I started off the week in a foul, toxic mood. We’d had a stressful couple of weeks, I had a pile of invoices to pay, and we’re facing a big move, immigration battles, and the normal day to day stuff like, “Are we really having spaghetti AGAIN because we forgot to get XYZ at the grocery store?!”
I know myself well enough to know that when I start on the toxic spiral staircase of doom (the kind where you go round and round in your brain and never get anywhere), I need to get off my pity party train, and FAST – before I succumb to stomping around the apartment and picking fights with my lovely wife while I devour every carb within a 10 mile radius and moan about everything that’s ever gone wrong in my life.
Monday morning I got up, angrily marched into the kitchen, and made myself a breakfast of coffee and a bagel. I sat down, paid invoices, and scrolled through social media to catch up from the weekend. I discovered the #GetYourYarnWishesGranted tag trending, so I started to poke around in the hashtag. People were sending each other yarn, pins, project bags, you name it. People helping people, acting like little sparkly Christmas elves without an expectati
on of anything in return. It was a beautiful thing, and I couldn’t resist: I started granting yarn wishes.
There was a woman in the Philippines who donates the money she makes from selling handknitted accessories to charity – she got some singleton hand dyed skeins that I had hanging around. There was a woman in Montana who had her yarn STOLEN (!!!) who was looking for sweater quantities. I looked through my personal stash and discovered 12 balls of a wool yarn, no idea where they came from – those went to her. Still others got wishes granted of mini skeins, stickers, and pins; I also entered into a very lucrative hot chocolate and tea trade with someone in Norway. With every wish I granted, I felt lighter. The clouds seemed to part in my brain and I felt some clarity for the first time in awhile. I posted my own yarn wish (patterns and stitch markers), and people actually granted my wish, even though I’m just a stranger.
The week went on, a little bit lighter. Wednesday came, and the postman knocked with three packages for me – some yarn wishes! I got amazing pins and stitch markers, and it made my grinchy heart grow three sizes bigger. It was like Christmas, over a month early!
So to those who granted my or any other yarn wishes this past week – you’re awesome. We can only spread joy in the world by creating some more first, and this project was the most joyful thing I’ve participated in lately. It was good, and pure, and kind. It was the best parts of the craft community all rolled into little packages filled with love and goodies, and sent all the way around the world.
I’ll definitely be participating next year, that’s for sure.
(This is still going on, check out the tag to grant some yarn wishes!)