Stitch 'n Dish

Tag: fiber artists

  • It’s spooky season!

    It’s spooky season!

    As I work to finish my Lost Souls crochet shawl, I find that I’m easily distracted by some of the cute pumpkin-centric patterns that are popping up everywhere. It started with late night yarn-scrolling, which I try to do instead of doom-scrolling, because it’s better for my overall state of mind. On one such scroll,…

  • Technology: friend or foe?

    Technology: friend or foe?

    To a person, we all have way more fabric/yarn and patterns than we will EVER make in our lifetimes, regardless of how old we are today. If we limit ourselves to only “wanting” patterns that we will actually sit down and make, there’s no reason – ZERO – we can’t afford the handful of dollars…

  • Summer odds & ends

    Summer odds & ends

    Change can be a challenge to navigate, and I am always grateful to the examples set by my grandmother and great-grandmothers on how to keep moving forward when life gets messy. I think it was their generations’ version of meditation, which tracks with so much of the research today around how crocheting, knitting and other…

  • 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…

  • Reflections

    Reflections

    The last time I shopped in a Joann store was more than three months ago, right before their final closures. I said goodbye to the employees I knew, wishing them well, and as I walked across that parking lot one last time, I knew I was saying goodbye to an era in my life. As…

  • 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…

  • Shopping my values

    Shopping my values

    Last weekend I decided to treat myself to some “me” time, so I mapped out a half-day excursion to an independent fiber store a decent distance from my house. I was excited because I had not been there since they changed hands, and was looking forward to seeing what the new owners have done with…

  • 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…

  • That was fast!

    That was fast!

    My hope for assistance in avoiding mindless fabric and yarn shopping was short-lived. In fact, it didn’t even last a week! On May 31, 2025 the remaining Joann stores closed for good, and today – only 5 days later – the media was filled with announcements about Michaels acquiring Joann’s Intellectual Property (IP) and private…