A
Life of Its Own
I
bought new cord to work with on eBay. It came on a large spool. From
a company that makes supplies for tents and awnings. In the picture
it looked like a gold toned cord, and also in the description it was
stated as gold in color. When I received my package, as I opened
it, I found it was what I would call tan or beige, which it turns
out I liked better than the gold color pictured. I guess when used
for the purpose for which it was sold it did not really matter what
color it was. For my purposes, it does matter.
In
any case, this was my medium for the two projects I'm going to write
about this time. When cut into sections and held, it reminds me of
cold, cooked spaghetti. It looks and feels smooth and hangs in sort
of a languid way, but when tied into a knot it changes character
completely. It can be rough and harsh. I guess we can behave in a
similar way. Anyway, my point is, when you use a new material, it
takes some getting to know, and that is what this exercise is about.
The
first project was a bracelet, started with a certain idea in mind. As
I progressed, I found it was taking a shape not as I had first
imagined. Because of the thickness of the cord it was wider than I
wanted, but I continued on, and it became a sort of cuff style
bracelet, able to stand on its own. I learned that the knot also
affects the end result. I have been of late using tiny thread in
comparison. I had to adjust my thinking a bit. I had to totally
rethink this bracelet, but the result is not too bad, just different.
The end fastener became the focal point.
The
second endeavor really took on a life of its own. I have had that
happen with poems I have written in the past. It seems things can
speak to you, not in a literal sense, but a form of inspiration or
direction. I started this exercise with the intent to make a basket.
I began at the bottom with a small ring. Then I went outward. This
required that I add new cord as I progressed. Anyone who has worked
in the round knows that you have to adjust as you go to get the form
to lay flat and expand. Things were not progressing as I wanted, but
I kept working. As I changed knots, I realized I would have to find
out how to hide the ends and start to decrease. I learned how to
increase and allow for future expansion at the same time. Nice, I
think.
As
I worked, I learned that this would not stand on its own as planned
because the weight of the cord increased. So I toyed with the idea
of making this a flat piece mounted in a frame and on some sort of
board. I asked a few people what they thought and most of the
consensus was round, basket-like.
Because of its weight, I would
have to have some sort of form to attach it to, so off I went to my
favorite thrift store to see what I could find. At first I felt like
I was not seeing many possibilities, but I continued to look. I
finally found the perfect glass bowl. It even had similar texture and
design that went with the knot forms. A bonus, don't you think? I had
come with my husband and a friend of ours, and as they were still
looking around, I continued to explore and found a placemat that
appeared to be made of flat, smooth, stick-like pieces. It felt like
the material that dominoes are made of. By the time I found that
little gem, my husband and friend were also ready to go. We checked
out at the cash register and were on our way. As we went out into
the sunlight, I took out the placemat to look at it closer and found
it was not made of what I had originally thought. It turned out to
be made of a fine bamboo. The edges were so carefully finished and
smooth I could not tell what it was at first. It must be made from
some larger pieces of bamboo because it had more weight to it than
other bamboo I had worked with in the past. I was glad it was not
because I prefer to work with more natural materials. I accomplished
my errand in finding a base for my work and other future projects
with this new found item of bamboo beads.
When I got home, I had to
figure out whether to attach the form inside the bowl or outside.
The outside won, and I worked to figure out how to attach it to the
bowl. The problem was how to fasten off the ends to hide them,
because the string ends can be seen from both sides, as the bowl is
clear.
As in all projects, I like some of the results and others I
don't, but all in all, it is what it is. As I came to the end of the
process, I set the bowl down and it seemed to suggest that it needed
a base or a pedestal of some sort. I looked around and found what I
think is a perfect match. I bought this wooden carved base quite
awhile ago, not knowing what I would ever use it for, but it spoke to
me because of the nice carving and the shape, I brought it home. It
has been waiting for the rest of its parts.
Four main items came together
and made a whole. Not what they where originally made for, but they
worked well together and now have a new start in life.
By
the way, this exercise had it's drawbacks. This cord was rough on my
hands. It managed to make a blister on the side of my baby finger and
before I knew what happened, I had scraped the top of my skin off.
I had to add some armor to protect my finger as to not further
injure it . Many years ago I worked on a project in
High
School when I learned macrame'. I made a large wall hanging fastened
to a large bamboo pole we had around the house. The cord I used to
make it was even harsher to my hands. It was made of common rope the
size of my baby finger. I got really tough callouses on my hands and
I think I even lost a little blood that time. So I was really
surprised at the injury I received from this much smaller and what
seemed to be, a tame cord. So I hope you found something of interest
taking a trip into the mind and process of the birth of something
new.
P.S
I liked this cord so much I bought another spool of it, so don't be
surprised if you see some more in the future, in spite of the pain.
I just looked up at my calandar and saw a quote that I thought was
appropriate to Today's blog.
“Faith
makes things possible...not easy.”
If
at first you don't succeed tie, tie again ... I started this project
with a pattern in mind. I was using a
needlepoint pattern with an all-over design. I tried to adapt
it to knotting. The knot I was using covered two rows vertically and
horizontally so I knew it would not be exact. I
carefully counted the threads to match the pattern, but did not take
into account the increase of knots. So as I worked along the
pattern shifted, and by the time I got about halfway through the
pattern was off the space allotted. 
I untied it and took off on my own. I still kept the beginning border that I had
started with. It became a sort of sampler, a work of practice and
trial. This project is for a
relative of mine who is getting married. It paralleled that
experience.
Why do they leave a
path? Have you ever thought of that? That's a bit off track. Sorry. I
have a wondering mind. I guess it shows in this piece. I hated this
and loved it too. Much the same as life sometimes. I learned that I
need to be kind to myself and remember that each endeavor teaches me
a better way and some new ways of doing things. Learning is
never a waste. It helps with the future. 
