7 Things I Love About Fiber

I'm one of those fiber artists who love the process of making something - it's almost more important to me than the finished project (which probably explains the number of UFOs, large projects and completed-but-not-quite-finished items scattered around my house).  I love fiber.  Whether it's yarn or thread, or woven together to make fabric, I just love it.  It makes me happy.  Here are a few reasons:

1.  Color.  There's nothing more soothing to me than the quilt aisle at my local Jo-Ann.  I don't even quilt.  But I walk past those bolts, and the fat quarters and feel myself take a deep breath.  Same thing in the DMC section, and the yarn area.  Just look at the neopolitan shades in the picture to the left.  Doesn't it make you feel like you're sitting on a back porch in the summertime, eating ice cream?

2.  Texture.  Is there anything quite like the nubbiness of a stitch against fabric?  The shine against matte, smooth against rough. And yarn - the little bumps that each crochet stitch make.  The impossible smoothness of the knit "v's" and bumps of the purls.  These loops and knots with HOLES make things that are WARM!

3.  Feel.  This is related to number 2, but it goes deeper.  I love the feeling of yarn or thread running through my fingers as I work.  It's almost like it's pulling me into the piece.

4.  Feeling.  When I make something for someone, I think about them.  I say a prayer for them, that they are blessed by the gift, that it brings them joy or warmth or comfort, that it's a reminder of friendship and love.  Even when I make things for strangers. :)

5.  Dreaming.  Honestly, I'd kind of lost this love for a little while.  I stopped searching stitching sites for "some day" projects.  Just spending quality time at Ink Circles, or looking through Pinterest for Quaker-inspired projects.  My daughter was helping me organize my charts the other day, and she found a Quaker I bought a few years ago - I'd completely forgotten about it.  Doro Theos by My Big Toe.  It was one I eyed in my LNS for a while before I bought it.  It's going in my 2014 list (with pretty threads).

6.  Community.  Don't you find that stitchers just have more to talk about with each other?  Who would have thought that an entire portion of the internet could be devoted to a shared love of creating?  That after almost 6 years I would have 81 people following me here, because they're somewhat interested in the projects I'm doing and they want to share their comments?  I know, every creative medium has "community."  But ours is special. ;)

7.  Process.  I said it at the top, but I'll repeat it: I love the process of working with fiber.  I like watching SOMETHING emerge from almost nothing.  Whether it's a cross stitch picture, which feels like painting with thread, or a scarf for one of my children, it's a marvel to me that a tangle of fiber holds together and becomes something even more beautiful.

What's your favorite thing about fiber?  Something on this list, or something else?  Add yours in the comments!