Wednesday, August 03, 2011

What is Time? I Haven't Got Time to Tell You.

The danged clock and calendar seem to be working in tandem against me. They keep racing forward and I keep begging them to please slow down.

No dice.

It always was a losing battle but I now officially admit defeat. Hey Time - you win! I give up! Battle over. I will simply proceed forward: laundry will be done, meals will be prepared, the garden will be tended, children will be listened to, and yes, squares will be made. The squares will be made at rate that seems pathetically slow but, I have discovered, it is my rate.


Here is my wee stack of squares. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to make more than two per day, tops. I will not be the first to say that 20 inches/50 cm is a sight bigger than it first seems.

All this would feel rather despairing except for the fact that I know I am in great company. The ravelry group now has sixty members and I have been contacted by a good number of people via email. The Korean end of things is just heating up now so I am hopeful that once the Biennale begins to promote the project, then it will generate a lot of local interest.

A couple of other thoughts....

Thought #1. As I have considered the very real possibility of not making my goal (1500) squares, I have been re-arranging things in my head. Of course all of this is without ever having been on-site, so it might all need to change once I actually see it in person. But think about this: you are driving along this lovely avenue and notice the colours on the trees. How surprising! How lovely! And it goes on...for a kilometer. Fantastic! Now two kilometers. Great, but I gotta drive here....and you see that perhaps 5 km might turn the project from impressive to boring or, at least, no longer noticed. Call it rationalizing, but I think 5 km might be too long for most people's attention span. Just a thought.

Thought #2. I have started a contest on the ravelry group. Anyone who posts a picture of their square is eligible to win a skein of Wee Ball Yarn art yarn in a colour of their choice. If you post two squares, you are entered twice. Three squares, three chances, and so on. I will have one contest from now until August 15th and another one from the 16th to the 30th. So join up and post some pictures! Delicious yarn hangs in the balance.

Thought #2a. The organizers may be offering to make a donation to the Korean flood relief efforts in the name of each participant. When I have more details, I will share them. If you have been on the fence about participating, perhaps this is the nudge you needed. It isn't just for art but for a more easily understood greater good. If you needed one, here is another incentive to make squares...your work will be doing double duty.

Now let us all get off the computer and start using time wisely!

4 comments:

Jan Morrison said...

Oh oh oh oh! I will get to work. I can't do two squares a day - I can't do one square a week. I'm a damn slow knitter I realize. I think I'll go on line and learn how to make granny squares. I tried crocheting my first one (used to be a crocheting fool) but I made the first chain to tight and the whole thing was unshapely and I frogged 'er.
Could you possibly tell us how you're going to attach them? Are they going to be like a row of prayer flags or?

ShannonAnn said...

Hey Robyn, great yoga class last night!!!!
And I'll knit a few squares for ya, any particular colour?

PurpleGirl said...

Robyn -- I joined the ravelry group and will shortly begin a square. I'd stopped by your blog to see what you've been up to... (grin). The tree project sounds like fun; I have the time and I have yarn (grin).

Robyn said...

Hey Purplegirl - thanks for checking out the blog, joining the ravelry group and making some squares! I really, really appreciate it. Welcome to everything!