Stitch 'n Dish

Tag: dopamine

  • A shopping hack

    A shopping hack

    The other day I found myself “itching” to shop for yarn or fabric. I had a period of time (lunch hour) and a quilt shop within driving distance. I put the address into my GPS and headed out (10-minute trip). As I drove, I was having a conversation in my head asking myself about the…

  • Life’s simple pleasures

    Life’s simple pleasures

    I periodically go off on a tangent as it relates to a craft – especially knitting or crocheting projects. I recently came across an item from one of these “projects” as I was cleaning out and organizing some space. The piece I found tonight, a crocheted drawstring bag (pictured below) was empty and I was…

  • Stash-busting as therapy

    Stash-busting as therapy

    A brief look at the issue of craft supply (textile) hoarding, de-stashing, and the related psychological impulses that keep us well-supplied with more fabric and yarn than we’ll use in 3 lifetimes!

  • New habits, new norms

    New habits, new norms

    I suspect that a decent proportion of my fabric and yarn stashes came from past sessions of “therapy browsing” on Saturday afternoons or evenings at Joann’s, Michaels or in local fabric and yarn shops. While I have created many things over the years from those purchases, I have ALSO purchased a lot of fabric and…

  • Short & sweet

    Short & sweet

    The journey of stepping back from the extremes of consumerism is an individual, slow, and steady one. It feels especially appropriate for me as I am approaching retirement and the changes that next phase of my life will bring. In the meantime, these “short & sweet” projects align perfectly with the energy of less instead…

  • 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…

  • Hunting and gathering fiber

    Hunting and gathering fiber

    Audiobooks are a wonderful companion for exercise, and for those who are otherwise engaged in solitary tasks – such as crocheting, knitting, or sewing. Sometimes they even unexpectedly give us insights into those same activities. Such was the case this week when I was working on my latest tote/market bag. As I noted in my…

  • 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…

  • The right tension

    The right tension

    Happy Local Yarn Store Day!!! I hope you’ve visited your local favorite(s) and shown them some love. We (fiber artists) appreciate you all, (LYS owners and employees) and look forward to many happy returns to shop and visit!! On to today’s blog post, about tension. Tension, in the world of crocheting and knitting, is best…

  • Thoughts after yarn-crawling

    Thoughts after yarn-crawling

    After finishing my 3rd yarn crawl ever, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on the process along with some personal insights, and more. Back in 2021, the only crawls I had ever heard of were Pub crawls, and by the time I learned about those I was too old to be interested. When…