KNITTING A HUT IN THE FIELD

Front of the hut in the field after the 6th snowfall-11.20.2014

 

Back of the hut 11.20.2014

KNITTING A HUT IN THE FIELD

Dearest Readers,

Building The Thinking Place is like knitting a rough-hewn mohair sweater. I am not trimming stray branches yet, so the entire process is a build-up of interwoven boughs with all the offshoots and filigreed ends still attached.  Sometimes it resembles a rat’s nest. I harvested two additional supple maple sproutlings to add to the arched bones of the sides and roof. Now I’m stacking and twining sticks, hand-sawing and puzzle-piecing them up and up the arched supports.

I will need to fill in the spaces between boughs, but not yet.  As I construct the shell, I am slowing down to listen to the wood itself. I sense that there is a secret aesthetic that will be revealed if I have faith in the process and take the time to feel and hear. Right now I'm not sure what I'm doing, except that I'm keeping on. The increasing cold temperatures and snow on the ground is adding to the time it takes me to proceed.

Here's my progress in pictures during the last three weeks:

Testing the suppleness of a maple seedling for a roof support

Sawing the seedling for an arched support

Trying unsuccessfully to bend the third roof support-10.26.2014

The third branch support cracks-10.26.2014

Third and fourth branch supports added for the roof and sides 10.31.2014

Building up the back and sides 11.3.2014

Sticks rising up the back and sides 11.5.2014

Back view-11.10.2014

Back view-11.11.2014

Front view-11.13.2014

Back view after 2nd snowfall-11.14.2014

Front view after the 2nd snowfall-11.14.2014