Fiber arts adventures, inspiration.

Working in a yarn shop, there are a lot of things I am tempted to buy every day that I work. On Friday, I finally gave in to the temptation to purchase the Wild Fibers magazine when the new issue arrived in our store. I also purchased a past issue I’d resisted buying earlier. Wow, am I glad that I finally got this. It has been a delight to read through, and I’ve savored it over the weekend and during quiet moments with a cup of coffee.

The latest issue has an article about penguins in Patagonia, and the back issue that I purchased features the Falkland Islands. This is causing me to reminisce on my adventures studying abroad in Argentina. I studied in Buenos Aires for a semester, and at the end of it, I traveled with friends for two weeks in Patagonia. We flew to Ushuaia, then hopped from city to city by bus all the way back to Buenos Aires in time for our flights back to the US.

One of the highlights of this trip, for me, was a visit and tour of an estancia, or ranch, in Chile where they raised sheep. The tour was probably one of the least frugal things I did during my whole semester there, but it was worth it. They picked us up at our hostel in a shuttle van, then picked up others at their lodgings, and brought us to the estancia. There, we had a buffet dinner which included lamb. Then we went outside for a sheep dog demonstration, a walk around outside with views of the gorgeous lake the estancia bordered, and then back inside for a sheep shearing demonstration. I remember being quite tickled that I could understand the Spanish an English versions of the guide’s narrative.

Our guide telling us about the different types of sheep they raise. I can't remember what they were though!
Our guide telling us about the different types of sheep they raise. I can’t remember what they were though!
Fleece in different stages of preparation.
Fleece in different stages of preparation.
Me-with sheep!
Me-with sheep!
Sheep dog demonstration.
Sheep dog demonstration.
Penguins at a penguin reserve.
Penguins at a penguin reserve.
Me on a boat ride in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina.
Me on a boat ride in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in Argentina.

I often miss traveling and am nostalgic for the sense of adventure and exploration that it’s so easy to miss out on in day-to-day life. Reading Wild Fibers and looking back on my photos also gave me an itch to pursue fiber-related travel. I started to think, “Wouldn’t it be cool to go on trips like this and blog about it? I could become a knitting travel blogger!”

I’ve never quite found the unifying theme I wanted for this blog, and have kept it mostly a personal space where I can put whatever I want. I named it “Sticks and Scribbles” precisely because I couldn’t choose between a craft blog and a writing blog. So I just made it both. However, I often felt that simply sharing my completed knitting projects got a little boring. Same with just posting about progress about my books.

I’m kinda thinking that I’m going to try on a “fiber adventure” theme for my blog now. Traveling is not in the cards for me right now, but I live in Duluth, MN. There is plenty of adventure to be found, and we don’t have a lack of fiber arts field trip destinations, either. Expect to see pictures of pretty sights in Duluth, exploration of fiber arts, and maybe even a combination of the two. We’ll try this on for size, and see how it goes.