/2021 08:43:02 am

Thank you, Sarah. For all of the things that your presence, your voice and your work have given to me and to us. I count myself fortunate to have had this odd interlude that we call, these days, an online friendship. Who knew?! All the best to you and yours. I look forward to the time when our circles and paths may cross again, in the ether or in the world.

Adrienne
9/7/2021 08:49:17 am

Thanks for taking me along on your adventure all these years. I've greatly enjoyed the experience and your wonderful designs.
Live long and prosper!

Peggy Cross
9/7/2021 08:49:45 am

Your news is both sad and happy. I shall miss you. Wishing you the time to begin that which you have not. ❤️

Cynthia DiDonato
9/7/2021 08:50:30 am

Thank you, Sarah for inspiring me. Your approach to needlework has been wonderful!

Liz A
9/7/2021 08:56:25 am

fare you well ... I do hope you leave the blog up in the ether for us to revisit and for others to discover ... assuming there is no cost to that

Ann Marie Miller
9/7/2021 08:57:53 am

We all know you’ll be back in some form, but knowing when to switch gears (if not exactly how) is an awesome skill that is difficult to acquire, especially for those so willfully digging and traveling those rabbit holes. Thank you, Sarah, for all the inspiration!

Ann Arndt
9/7/2021 09:00:55 am

I will definitely miss seeing your Field Guide! But of course you have my permission/best wishes to enjoy your creative journey in solitude!

Heather Sinclair
9/7/2021 09:01:32 am

Thanks Sarah for all the years of entertainment. I loved your blog. great inspiration and enjoyment. First met you when I took your class in Vancouver and then again at Archie and Susan's class in Mexico.

Freyalyn Close-Hainsworth
9/7/2021 09:07:57 am

I shall miss you, your wonderful yarn, and that particular sort of fleece that I can't get over here and you spin so beautifully. But I shall think of you every time I use my hepty (and it's probably my favourite) and I'm planning to make a skirt soon.

Thank you so much for everything you have shared, everything you have inspired, and just all the lovely pictures and words.

Travel safe and well!

Juliann
9/7/2021 09:11:21 am

Thank you for being you. You have given me inspiration, courage to try something I would never have thought of, and certainly you have given me joy. I wish you well as you go on your adventures and I wish you wellness and joy. Thank you again.

Deanna
9/7/2021 09:16:15 am

Grieving, but oh so grateful. So many losses of late, but this is a hard one, because a source of enchantment and fascination is a rare joy. Wishing you loveliness and ease.

Jennifer Edwards link
9/7/2021 09:22:23 am

Oh Sarah…how I will miss you and all your parenthetical asides and indeed ALL of your delightful fascinations in fiber, embroidery, coffee filters, blackstrap weaving, knitting and drawing and all the rest!! For it is precisely this that I love about your blog and website…I don’t feel quite so weird or crazy in this world knowing that you also are out there being wooed into yet another direction, being dragged off by the sheer delight and whimsy of learning another thing, and finding ways to make it your own! As one who is afflicted (or gifted?) in this same way, I will miss all the story telling of these creative shenanigans! But oh how I understand the need to sling ones backpack over the shoulder and head off into the sunset or sunrise or forest or stream meeting head on all the delights therein without having to report on it or wrangle it into a blog post. So Au Revoir my friend! May your fascinations and explorations bring you great joy and beautiful things!!💖💖 With so much affection, Jennifer

Lynn
9/7/2021 09:30:12 am

Well, darn! And not in the mending sense of the word! I rather enjoy your blogging and your unusual pursuits, and selfishly I shall miss them. On the other hand, I completely understand; after all, I haven't blogged in years myself, so who am I to whine? (well, I will whine anyway, but so it goes) Enjoy the next path and its peregrinations, and I wish you well in all things!

Cindy
9/7/2021 09:42:26 am

Thank you so much for all you have shared and inspired. I will miss your blog posts but I completely understand when the realization comes that it is time to move on and explore a new adventure, you have to go with it. Enjoy!













Margaret Garigan
9/7/2021 09:43:17 am

I’ll miss the field guide, Sarah! It’s really been fun following along with you. Thanks ever so much for sharing with us, and I wish you all good things.

Fran
9/7/2021 09:48:17 am

Witnessing your curiosity and openness has been a privilege and an inspiration for me. Thanks, and best of days to you.

Linda G
9/7/2021 09:49:08 am

I will miss you. It was such a pleasure to learn 4-selvage with you and Rebecca and your blog has been a delight. You are an inspiration, for sure! Keeping walking sweetly on this earth. See you round a bend some day!

Erika
9/7/2021 10:04:22 am

May the fleece be with you on your journeys! I've looked forward to every single post from you since I discovered your blog years ago! While I will miss your peregrinations and latest explorations, I eagerly anticipate what will grab your interest next!

Thank you for sharing with us throughout these years!

Donna Millen
9/7/2021 10:10:30 am

I am 86 and in the process of changing gears too.
Thank you so much for all your sharing and inspiration.

Cindy
9/7/2021 10:27:19 am

Thank you for your generous sharing of your wanderings, tales, and lessons of life. They have tempted me to circle a couple of my own rabbit holes.

Margaret Andrews
9/7/2021 10:28:38 am

I will miss your blog with it's humor, drawings, and words of wisdom. I hope you find health and peace with whatever you do. You will be missed. Thanks for letting us say goodbye.

Mary Ann
9/7/2021 10:55:45 am

You are my hero... I will follow you wherever you go. Take care, continue to spin and weave your way through life. I'll miss your wit and creativity.

Colette
9/7/2021 11:08:54 am

Sarah,
To my utmost delight I recently found your blog, you are a gift. This last post reinforces the fact that following what inspires, delights or gets us curious is a valid path.
Thank you for sharing💕

patti kirch
9/7/2021 11:30:45 am

Thank you for helping me see the light and all of it's hatched lines sketched and etched into tapestry, thank you

Marlena R
9/7/2021 11:52:42 am

Dear Sarah,
Words cannot adequately express the joy and inspiration you have brought, and how much I’ll miss the eagerly anticipated weekly blog posts. Fare thee well, and may life treat thee kindly.

Susan
9/7/2021 12:19:19 pm

Sarah,
“If you really want to know
you got to let it go.” keb mo

Thank you for taking me on your journey of delight! Susan

Dee jochen
9/7/2021 12:51:35 pm

I struggle to know that you are leaving..thank you for everything.

Mary Barbera
9/7/2021 01:21:06 pm

Thank you for the inspiration. You are still a hero un the creative world!

Melody link
9/7/2021 01:38:04 pm

As someone who just went down a whole new rabbit hole while left home alone the last few days - I certainly understand and love your courage to say goodbye when the time is right.

Well, maybe not goodbye. Until we meet again. Love & Light on your path.

Sue
9/7/2021 01:48:50 pm

Respecting your desire to set out on new travels. But sad because I will miss your encouragement for falling down rabbit holes. Be as safe as you can while enjoying wherever your new mornings take you. Thank you for such a wonderful ride.

Sandy Trachsel link
9/7/2021 02:06:00 pm

May God bless you & yours. I shall miss you!

Linda Shinn
9/7/2021 02:16:56 pm

And may the fleece be with you, also. I have so enjoyed each and every blog post.

Rebecca Fail
9/7/2021 02:23:30 pm

Go with joy, and know that you will be sorely missed

Andrea
9/7/2021 02:54:11 pm

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and kindness these many years. May your future journey be enriching, the environment be sustaining and your soul at peace with the world. You have enriched my journey and helped me be well in my environment. Namaste!

Kate Colwell
9/7/2021 03:01:19 pm

Thank you Sarah. You are a wonderful teacher and again are showing us that it is alright, it is good to follow your bliss. As everyone has said, you will be sorely missed, your cheery voice in hard times, but wishing you and yours health and happiness. Thank you for all you have shared and for being you.

Terri Bryson
9/7/2021 03:41:46 pm

Thank you for all the wonderful sharing and adding to our lives! The one thing our kids told me when they were growing up is that "the only thing I'm consistent about is inconsistency." Maybe there's a tribe of us. Wishing you all the best things in life pursuing new directions.

Ana
9/7/2021 04:31:50 pm

Happy, happy trails

Kantu
9/7/2021 04:33:53 pm

Hi Sarah, thank you for your sense of humor, your thoughtfulness in sharing your knowledge; your curiosity and quest for the ultimate are inspiring. Just know how much you will be missed. Stay well and be well. And keep going down that rabbit hole.

Melanie Abel
9/7/2021 05:00:21 pm




As you take your bindle with you on a new adventure. Thank-you for what you have given us, a view of your journey along the fibery way.
I would be so bold as to send you off on this adventure with a blessing.

May the fibers spin smoothly,
May the warp threads be strong,
May the weft show the true vision you see.
And May you be at harmony with the life you lead, and the path you are on.


elaine
9/7/2021 05:45:17 pm

Thank you for all the inspiration ~ I will miss your creativity and new rabbit hole projects. Totally understand, but do hope that you pop back from time to time, you know we'll be here )))hugs(((

claudia
9/7/2021 05:59:06 pm

Hi Sarah,
Oooh I feel this loss deep in my body today. With so much lost the last couple of years it is hard to wake up to this news. You have acted as a spiritual guide of sorts, gently guiding me back to the wonder of making to simply make and living in order to simply explore and love. I will miss you dearly and do hope you keep your website up for all of us to turn to when we need a little realigning. Thank you for sharing yourself and your craft so selflessly. I have adored our time together. I'm ready and waiting to join and support whatever you put into the world. Lots of love xxx

Valerie Young
9/7/2021 06:11:00 pm

Best wishes to you on your path! I am not a weaver, but I have certainly enjoyed your blog and its view into your process, and inquiring mind! Happy wandering!

SuzNne
9/7/2021 06:30:36 pm

You go, girl! Obviously, there’s a whole bunch of us who will miss like crazy your wonderful posts and meanderings, but enjoy your new path and walk in peace and light. Most of all, thank you so much for all you’ve shared with us. It has been a genuine gift.

Cate
9/7/2021 06:35:46 pm

So many thanks for all you have shared, for your oh so many talents, for the joy, and for reminding us it is ok to stop doing what we do, and do something else.
Wishing you more joy and wonder and laughing.

Cheryl
9/7/2021 06:42:40 pm

Thank you for taking us along on your adventures and sharing all your inspiration and talent with us. It's been fun. We have to accept that you have a need to focus inward. Take care of yourself and your hubby and all your wonderful talents You will be missed very much, Maybe we'll see you again sometime? If not, i hope you can leave us your blog posts to enjoy over and over again.

Josiane
9/7/2021 08:40:59 pm

Thank you so much, Sarah, for all that you shared with us over those years of blogging here. Thank you for showing me a way back into the delight of exploring and experimenting.
I wish you all the best as you venture off into the forest. As I make my way into my own forest, I will forever be inspired by the open, curious, and playful spirit I've met through your field guide. It'll always remain a very useful and appreciated guiding light shining over the paths that lay ahead. (I shall also save up and get all the guides you have published that I don't have yet…)
With love and gratitude – thank you and bonne route.

Vicki
9/7/2021 09:01:34 pm

Since taking the fringeless class with you and Rebecca I have followed and thoroughly enjoyed your blog. Thank you so much for all you have shared. All the best to you and your family.

Carrie
9/7/2021 09:29:30 pm

I’m on the verge of tears , only cause I’m happy for you following your path and cause I will miss you . October is when my purchasing fast will be over , I’ll be sure to get you PDFs and booklets .

Knit ya later

Uta Lenk
9/7/2021 10:30:13 pm

Thank you so much for your lovely, entertaining and overwhelminly informative posts. It is so much fun to read them. I, too, have stopped writing a blog (I have another one going), it's a very strange feeling. But one has ones reasons and although we will miss you you are probably not taking this step lightly. Wishing you all the best in your next rabbit hole. Just so sorry not to find out about it....

Elizabeth
9/8/2021 01:33:32 am

Thanks so much Sara your blog has been such a joy to follow I will miss it but hope you enjoy your new path.that is what life is all about go forward with joy

Liz Gipson
9/8/2021 06:47:30 am

When I see your work I’m reminded of the words of the Cheshire Cat, “Only a few find the way. Some don’t recognize it when they do, some don’t ever want to.” Thanks for showing us a way down the meandering road of life. To next steps!

Laurie link
9/8/2021 07:24:46 am

This blog has been such a bright spot in a darkening world...I understand your need to move on but I do hope that you might leave it up for those of us who could benefit from its light from time to time.

Agneta Zachrisson
9/8/2021 08:22:32 am

Thanks Sara for sharing your field guide!
It’s been a source of joy and sanity in this confusing world, but also an inspiration to continue my own travels in the material world.
May the fleece be with you always.

Shirley Marshall
9/8/2021 11:19:30 am

I am so glad that I have 2 of the pieces you made to remind me of your talent. They brighten my life daily.

Cynthia
9/8/2021 12:19:26 pm

Dear Sarah,
How I will miss your delightful drawings, watercolors, and your whimsical writings. You inspired me to pick up weaving again after a many-year hiatus in which I grew some children, a lot of dinners, and gray hair. Thank you for sharing your life, your work, your heart here. Wishing you all the joy in your journey that your heart can hold.

Linda M
9/8/2021 03:31:40 pm

I first met you in a class in Tacoma and the on line class with Rebecca. I love your personality and lovely ideas. May you have many more ideas and may we meet again someday. Thanks for all the smiles you have given me.

Valerie
9/8/2021 04:38:48 pm

Thank you Sarah. I shall miss you and your meanderings just like so many before me posted as well. You have been an inspiration to try the unexpected and see where it leads. I wish you the best on this next leg of your journey and I admire your ability to see when it is time to step back and try a new path. May the fleece be with you until we all meet again.

Mary w
9/8/2021 09:24:14 pm

Will miss your posts.

nancy trissel
9/9/2021 08:47:59 am

Your weekly missive in my mailbox has been a real delight and treat for the senses. It has been the source of so much motivation, inspiration and armchair musings. Thank you for your generosity! I can't wait to see where you find yourself next as I'm certain that news of your endeavors will reach us, one way or another. Be well, be safe, be curious!

PS Your grandmother is so happy and I see her every day :-)

Ida link
9/9/2021 12:30:32 pm

Thank you Sarah for being such an inspiration and being part of my new start on weaving. The 4-salvedge course gave me inspiration/ courage to reconnect with the craft and I will be forever grateful. You will be missed.
Take care
Ida

Barbara Heller link
9/10/2021 09:00:01 am

Congratulations and all good wishes. We all should reinvent ourselves from time to time. Struggle can be good for the soul.

Ayana
9/10/2021 09:00:08 am

Thank you Sarah for taking us on your journey. I enjoyed every post and even your knitting patterns. Thank you and may the fleece be with you.

Toya
9/10/2021 10:33:45 am

Thanks so much for all the info and inspo! I'll miss seeing you in my inbox regularly, but hope to still catch a glimpse of you around the webs from time to time. Wishing you clean fleeces and knotless skeins.

Timothy Arek link
9/27/2021 04:28:04 am

Great article! Thank you for sharing this informative post, and looking forward to the latest one. If you are looking for coupon codes and deals just visit coupon plus deals dot

Gisela Towner link
10/2/2021 09:06:33 am

I will miss your voice your art and your beautiful rambling spirit, 💖


Comments are closed.
    Picture

    ​Sarah C Swett 
    tells stories
    with
    ​ and about

     hand spun yarn. 


    Picture
    Click for info on
    my four selvedge
    warping class
    with
    ​ Rebecca Mezoff  
    fringeless


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