Stitch 'n Dish

Tag: Family traditions

  • 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…

  • Beyond yarn

    Beyond yarn

    In addition to my love of crocheting and knitting, I have a fondness for sewing. I am in no way as accomplished as my sister, who is – truly – a master sewist (and an engineer!); but I do OK with fabric and a sewing machine. Lately, I returned to some sewing and have enjoyed…

  • Last-minute gifts

    Last-minute gifts

    Like many of you, I’m looking at the calendar and my hair is standing straight up! I know, I know – the date is the same EVERY YEAR, but perhaps my schedule gets more convoluted each year, or I add more to my calendar and anyway, things just get busy. If you’re a fiber artist…

  • Ties that bind

    Ties that bind

    Earlier this week, one of my cousins came into town for a couple days, and we were able to catch up, reminisce about long-gone relatives and recall good times from the past. We had a wonderful visit over a few days and it got me thinking about those relatives and their lives. As children, it…

  • Yarn-cation

    Yarn-cation

    I recently returned from an Autumn trip to the Jersey shore (Cape May) with my sister, and have to admit that as WONDERFUL as the beach always is, a significant HIGHLIGHT of our week was visiting 3 different yarn shops in the area!Knitting at Cape May, NJ We visited North Country Knits, in Woodbine, NJ…

  • A healing journey

    A healing journey

    Earlier this year (2023) I attempted my first virus shawl. Here’s a link to the pattern I found and used. As I often do, I did a prototype using yarn from my stash to make sure I got the pattern down before embarking on higher end yarn. Once I got the hang of it with…

  • Yarn’s healing power

    Yarn’s healing power

    Sometimes, healing comes through a skein of yarn and a small, aluminum crochet hook (or knitting needle). Crafts, and I am writing specifically about YARN crafts, have always had the ability to create doors where there once were walls and bridges over the most turbulent waters. I recently had the opportunity to see this in…

  • Dragonflies

    Dragonflies

    A few years back, I began to appreciate dragonflies. I was on vacation with my family at the Outer Banks in North Carolina and realized that these creatures were more than just “bugs“. These were beautiful, multi-colored, many-sized and tempered (some friendlier than others) critters! One Summer in particular, there were so many that I…

  • A grandmother’s legacy

    A grandmother’s legacy

    When I was a senior in high school, and preparing to spend my last Summer at home before entering the United States Navy on active duty, my grandmother asked me what I wanted for graduation. I asked her to crochet me an afghan/blanket that I would take with me when I went away.. Crocheted blanket –…

  • Badges, medals, reminders

    Badges, medals, reminders

    In one corner of my office, I have a bulletin board where I hang little reminders of my creative side. It helps keep me grounded, reminds me that there are many aspects to me as a person, that I have unique and creative skills, and since I first learned to crochet from my grandmother, who…