Stitch 'n Dish

Category: Stashbusting

  • Therapeutic whimsy

    Therapeutic whimsy

    In my previous blog post I wrote about the funk I’ve been experiencing, and am happy to report that the dark cloud is starting to lift. I’ve found some joy watching tutorial videos by the popular crochet and knitting folks on YouTube, but have still not had much interest in crocheting or knitting myself. In…

  • A fiber funk

    A fiber funk

    I have been in a bit of a “fiber funk” lately – otherwise known as a slump, or the loss of my CroJo (not sure what this is when it also extends to knitting!) I haven’t had any inspiration, motivation or even INTEREST to pick up my hooks or needles and crochet or knit. This…

  • Solace

    Solace

    Earlier this week I had to say goodbye to my best buddy for the past 16 years: my kitty, Ganymede. He was the last one remaining from his litter as his brother, Figgy – who was my grandson’s kitty – passed away a couple weeks ago. Their sister, Callisto – who lived here with Ganymede…

  • New normals

    New normals

    My last trip into a Joann store was a few weeks ago, but I continued to “monitor” the liquidation activities on Reddit. I wanted to stop by one of the remaining open stores in my area, but I couldn’t bring myself to do so, and for a few reasons. On one hand I felt that…

  • A positive pivot, perhaps

    A positive pivot, perhaps

    As the month of May winds down, and reality around the final closing of every last Joann store settles in, I know I’m not the only person feeling a little “lost”, some sadness, and a distinct sense that we’re witnessing the end of an era. I’ve also started to realize that I’m doing a lot…

  • Self-Help from the fiber arts

    Self-Help from the fiber arts

    I wrote this blog initially a couple years back, and focused it on crocheting and knitting (yarn). Back then, stressors were typical life stressors, and not national crisis-level stressors. Since then, I have added a lot more SEWING to my “toolbox” for coping, as I noted in a previous post on retreating to my sewing/craft…

  • Stitching life’s pieces together

    Stitching life’s pieces together

    I’ve been working from home since early 2020, and along with millions of others, was recently mandated back to the office 5-days a week. This has resulted in some new normals; most significantly, less sleep each night. Yesterday when I got home, I kicked off my shoes, spent some time with my cat, fed him…

  • A sewing lesson

    A sewing lesson

    As I strive to use the fabric (& yarn) that is in my stash, and to keep myself from browsing stores aimlessly, which often leads to mindless shopping, I’ve found making bags to be quite fun. In addition, I’ve learned a lot from spending time with my fabric stash as I was making these bags,…

  • 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…

  • A mindful approach

    A mindful approach

    I have been reading and thinking a lot lately about the way we are tempted, and even manipulated, by companies that want us to hand over our money to them. In my blog post about retail manipulation I shared some of the research on how stores intentionally place items, advertise them and offer us coupons…