make a wish, make a list...

Years ago, a friend who had spent WWII in China had told me that the Chinese symbol for crisis and the Chinese symbol for opportunity are the same. And so, what do you want to learn, and what do you want to develop that you can during a time of being sequestered from our normal reality.

Kelly McDonough, director of the Eureka Springs School of the Arts has always wanted to knit socks. So with a new knitting kit in hand, and her dad crafting some lovely new needles, she's ready for some days or weeks, working at home.

We need a way that we can share what we're learning, so I suggest visiting the ESSA facebook page and sharing with others in our arts community. If you do, and even if your results are not what you might hope for at first, you'll likely find encouragement and support from others facing the same challenges. https://www.facebook.com/EurekaSpringsSchoolOftheArts/

Decide what you've always wanted to learn. Make a wish for it, and that you find a way for it. Make a list of what you need. Do some careful shopping if you must. Or think about things you already have in your home that might help. As a friend Paul Ruhlman suggests, "Do what you can with what you have." But don't forget to share with others.

If you don't have any ideas, go to my blog, Wisdomofhands.blogspot.com There you'll find years of ideas from my teaching at the Clear Spring School and from my time teaching adults in woodworking clubs and schools and through articles in various woodworking magazines. Spool knitting is a great way to occupy and excite children's hands. I plan to supply knitting spools to our students at the Clear Spring School. https://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2013/09/this-day-in-css-wood-shop.html

In the meantime, and as an example from the blog, you might wonder about your hands. Did you know that wearing a single glove on one hand or the other can actually change the way you think? https://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2012/01/estrangement-from-whole-self.html

In thinking about Kelly knitting socks, I'm reminded of a pair of gloves I bought in Helsinki from a woman who knitted fingerless gloves while talking to me in a market. How can a person's hands be so smart? As proof, I have a pair of her gloves in my coat pocket.
https://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2008/10/at-some-point-soon-i-hope-to-get-into.html

Make, fix and create. Assist others in learning lifewise.