Fiber Harmony (Stitch 'n Dish)

Category: Wisdom

  • Change is inevitable. Yarn helps.

    Change is inevitable. Yarn helps.

    The past year has marked a significant SHIFT in my life. It wasn’t the birth or death of anyone close, but it was the end of an era, so to speak.  Last year in June, my oldest grandchild got his driver’s license, and suddenly, I was freed from being on call as my daughter’s backup…

  • An essence of immortality

    An essence of immortality

    My time spent with yarn and hook or needles is usually contemplative. Sometimes I’m deep into the Netflix series I’m binging, while at other times, I am lost in memories and thought. As I spend more time with retirement advisors and financial analysts to plan my exit from “the grind“, I have also been thinking…

  • Comfort in stitching

    Like most crocheters and knitters, I always have several projects in progress. I’ve found over the years that various moods or states of mind will align better with some projects than others. For those stressful times where there’s a lot of chaos or uncertainty, nothing beats a basic knitted piece like the wrap pictured above.…

  • Whimsy: good for the soul

    Like most knitters and crocheters, I have a number of projects in the hopper. I am working on a crocheted “Nap Blanket” (somewhere between an afghan and a lap blanket) for a birthday gift, a knitted wrap in Plymouth Yarn Souffle, another (crocheted) virus shawl in a worsted merino, and a hat in the latest…

  • Hot air, hype and holy cow!

    Hot air, hype and holy cow!

    I had a fascinating set of interactions on a social media site today that have undermined some of my long-held beliefs about the crochet and knitting community. OK, I wasn’t REALLY that naive, but I will admit to being surprised at the amount and level (intensity) of the vitriol. I have been curious about the…

  • Winter work

    Winter work

    One advantage of the cold and less-than-ideal weather in the Winter months here in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region of the United States is that I am less tempted to leave the house. This means I am likely to dig in my yarn or fabric stash for some inspiration, which almost always results in something delightfully creative.…

  • Evaluating tools of the trade

    Evaluating tools of the trade

    A couple years back, I gave myself a birthday present: a set of Knitter’s Pride interchangeable needles. I bought them at my favorite Local Yarn Store (LYS) and have enjoyed using them ever since! They are priced from $104 to more than $130 for the set and are a nice addition to any knitter’s tool…

  • Bridges of yarn

    Bridges of yarn

    I’ve noted in a number of blogs – here and on my other site – the many healing benefits gleaned by crafting, and especially by crocheting and knitting. In today’s post I am going to share a different story on this topic. Many years ago, I had a situation where I was the new kid…

  • Embracing our mistakes

    Embracing our mistakes

    Teddy Roosevelt – one of America’s admired past presidents – notably remarked that “The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything.” I just finished the hat pictured above, and I have to tell you – it includes a number of mistakes. I don’t like the seam at the back…

  • The wisdom of yarn

    The wisdom of yarn

    I have highlighted the research that shows the health and mental health BENEFITS that accompany a practice of knitting and crocheting in a number of previous blog posts. Today I want to expand on that a bit more. I have been working on a crocheted afghan, and I got to a point where I simply…