Seems silly but this is what yarn people do. We travel around to see this! Yarn in all its forms, even just lying around huddled in a simple basket (yet another form of enticing interlacing in itself). This was part of the magic at one of our workshops. Looks rather like my bunch of left over threads near my looms, but still – I photographed it with enthusiasm.

My brother once said that if he had knew about the wonders of volcanos he would have been the smartest kid at his school. Meaning… school didn’t trigger that stirring of passion about something. He had to wait until volcanos and their fascination came to him.  It’s the same with weaving for me.  It’s been a way of seeing the world and learning about the world around me.  And as we are all involved in cloth in some from birth to death, it’s a good one for learning about culture and societies.

Along the way the thirst for cloth reveals other delights especially the natural world and this is what I like about Australia and anywhere I go. On our Japan tour we included all of the art projects at Naoshima Art Island in the Seto Inland Sea. Just getting there is a lovely adventure into a vastly different world to mine. As an Australian I am continually challenged by the people factor in other countries. The inland sea and ferry looked a little like the ferry to Bruny Island in Tasmania in some ways. There you have a feeling of being in a very natural and unpopulated environment. You don’t expect to see any industry, cities or infrastructure. The idea is just out of my understanding! In contrast, Naoshima Island has a small population of 3500 and although there are plenty of natural areas  in the inland sea there’s also a lot of activity, industry, ships and towns. On the tour we travelled by ferry, plane, bus, train and foot but I think ferry hopping to islands is the most exhilarating. Islands have a mystique. Next I’d really like to discover more about the whole beautiful area in Seto, the inland sea.

Here is some of our group with Kenzo and Misao Jo at the start of our trip. What an adventure we had!

Here is a very small overview of some of our textile and not so textile moments from the tour.

[Show slideshow]