A Different Way

There are many ways to do EACH thing that we do. Think about it. Take, for example, eating. We can eat with our hands, chop sticks, a fork or spoon etc. We can gobble our food or reflect on each morsel. You get the idea. Today, I was thinking about why we do things the way we do-- Is it about time? Is it about learning and understanding? Is it about getting the most out of an experience? Or is it just about doing something the way we were taught or the way that best fits our style. And THEN why do we choose to do something differently than we have been doing for as long as we can remember?

I have been carding and spinning wool for more than two years. My learning style is by being shown; which in some cases can by limiting. When I first learned to card and spin I learned from one person showing me how. I have been shown different ways since then but I have not ever been around many people demonstrating technical ways and why one way is better than another. Some would say, "so what, you can spin can't you?"

Last weekend I bought a small paperback book demonstrating many aspects of working with wool. I began to read about how to wash wool, card wool, and spin. I realized right away that the author's methods were "better" than mine or at least could give me results that were preferable to me. Unfortunately, I don't learn visually and had to read and reread the part about carding wool with hand carders MANY times. I would read - look at the picture- and then practice each of six steps and then redo the process over and over. It made sense to me why the author did it this way and I was excited BUT I could not lock it into my memory.

I will try again soon because I have gotten to the place in fiber work where I want to achieve a more ______ (what is the word) result. Just being able to turn fibers from 6 sheep and a llama into a hat, mittens, and more is no longer good enough for me.