Guest Bloggers' Series Begins

FEAST is beginning a new program today featuring a series of special guests who will post about one of our five topics: books, art, food, film, or travel. Each will bring a unique perspective to the topics and I think you will enjoy reading them and seeing where their links lead. Be sure to sign up for the Atom or RSS feeds so you don’t miss a thing!

OUR FIRST GUEST OF THE SERIES is DONNA DRUCHUNAS, author, editor, and freelance writer, who is passionate about following her dreams and combines writing and traveling as a large part of her personal journey. Welcome, Donna!

Lace Knitting in Alaskan Villages Showcases Unique Styles

Thanks, ROSEMARY, for hosting the ultimate (as in last) stop on my blog book tour for Ethnic Knitting Discovery!

Today I'd like to talk about following your passions, even when they take you half way around the world. I've never believed in moderation. When I love something, I want to give myself over to it completely and enjoy the sensation of immersion. Although my interests change over time, I don't hold back when I fall in love with something new.

During my book tour, several people asked me if I traveled much to do my research. Although I do travel a lot, I admit that the research for Ethnic Knitting Discovery was done in my living room and at the public library. I just didn't have the money to go to Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Peru in the time necessary to get this book written. But I do travel to pursue my passions and to do research for my books. I went to Alaska while working on Arctic Lace, and I'll be making several trips to Lithuania to work on a future book. Because I had more time to work on Arctic Lace, and because my book about Lithuania doesn't have a due date yet, the luxury of travel can be part of the process.

And yet it's not luxury. To write more than a page or two about the cultural motifs expressed through knitting in a region requires a personal experience with the land, the people, and the society. For me the challenge is twofold. How do I fund my dreams? How do I tie my interests, travels, and work into one life? Those are two questions I ask myself all the time. I've tried different approaches, and not all of them work for me.

To be honest, I have trouble with work. With mercenary work, that is. The things that I do just for money often irritate me because they take up too much time. I have to remind myself that the day job is a “dream funder.” It makes it possible for me to do the things I love. If I forget why I’m working, then I get in a funk.

For the past four years, I've been making a living doing freelance work as an editor of knitting books. I met all of my financial goals, and I felt a rush of success every time I looked at my writing plan and realized I was paying my bills by writing and editing. But eventually it wore me down, and I felt I was spending too much of my energy editing other peoples’ books, to the point where I wasn't able to write much at all this year. So next month, I'm going back to a day job working for a small software company. I still get to work at home, but my work hours will be limited. That's the key to finding a dream funder! It has to give you the most money for the least work. That way your energy remains at a high level for following that elusive dream!

**Donna Druchunas learned to knit before she could read. She combines her interest in knitting with her skill at writing easy-to-follow instructions. She is the author of The Knitted Rug: 21 Fantastic Designs (Lark Books, 2004) and Arctic Lace: Knitting Projects and Stories Inspired by Alaska's Native Knitters (Nomad Press, 2006). Her designs and articles have been featured in Family Circle Easy Knitting, Knitters, Interweave Knits, Creative Knitting, and INKnitters magazines. Visit her website at www.sheeptoshawl.com