Restarting the engine

The last week has mostly been spent recovering from the chocolate maelstrom – physically, mentally, and studio-wise. I’m realizing that, much as I enjoy the four intense days of chocolatiering, my body is less enthusiastic about standing up 14 hours a day for four days straight. Next year I will either get in better shape beforehand or else figure out a way to reduce the strain.

That said, I’m planning on flinging myself back into the book and the studio shortly. After I’ve gotten the studio and the chocolate prep areas clean, I’ll be writing new chapters, doing interviews, and – oh yes – actually weaving!

In preparation for that, I went out to the studio yesterday morning and fixed five or six broken threads, so the loom is ready for weaving. Here’s what the warp looks like now:

I expect to have continuing challenges with this warp – but hopefully I’ve had enough time away that I can start afresh. I’m hoping to have it debugged by the end of the month, so I can weave yardage in January.

Book-wise, I have started doing my final round of interviews. Tuesday I interviewed a glass artist (Paul Marioni), Thursday I interviewed a ceramicist (Hiroshi Ogawa). I continue to be grateful to all the artists who have generously given their time to the project! I plan to do four or five interviews over the next two weeks, finishing up my interviews. And I’m hoping to write another chapter or two before the end of the month.

In January, I plan to focus even more intensely on the book. I’ve booked a lovely cabin near Ft. Bragg (about a three hour drive north of where I live) and will spend a week and a half there, working on nothing but the book. The cabin is cozy, the surroundings beautiful, and there are plenty of restaurants in town, so I don’t need to worry about feeding myself. My intent is to finish the rough draft and the first major round of revisions by the end of the week. Looking forward to my retreat!