Lemon Lime Fizzy Yarn Is The Beginning Of A "Rainbow Serpent Of The Dreamtime"...

When I begin to spin a yarn, as I've written in the last entries, I have certain standards and if they don't meet them I don't put the yarn in the shop but use it in a free form project, and so the "Lemon-Lime Fizzy" yarn as you have seen is going to be just that.

The fun part is that I have no idea what it's going to be until I start. At the end of the last entry you saw me beginning to knit the skein of yarn. This is what it looked like when I had knitted the skein, a long, VERY heavy piece...

And so I look at it and contemplate, meditate and let the spirit in the piece rise in my mind. I knew almost immediately what she would be, but I needed to keep working for awhile. Yesterday I got this far...

And as I began to work she started singing her silent song to me. It's time to create another "Rainbow Serpent Of The Dreamtime," and she told me, in no uncertain terms, that her name was Mellisandra. This amused me because I had written and illustrated a story some 15 years ago. It was a Goddess story and Mellisandra was the head Goddess in the story. It never occurred to me that one day she would come to me in serpent form, but the creatures that arise in my mind are shape-shifters so it wasn't a surprise but pure delight. For those of you who have never heard of the mystical Rainbow Serpent of the Dreamtime, click on the link above for more information. It is a legend rising out of the aboriginal tribes in Australia.

Here is a close-up of the 3 sections of the piece since it was far too long already to get a closeup of the whole thing. The whole piece you see above goes all the way across an ottoman. The serpents I have made in the past are 5' to 6' long and are embellished with vintage and antique buttons and beads, embroidery, and much more. I think Mellisandra will be at least 6' and maybe much longer. It is a real journey creating a Rainbow Serpent, a spiritual experience, not meant to be rushed but lived through with meditations and rituals and drums beating in far off lands, prayers, candles lit, chanting, right intent and more as she is infused with magic while being made. It has taken me roughly 3 months to make one of these and they both sold before they even made it to my etsy shop! We shall what Mellisandra's destiny is!

The sections aren't even but it gives you an idea and she is very much only at the beginning of her journey. All of the yarns are handspun, hand-dyed, or hand-painted and she will keep growing and growing in every direction, guiding me as she grows. Here are a couple of pictures of other Rainbow Serpents I have made, and you've seen at least one of them in an earlier entry...

Beatrix

This was Beatrix, not quite finished. She became a piece
of wearable art as shown below...

And then there was Cecilia who could have been worn as a stole of sorts but now inhabits the bed in the guest room of someone's home. He said people keep wanting to buy her. That tickles me, but I think these Rainbow Serpents end up just where they belong. To someone who needs their blessings and will take great comfort in them...

One of the reasons it takes so long is that I handspin every yarn except a very few that I have purchased over time from other artisans, but they are almost entirely my own yarns and if I had time and space to show the whole process you would see her from start to finish with spindles of yarn everywhere around her waiting to be used...

Cecelia...

Each serpent is on her own journey. I don't know how she will end up or who she will end up with, but I know she is meant to be and so I just keep moving forward with spindles, knitting needles, crochet hooks, spool-knitters and more and our spirits dance with one another and another serpent is born. 

Who will Mellisandra become? You can keep track of her journey here on this blog...

Blessings and Happy, Fibery, Magical Days to you all...

Maitri