One thing I learned from writing my thesis was that I find it really difficult to understand the shape and structure of a piece of writing which exists only in electronic form. It is a little bit like trying to walk inside a building that doesn’t physically exist. And since finishing the write up, I have had a strong, material yearning for paper.
The first thing I purchased after writing the thesis, was a box of notelets upon which to pen lovely words to all the people I have not seen for ages, on account of being buried in my write-up. I have singularly failed to write on or send any of these notelets, but the paper craving continued on into our stay in Miami, where my souvenir list from the trip included 1 block of TO-DO list post-it notes, a bargainous, reduced-in-the-sale block of monographed F post-it notes, a TO-DO list/notes notepad, a stack of postcards and a print by a Miami artist, featuring an image of our hotel. And of course, for anyone who missed it when I blogged about it last time, I made a dress from complimentary copies of the New York Times in order to partake of the Halloween festivities. I went as a flapper zombie, inspired by a dilapidated art deco building…
…the paper dress met its end during enthusiastic halloween revelry and crazy dancing in Miami. However the TO-DO lists have proved to be very useful organisational tools during recent weeks, and the post-it-notes have proved invaluable in finding my way around Cat Bordhi’s new pathways for sock knitters book.
It is one of those books full of diagrams and formulas where everything you need is on a different page than the one you are on, and – of course – I have modified everything to my own spec so there are loads of numbers to note down.
Now I love an old, repurposed envelope, but the post-it-notes will remain stuck to the pages for far longer than a loose envelope would remain folded there. This is good, since I will need my paper trail of numbers if sock no. 2 is ever to be finished.
The planned walks have also been assisted in their development today by the employment of post-it-notes. It was useful to get all the ideas we had for different walks out onto the table and to begin editing our ideas.
I have reprised the sounds of life feature that I made for BBC Oxford a couple of years ago here, because it reminds me of making my own stationery, and of thinking about how to record life with a pen.
I will use more pens and paper next time I have to write something big as I find it helps me to understand and arrange my thoughts to be able to physically move them around with my hands… maybe that’s why I like knitting.
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