Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
-Arthur Ashe
Today’s Weaving Wednesday was inspired on a walk down my street. I was having difficulty getting motivated, and paused at a fence by a stream to look at the water and be in the moment. Watching the stream wind along reminded me that oftentimes, we just need to overcome our own inertia, take that first step and move. We’ll figure out the direction along the way – starting is the important part.
With that thought in mind, I brought my tiny little 2″ square Weavette loom and a few colors of Garden 10 cotton thread with me to our local Worldwide Knit In Public day and started to weave with the thread held doubled. I had the idea that the squares would make good individual oversized embroidery backgrounds. Garden 10 is a lovely, fine mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton, and I knew it was hardy enough to stand up to the elements, an important consideration for this project.
Over the next week, in the lovely evenings of late Spring in the South, I sat on the front porch and embroidered a letter on each square with Deluxe Worsted. My embroidery skills are rough, but again, the point is to start now. If we wait to begin until conditions are perfect, we’ll never begin.
When they were ready, I began taking a square, a length of thread, some scissors, and a needle along with me on my walks. Each night, I paused at the fence by the stream and added a letter.
I can’t be sure what the neighbors thought, but by the time the end was near, I was getting smiles from others who were out for an evening stroll. I’d like to think they were curious to see the final message.
The holes in the chain link were larger than I realized, so a little creative stitching was necessary. I had to be careful not to pull too tightly when attaching the squares – the weaving pulled out of true on some letters. Nonetheless, at the end of nine days, it was done.
It’s stayed in good shape over several months now. I hope this little yarnbomb brings a smile and perhaps a moment of motivation to someone else as they walk by.
Mark Twain said that the secret of getting ahead is getting started. What have you been putting aside that you can start today?
