Is it becauase we’re in Virgo now, and I am a Virgo, that I feel the need for organization?
My husband always jokes that I have this NEED for things to change in the Fall – probably leftover from all those years in school, college and grad school – but I do like things to begin in the Fall. Maybe it’s the Jewish calendar (my family has always insisted that I was kidnapped by a roving band of Methodists and raised as one of their own, that somehow I didn’t quite ‘fit’)
Whatever the reason, I spent a very large portion of the weekend – to the dismay of my family – working out tables for the wire book and the men who knit book, organizing the material lists, skill levels, breakout how-to images required – all sorts of stuff that one doesn’t think of when they say, “Yes! I’d LOVE to do that book!”
It is the most calming thing – to organize – at least it is for me. I love to arrange information so that I can access it and understand it easily. One of my favorite books is Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte Not only is it a beautiful book, it helps me understand how to lay out my own information so I can comprehend it more easily. I have learned a great deal from this book, and someday I would love to take a class with Mr. Tufte.
In between the organization I’ve done a bit of designing this weekend – what a break from the other stuff! I’ve also been working up swatches for the men who knit book (necessary so I can establish a gauge – then the knitters have to match it!) and had a WONDERFUL phone conversation with the managing editor at Lark books on Thursday which really put so much of the men’s knitting book in perspective.
Of course, when she called I had these RIte-Aid foam rubber teeth whitening strips in my mouth so I sounded like I’d been to the dentist. She was so kind, and called me back a few minutes later. Of course, I’d become immersed in a worksheet and hadn’t removed the darned strips, so while she was on the phone I took them off and brushed my teeth with her listening. That’s bound to be a bonding experience. She said she felt like a dentist. Perhaps because of the unusual beginning, it was one of the best phone conversations I’ve had in months, and I actually felt as though she WANTED to talk to me, wanted to hear my ideas, and didn’t just want to tell me what she wanted and get off the phone as quickly as possible. Wonderful.