all the things by hand

all the things.
the first time i heard this phrase
was in michelle moode's beautiful letterpress book
PARTICULAR.
it was index item #1.
the first thing was all the things.
 i handle this book,
handle, the touch or the feel of something held in the hands
this book
haptic knowledge
anyway, it has delights and puzzles quietly presented.
The whole world is a series of miracles, 
but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.
Hans Christian Anderson

 I've been thinking about the intelligence of 
our hands, how they become smarter with practice, like our brains do.
unmoored, by shanna leino
 i've read over and over.
it's a small poem, not many words,
but about big things.
the care she took as she stitched this exquisite spine 
 the monoprints on silk...
see her tiny stitches?
an exit in SLU's print studio
with my favorite cheesecloth drying after being washed out.
i'm not quite sure why it is
but for me the things that have meaning
are the things made by hands that have knowledge,
and also are my favorites
for (whatever/all the) reasons.
in last summer's seattle workshop
my students' hands all together could indeed have ruled the world,
with exquisite intelligence, grace, and love.
hazel and gabby
 an envelope came recently that held this rich 
surprise:
 Banks of the Dogbane by sarah swett
a hand sized tapestry (3 x 3") rich in simple detail
and texture
 woven on handspun linen
 i love this thing.
 over on the next farm this structure
was never honored by finishing
or by use
 now it's failing
i believe it was intended for hay storage 
for these bovines.
why leave it undone, 
a public testament to failure of some kind?
i watched them build it, but then it was ignored.
these cows don't seem to care. 
the lovely little brown calf stands out in this black and white crowd.
a lilac burl
from my garden.
enhanced by me cleaning and oiling it,
rolling it around in my hands with pleasure and love
handling it into another use
(maybe an awl?)

 a beautiful handwoven hemp textile
hand spun hemp on a cotton warp
found by my dear friend who allowed me to buy it
at mjolk in toronto.
 tiny waxed linen crocheted basket by Nina Payne
a gift from a gifted friend.
 shanna's lake michigan rocks
beautiful and useful.
 a little natural history book nest i made
two feathers on a shifu page and a seaweed float/bladder
 milkweed bast becoming thread
 ginkgo message
from therese
and words from the wise.
i'm reading a new book: 
Craeft by alexander langlands
which may help me understand (or perhaps just frame)
my thoughts on hand work.
all the handwork.

all the things

this morning:
four snapping turtles
one walking, two laying eggs, and one road killed
two whitetail yearling does
one kingfisher
one mourning dove
two crows
on the way to my house from Home.
at my house i have a big trip to get ready for:
Victoria, British Columbia: Seattle and Tacoma Washington.
books to sew
paper and supplies to wrap.
organization to attempt.
here's one of a pair of osprey we spotted on vacation

sublime pie in machias
and terrific haddock and clams
 a road killed subject for the sketchbook

 at pbi i met so many remarkable people.
 two young book artists 
had work that moved me deeply
 this is michelle's book 
PARTICULAR
she made the paper and printed it letterpress
it starts quietly and builds
 and builds
 the index
and woody's book 
Words and Vegetables
 this one tickles me
type plays with story and with space
 and this book
parsley
 more typographic play with story integral to that play.
 and I have been reading 
 this book is a long essay about aboriginal ways of living 
how different their relationship to land is compared to the conquerors
a story familiar, like the one here.
only that land is so much more fragile than north america. 
Nourishing Terrains and Braiding Sweetgrass are rich resources 
for my pondering.
 and here is, again, a turtle,
from nourishing terrains in australia
but seen, 
this time of year
 hereabouts on sandy roadsides, 
diligently laying eggs.