Late in October of 2018, I began work on my first yarn bombing.

Using techniques I learned from at a crochet workshop taught by the crocheter known as Olek (who makes very large crochet installations) I was looking to employ her methods on a smaller, more intimate scale so I could learn more about the possibilities of the form.

So this past October, with what began life as my 2015 North Carolina State Fair project finally finished and renamed my 2018 North Carolina State Fair project, I found that I finally had time to experiment with the form.

Using a 4.0 mm hook, some worsted weight yarn, and this double crochet panel technique, I got to work creating something to celebrate the Day of the Dead:

My original plan had been to crochet something more elaborate, but I quickly realized that it was easier to crochet a less involved graphic, and then add to the piece by appliquéing additional decorative elements after the “base” mural had been crocheted.

But as so often happens, I ran out of time, an I didn’t get the Day of the Dead mural as tricked out as I had hoped I would. But when the holiday was over, I carefully removed the staples that had secured the piece to a fence, and then put everything away with the idea that I would put it up again and trick it out even more for next year.

And it was probably that mural that gave someone the idea that these boots would make a good gift for me as they would double not only as footwear, but crochet inspiration:

I had been meaning to wear them, but had not gotten to it. First it was the snow, and I didn’t want to slip. Then the snow melted and there was mud, and I didn’t want to get them dirty.

Then, this week, as I prepared to travel to the funeral service for my cousin and her husband, I realized that while I had packed two black shoes that belonged to a pair when I was moving, I had only unpacked one shoe since then, and while I would not typically choose a boot like this to wear to a funeral, my cousin was not typical, and as was noted in this article:

Lois is known among her friends and Rotarians for her colorful costumes that aligned with most major holidays. Among her many responsibilities, she sponsored the Rotary’s annual Halloween parade, and she and Mike sponsored a foreign exchange student.

And my too-good-to-wear boots were transformed into the perfect footwear fashion to mark the somber occasion of her death while acknowledging the abundant joy of her life:

There is a lot to be sorted out in the wake of the death of my cousin and her husband, but at some point, the things will be sorted through, and I will pull out my hook and work on a new yarn bombing to commemorate their lives, moving forward, one stitch at a time.