Working with my Hands

I love working with my hands.

I love spending time in my brain too.  But sometimes, I feel a need to work with my hands.

I suppose it's part of the reason I became a mechanical engineer.  Working with machine tools, getting dirty and building stuff were all things I loved to do.

Of course the reality of being a mechanical engineer is that I did not physically build stuff very often.  It depended on the company and project.  Some products I was able to build entirely and some I only wrote the instructions for how it should be built.

I have been able to do a lot of planning and designing which I also enjoy, but it means as my career progressed I have become further removed from the end product.

As my distance from the end product grew, so did the time in my head.  Which made the need to work with my hands grow stronger.  This is part of where Alpacamundo comes from.

Working with animals and fleece is very tactile.

As a shearer I am working with animals as well as mechanical tools.  It's a very physical and dirty job.  It's one I love very much. 

As a spinner, knitter and weaver I am working with my hands as well as designing and planning.  I can do these almost anywhere which means I can still get my manual fix when I'm on the road.

For now, I am focused on improving these skills but I like the idea of spinning, knitting and weaving on commission.