Fiber Harmony (Stitch 'n Dish)

Tag: mental-health

  • Fighting the Winter doldrums

    Fighting the Winter doldrums

    January and February in the American Northeast/Mid-Atlantic can be challenging in terms of our emotional health. It’s COLD, with snow – which is lovely when it first falls but then gets DIRTY from all the salt and traffic, and the dirty snow hangs around for weeks, making the cold, gray, days even MORE depressing. In…

  • January’s creative work

    January’s creative work

    Celebrating even the tiniest of our accomplishments isn’t self‑indulgence; it’s a psychological power move. The recognition strengthens our mind in ways that build over time, especially when we are juggling jobs/work, caregiving, or leadership roles – areas where progress is often difficult to see.

  • A loss of community

    A loss of community

    Crafters are creative and can transform simple things into works of art. As we continue to process the stages of “grief” around the loss of community that once resided in our neighborhood Joann stores, we can move on into new ways of being in community, finding and/or creating activities and small groups that promise a…

  • Finishing touches

    Finishing touches

    I started this blog several years back to highlight the positive benefits of fiber arts activities for our emotional, mental and physical health. I continue to be awed by the depths of its healing potential – for myself as well as for others.

  • Finding joy

    Finding joy

    The truest forms of joy do not come from BIG, EXPENSIVE things. It most often shows up in the faces of those we love, but it also sneaks into our lives in the form of silly little projects that capture our fancy for a moment. I call that “joy finding” – and have come to…

  • A refuge in fabric

    A refuge in fabric

    I have a confession: I hide in my sewing/craft room. Sometimes this is to decompress after a stressful day at work, while other times it’s to avoid the news story of the day. Still other times it’s to distract myself when I’m worried about someone I care about. Recently, I was there for a hybrid…

  • The 3-C’s of Fiber Self-Care

    The 3-C’s of Fiber Self-Care

    The term, “self-care” emerged in the mid-20th century. It came out from the Civil Rights movement, and the Black Panthers, specifically, are credited with mainstreaming the concept. Today it remains a popular description of activities we are encouraged to engage in – or refrain from – in support of our own emotional, mental, physical and…

  • Stash half-full (a perspective)

    Stash half-full (a perspective)

    The rumors have been flying for some time, and yesterday on Reddit, the details started trickling out. By this morning there were full posts on the decision by Joann’s corporate overlords to declare bankruptcy for a second time in a year. First of all, I want to state my deep and heartfelt sympathy for the…

  • 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…

  • 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.…