And that was June.
Long lines this month on the daily stitch journal:
I’ve found this format to be quite a challenge at times. Filling a line is not at all the same as filling a box-shaped space. The path is already mapped out and you have to walk its length. A box or square – your needle and thread can meander around in it, but a long straight line knows where it’s going and you have to follow it.
And that’s a fair example of art reflecting life, because I also find the long summer days themselves to be a bit challenging. I like sunshine, in moderation, but not heat. I like night time to be cool and dark. Even with blackout curtains it just doesn’t get dark enough at this time of year and sunrise is some ridiculous time in the middle of the night. It’s also been unusually hot here the last few weeks, and every room in the house has been several degrees warmer than is comfortable. Sometimes I go to the local Sainsbury’s just to cool down – their air conditioning makes the whole shop feel like a giant fridge.
Yesterday I found a vintage Coats mercerised cotton crochet thread in variegated yellows in a local charity shop for 50p. I don’t have much yellow thread – it’s not a colour I tend to use very often – but it looked so delicious that it had to come home with me. It made a lovely detached chain stitch.
And everyone likes to see the other side, of course. Once this is made up into a book, the other side will no longer be visible. Next year I think I will return to the two-sided format where the back remains accessible. I like to see it.
Next month will be summer flowers. I think this could be fun.
I’ve reached a bit of a landmark: the end of June marks my first six months of working for myself. It’s been hard work and long hours and immensely rewarding, but I am quite tired. Next week I’m taking a social media break for a week or two, just to potter behind the scenes and recharge a little. I will still process any orders and respond to emails, but Instagram and Facebook can carry on without me for a little while. I may still post here, if I have anything to say. Does a blog count as social media? I guess it probably does, but then the pace here is slow enough to be ok.
