Category: Crafting (general)

  • The power in finished projects

    The power in finished projects

    I have shared my opinion, and the published research supporting that opinion, that fiber arts, and specifically crocheting and knitting, are good for our mental and emotional health. This blog post takes that one step further and explores the healing aspects of finishing a long-left undone project. I was cleaning out a closet and emptying…

  • Untitled post 764

    This past week I have been thinking about the way yarn, and more specifically, things knitted or crocheted with yarn, can serve as agents of kindness. I wrote before about the healing power of yarn, and in that blog post the healing came in the passing down of the art of crochet to a new…

  • Yarn-cation

    Yarn-cation

    I recently returned from an Autumn trip to the Jersey shore (Cape May) with my sister, and have to admit that as WONDERFUL as the beach always is, a significant HIGHLIGHT of our week was visiting 3 different yarn shops in the area!Knitting at Cape May, NJ We visited North Country Knits, in Woodbine, NJ…

  • A healing journey

    A healing journey

    Earlier this year (2023) I attempted my first virus shawl. Here’s a link to the pattern I found and used. As I often do, I did a prototype using yarn from my stash to make sure I got the pattern down before embarking on higher end yarn. Once I got the hang of it with…

  • Yarn’s healing power

    Yarn’s healing power

    Sometimes, healing comes through a skein of yarn and a small, aluminum crochet hook (or knitting needle). Crafts, and I am writing specifically about YARN crafts, have always had the ability to create doors where there once were walls and bridges over the most turbulent waters. I recently had the opportunity to see this in…

  • Update on my Re-Spun experience

    Update on my Re-Spun experience

    I just pulled my finished shawl out of the dryer and have to say, it was a VERY pleasant surprise! I washed this along with a shawl in Red Heart (Retro Stripes!) and another in Mandala Sparkle. As scratchy as I found this yarn to work with, it launders up BEAUTIFULLY! In fact, it came…

  • My review of recycled yarn

    My review of recycled yarn

    After the recent Yarn Crawl, I have been making it a point to “shop my stash” when I get the urge to knit or crochet something new. This week I rummaged around and found 2 larger skeins of Lion Brand’s Re-Spun – a yarn made out of recycled plastics, which helps keep bottles and other…

  • Dragonflies

    Dragonflies

    A few years back, I began to appreciate dragonflies. I was on vacation with my family at the Outer Banks in North Carolina and realized that these creatures were more than just “bugs“. These were beautiful, multi-colored, many-sized and tempered (some friendlier than others) critters! One Summer in particular, there were so many that I…

  • One more

    One more

    This MIGHT be the last sunglasses pouch,… we’ll see (smile). I was on a roll using up odds and ends of yarn, and I had some Sandcastle (color) yarn leftover from another shawl project (pictured here). Once again this was Juniper Moon Farms “Cirrus” yarn (Color #301 – Sandcastle). The shawl I made followed the…

  • Variation on a theme

    Variation on a theme

    In a previous blog, I shared a pattern I wrote for a quick crochet project: a sunglasses pouch. That post resulted in a special request for the same item in a yarn I had used to make a virus shawl. Luckily, I did have a little yarn left so I was able to make 2…