An Artist's Dilema

Last year, the warehouse where I live inaugurated an annual Holiday sale showcasing the artists in the building. I am trying to get a jump on this year's show and making lots of stuff now for selling in December.

At the last minute I laid out a table with odd bits of knitting I made rather quickly (mostly kid's hats) and my origami boxes (I'd been making them for years and had a stash of easily a hundred of differing sizes just sitting around). My neighbor watched over my table, since I was also performing in a production of "Macbeth" and couldn't be there.

A few hats were sold, but the surprise of the day were the boxes. People bought them in droves! Without my even explaining their history or delicacy (modular origami, no tape, glue, or staples, ranging from six to 16 pieces of paper to make up one box, imported papers from Japan, etc). I put them out as an afterthought, and even though they are by their very nature expensive, people gobbled them up.

Mojo and I were talking last night and I mentioned I was getting a head start this year. I'm knitting lots of hand/arm warmers (people love them around here) and probably some toys and sculpture. Mojo is encouraging me to do more boxes and he is absolutely right.

The dilemma is how to do this with a 15 month old hellion running loose in the house?

I can knit around her with no problem. I've been doing it since she was born and she has a good respect for the needles and yarn (although the row counter is another story as she thinks it should be her special chew toy). But modular origami? That is another beast entirely. The papers are delicate, even the thicker ones, and expensive beyond belief. Often I only have a few sheets of one pattern with which to work and if one is crushed or wrinkled it ruins the entire piece. And Arabis *loves* to eat paper.

I've also converted my work table to her changing table. The irony of living in a work/live warehouse and being unable to work is not lost on me.

Hmmm, what to do?

Right now, off to be mom to the baby. Journalus interruptus, yet again. But today she has been such a charmer that it is a joy to be with her. She is much like her old self (pre teething hell) which is a great relief after a weekend of pure and unbridled demonic rage. I did meet a doula yesterday who gave me a few more teething tips (frozen blueberries) that I'd not yet tried, and I thought I'd tried them all.

Monkey Boi goes home to his mother in Ohio on Wednesday and we are all a little sad. Mojo's taking tomorrow off work so we'll do family stuff, laundry and pack in the during the day.

Arabis and I have been invited to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium with my friend Lisa and her son who is only a few months older than the Bit. We will drive down with her on Tuesday night and look at the fishes and stuff on Wednesday, which is a far better plan than sitting around at home moping while Mojo takes Monkey Boi to the airport (since we can't go back to the gate with them).

So away we go to run errands and play out in the world: the Weasel Grrl, Monkey Boi and me.