Ariadne's Thread

Thanks for the Magic!

Kimberly — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:18:10 +0000

Magic doesn’t always happen of its own accord… sometimes a lot of behind-the-scenes commitment and hard work goes into its creation. And such was the case with last week’s Saffron Walden Maze Festival. Make no mistake, there was plenty of serendipity as carefully constructed plans fell into place and the event took on a life of its own… but the planning was admirably careful and thorough. And at the end of it all, as we were gathering on the Common for one last time, this woman, chief instigator Barbara Wilcox, was still smiling:

The final evening found us celebrating new friendships and good memories as we munched on local delicacies like Giggly Pig sausages and Saffron Walden Ice Cream, and enjoyed a bit of silliness with Wellie Wanging contests, hay bale mazes, and fancy dress shenanigans. Even the Market Cross was gussied up for the night with recycled maze knitting!

One last delight awaited us as the evening shadows gathered and darkness fell. Amidst the twinkle of hundreds of tiny candles, we thanked the organizers and bid the maze goodnight…

Until we meet again!

Performance Art

Kimberly — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:47:01 +0000

To my mind, there is no doubt that the labyrinth symbol invites and thrives on creativity. As always seems to happen when labyrinth enthusiasts gather and scheme, the Saffron Walden Maze Festival grew beyond its organizers’ wildest dreams as imaginations fired and ideas poured in. The week became a virtual feast of artistic endeavour and participation.

Art Exhibits

Garden Tours

And even a wandering Minotaur

As Sunday grew to a close, and people had exhausted themselves on tours, concerts, lectures, labyrinth walks, art exhibits and maze-y games of all sorts, festival goers gathered at the turf maze once more to enjoy the premier performance of Lost and Found, a short play written by Alex Everard, especially for this event.

Lost and Found explores the past and present of Europe’s largest surviving ancient turf maze, but also the maze of life which we are all trying to find the centre of. Four people seek different things within the Turf Maze, but will they find what they are looking for, or something else entirely?

The play was impressive, hitting all the right notes… it was timely, entertaining, and well-performed by the Sheer Drop Theatre group. It was also well-researched and factually accurate, something we don’t see all that often amongst labyrinth literature. I was impressed by two things about the playwright: her enthusiasm and her commitment to clarity. It isn’t easy to weave together the various threads of labyrinth interest without coming across as critical of one or more of the perspectives.

And amazingly, even the dicey British weather cooperated, blessing us with one of the most beautiful summer evenings of the year. What a lovely way to enjoy community and conviviality!

Running the Maze!

Kimberly — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:54:19 +0000

Saturday’s Knitted Maze at the Saffron Walden Maze Festival gave way to more traditional activities on Sunday.

Having spent much of Saturday afternoon researching historical documents about the turf maze and the way it has been maintained and used over the centuries, we were ready to see the historic racing reenacted, twenty-first century style. The four corners (sometimes called the bastions), were marked with their traditional designations of the large towns that lie in those approximate directions: Chelmsford, Stortford, Cambridge and Newmarket, with the centre marked as Waterloo. Following the rules recorded in 1816, racers of all ages were given time cards before they set out at one-minute intervals to navigate the path, nearly a mile in length. Of course, everyone wanted to beat the previous record of 8-1/2 minutes which was set in 1980 after the latest restoration and race reenactment.

Recognize this contestant?

He didn’t win. According to him, it’s harder than you might think even though his time of 9 minutes 38 seconds was for a while the leading time for the seniors category! And I must say, he does seem inordinately proud of the participation medal he was awarded. The win went to a long-legged young man, Mike Sharp, who deserved to win with his mind boggling time of just 7 minutes 28 seconds. He was so delighted that I think we may have managed to convert a new maze aficionado.

I didn’t race. I was in a quiet mood, feeling quite pensive, so I watched the eager contingent of racers from the bank overlooking the maze and just daydreamed. And knitted. For hours. And a funny thing happened… without my setting foot on its pathways, the labyrinth still managed to work its magic on me so that by the time I left, I felt calmed, cheered, inspired. My friend Emily reminds me that sitting by the well can be as restorative as being in the water.

And so it was.

Maze Knitted!

Kimberly — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:08:06 +0000

It was a-maze-ing! I know that the Knitted Maze was only one of the attractions of Saffron Walden’s weeklong Maze Festival, and as a knitter I might be a bit biased… but I was profoundly moved by the experience of seeing the grand old turf maze swathed in handcrafted fibre. In this case, the turf labyrinth, which is one of 8 surviving historical examples here in England, is called a maze despite the fact that it is actually labyrinth by modern definition… it has a single path leading all the way to the center, with no choices or dead ends.

It made for a stunning view, looking on from the raised banks surrounding the labyrinth… long strips of color covering the walls and flanking the paths, each section showcasing someone’s handwork. Walking the paths of the maze brought me in close enough to appreciate each person’s choices and contribution of colour, pattern, and fibre.

Some bits were plain

some fancy,

and some still in progress….

I wanted to wander endlessly, appreciating, enjoying the detail… but then stepping away to view it as a whole brought a new perspective, and I felt like I was looking at a long line of unique characters holding hands to provide a show for the audience. For me, it was a tangible experience of individuality blending into cohesive community. It was quite marvelous to witness the results of personal creativity weaving into a new and wider tale. Each piece told a story which gave richness and depth to the overall effect.

As a knitter, I was pleased with my involvement, and proud of my bit… but to be honest, the most exciting part of my participation was watching my little piece take on a life of its own, down there in the far corner.

And the rest of the weekend… equally wonderful, colorful, and diverse! As always the labyrinth wove its own magic as disparate characters, interests and expressions came together in celebration of an age-old symbol.

Curious about just who might dream up such a zany project? Meet Sophie, the Wonder Woman behind it all…

Calling All Labyrinth Knitters

Kimberly — Sat, 28 May 2011 08:03:45 +0000

As my way of inching back toward the blogland community, I want to invite my reader friends to knit a labyrinth with me.

Yes, really!

A big one!

Seriously.

Big enough to cover this:

The good people of Saffron Walden are planning a fabulous Maze Festival to be held in late August…. the Maze is the name of the big turf labyrinth on the common in the centre of town. Because it is less than an hour away from us, we consider it our local labyrinth, and visit it as often as possible. The festival week promises to be filled with fun and unique activities, but my ears really perked up when I was introduced to Sophie of Twist Yarns who is filled-to-bursting with good ideas. Amongst her many projects is a Knitted Maze that will feature in the festival. She is looking for creative people to help her knit a mile of knitting to cover the maze. She needs knitted, crocheted, felted and/or sewn pieces which are approximately 9 inches wide, and can be as long or short as you like. You can use any material and any stitch for this celebration of textile crafts. Feel free to contact Sophie through her website with questions or knitted offerings — .

Please join the fun by helping this great marriage of Knitting and Labyrinths — two of my greatest loves!

Rock on Socktober!

Kimberly — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:57:42 +0000

I’m in Sock Mode. Definitely and delightedly. I’m loving the 2010 Mystery Socks so much that I’ve started knitting the 2009 socks as well, to fill in the time I’d otherwise just spend waiting impatiently for the next Friday Clue. Not wanting to give too much away, let me just say that the ‘little boxes’ and ‘tiny trowel’ stitches are knitting up quite splendidly. Photos will be forthcoming.

I had a bit of a setback the first week, when I launched myself into the Knit-Along with purple wool from my stash. Unfortunately, my knitting needles didn’t approve of my choice, and kept whispering to me about a different wool, a more autumnal wool, a wool that would appeal to a particular friend. My needles do that sometimes…. they whisper their opinions as I clickety-clack my way along. I can’t tell you how many things I start knitting, thinking that I’m making something for me, only to “hear” the name of someone else. Sometimes I’m a bit disappointed, but I so love the feeling that a certain item “wants” to be for someone else…. and as knitting is such a spiritual practice for me, I love knitting prayers and blessings into my work, especially when they are prayers and blessings for someone dear.

With autumn in full swing, I can’t just sit home and knit… blue skies and crunchy leaves lure me out into the crisp air. A quick trip through the woods with my sweetie yesterday turned into a long ramble amongst ancient trees and along old hedge rows in search of strange mushrooms (to photograph) and signs of woodland critters scrambling to prepare for winter’s chill.

And then as the afternoon light was waning, we came home to our the delights of our Crocktober endeavors…. we had left a beautiful melange of red cabbage and apple simmering in the crockpot. It was Delia Smith’s recipe, carried out with Stephanie O’Dea’s crockpot gusto. The house smelled divine as we kicked off our muddy boots and cracked open a bottle of wine…

October!

Showing Up

Kimberly — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:19:55 +0000

Today I showed up

in the four directions that matter most:

I reached in, to feel my heart,

and out, to connect with others,

down to dig for truth,

and up, to God.

Tonight I can sleep in peace,

secure in my faith,

believing in promises kept.

Crocktober Socktober October!

Kimberly — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:01:11 +0000

I don’t know about where you are, but around here it definitely feels like autumn is ready to give way to winter…. brrrr! Thankfully, while the rain is falling in torrents and the wind is whipping through the trees, something else is brewing, something seasonal and cozy. Two of my favorite bloggers have announced October celebrations, here and here.

As a crockpot devotee, I’ll follow Stephanie O’Dea anywhere…. she’s revolutionized my life and made it possible for me to cook healthy versions of American comfort foods with pantry staples, in the confines of my tiny English kitchen. Check her out…. and buy her book!

Most of my blog-reading, though, is about knitting. For some reason, knitters make great bloggers, and I love peeping into their lives and private (fiber) stashes. But I’ve never indulged in a Mystery Knit Along (KAL) — until now! Ever since the announcement of Socktoberfest 2010, I’ve been marking the days until the arrival of the first clue. It’s here…. and I’m ready and waiting with needles and wool at hand. Every Friday for the next 5 weeks, Through The Loops blogger Kirsten Kapur will release clues to her 2010 Mystery Sock, and KnittingBlogLand is abuzz with excitement. Let the knitting commence!

Oh the comforts of a nice woolly knit on a blustery day! Especially when good smells issue forth from the crockpot to signal that dinner will magically appear even if I spend the whole afternoon knitting….

Back in Blogland!

Kimberly — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:23:19 +0000

Lincoln Cathedral Pilgrim

I do believe I’m back in blogland. And amazingly, no computers were harmed in the course of my exile!

I really tried to like other blog software, but this is the blog I love, and the more times my computer locked me out, the more I wanted in. One last wrestling match with my ActiveX controls before heading out to buy a new computer this morning seems to have done the trick. Fingers crossed!

Meanwhile, pilgrimage continues to capture my heart and imagination… and I look forward to sharing my images and tales from the past few months of travel and pilgrimage. Please stay tuned…

Jumping Ship

Kimberly — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:08:58 +0000

To all of you who read my blog, sadly I am admitting defeat. I can’t get wordpress to load on my computer. At all. Not my blog. Not yours. Nothing. Nada.

But here I am on the borders of Scotland, just itching to share my journey with all of you. I am, therefore, resurrecting an old blog and invite you to follow along. You can find me at klsaward.blogspot.com

Or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow us on Facebook or Twitter. To find us on Facebook, search for Labyrinthos and become a fan. Or simply ‘friend’ me, Kimberly Saward.

Yesterday’s FB posts were about out visit to the seaside town of Whitby, while today we explored Hadrian’s Wall.

I apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to meeting up with you on blogspot and Facebook.

Kimberly