Word of the day: curiosity.

I shared in my previous post that I bought luscious yarn to make a new, as-of-yet-undecided project. I did start it with my usual ribbed pattern and just didn’t care for it. I pulled it apart. Disappointed, I sat for a moment to regroup. I picked up my phone for a distraction.

My friend had texted me. We chatted a bit, and she shared that her stepmother was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She was going to put together a care package including gloves, socks, and hats, so I asked if I could make her a scarf. Goodness knows I’ve made a few lately, and they just sit in my house until they are up on rotation, that moment for them to go out into the world and do their job. 

Be the best scarf they could be.

I had two leftover hanks of yarn and got to work. And I’m going to say what you already know – it feels good to gift a project. It feels purposeful. Useful. It’s giving away a little piece of you (in a good way).

Out into the world with you!

This morning, I put on one of my scarves and headed to breakfast with a dear friend. Over biscuits and hash browns, we talked about family and legacy. We talked about what we inherited from our parents and what they inherited from their parents. On and on it goes, this legacy of culture, tradition, belief, conflict, and hope. There’s a difference between what we own and what we are gifted. What we’ve experienced ourselves, and what those who came before us feel we need to have. 

Little pieces of our ancestors.

I’m not here to argue what is good and what is bad. I can’t say what we should feel responsible for and what we shouldn’t. That’s for each of us to decide. What I can say with conviction is that we bring these gifts with us to each interaction, each decision we make, and that for a moment we might consider what the other person is bringing, too. Together, we make up the whole.

We need to ask questions. I’m a firm believer that curiosity is the foundation of wisdom, intelligence, innovation, and empathy. It’s how we build community. It’s how we trust.

Right now, I wish more of us were curious.

I would sometimes ask my mother about her mother, to know more about where I came from. You see, my mother lost her battle to breast cancer over 20 years ago. Before she passed, she told me a story about her own mother dying when she was very young. “I remember her long, black hair laid out next to her in the casket,” she said. With cancer, my mother didn’t have long, black hair, or any hair for that matter, but she had stories and memories and a life lived. 

So, all that to say, go make a thing with your own two hands. Put a piece of your heart into it, and then give it away. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be from you. At the end of the day, it’s the connections we make that matter the most. 

Go be the best you that you can be.

Well, let’s go!

The blank page is quite intimidating. It’s that kind of quiet loud, like your house after all the guests have left and the music is off. You’re left with warm memories and putting everything back in its place. I suppose that’s my blog right now – the intimidating blank canvas of yarn, warm memories of the last successful* project, and putting the upcoming project’s pieces in place. 

Publicly.

Is it loud in here? Just me? Okay.

Why so loud?

I have five gorgeous hanks of yarn and, according to a Pinterest search, endless possibilities. Just like a brand new sketchbook or journal, it’s hard for me to make that first mark because what if I mess it up? What if it’s not perfect? What if I ruin it?

What if I don’t?

Thing is, even if you’re sketching in pen, you can make a new sketch on a separate page and tape it over the journal pages. If I decide on a scarf and hate it, I can always take it apart and start over. The only sad thing is to not start, which is what this space is all about. The other sad thing is five hanks of yarn collecting hair and dust. Gross.

I had leftover yarn from a sweater project kicking around for months. I finally turned it into a color block scarf, keeping my hands busy when my mind wants to sprint.

If you’re new here, great! Me, too! Welcome. Come build this space with me. Let’s make stuff. Let’s ruin art supplies. When everything feels hard, let’s get creative and play.

Color, color everywhere!

*The definition of success is up to the artist. Don’t let someone tell you what your heart is worth. I will die on this hill.