a good day for mail

Thursday was a spectacular day for mail! I received a new Fiber Arts magazine and I can't wait to sit down and read it. I also received a bunch of color cards from Halcyon Yarn so I can start planning my spring shawl line. Then there was a box of yarn from Webs- 3 cones of rayon: yellow, white, eggplant- two cones that look like baker's twine in melon/natural and navy/natural- and one large cone of aqua unmercerized cotton. These were mill ends and closeouts, and I was unsure of the quality of yarn, but most seem fine. The rayons are a little hairy but the sheen is irresistible. I love the color and strength of the aqua. The baker's twine is incredibly beautiful but also incredibly weak. Wish I had a ball winder and a swift so that i could wind them into 2 or 3 fake plies to build up the strength a bit. Might just try warping it as groups of 2 or 3, but that will double or triple my winding time.

The last surprise was a letter from Amanda Ho in Australia! I am participating in "Pics to Picks," hosted by Meg Nakagawa- it is an exchange of photos and images among weavers, ending in either weaving projects inspired by these images or sketches and plans. I will write more it in a separate post, but what joy! I used to collect stamps, and it is such a joy to receive mail with stamps from all parts of the world. The internet connects us so well, but what an intangible idea! To think of one person physically writing a letter, the path to the mailbox, the post office sorting, the letter's trip on a boat or plane- flying over the sea to reach the other city, being sorted again and stuck in a mail bag for delivery- inch by inch, mile by mile. The physical yet invisible maps of paths of mail, paths of planes, paths of footsteps.