The intrinsic power of purposefulness

Art with a capital “A” is not expected to have a purpose outside of existing, but purposefulness has a power all it’s own, and now that I have spent over a year transforming crochet remnants that had been doing nothing but causing me angst )should I frog them and use the yarn, should I join them into one of those random willy nilly pieces that are fun to look at in book but aren’t something I would want in my house, or should I just stuff them somewhere cold and hope they work as insulation?), I have discovered that there is an intrinsic power to purposefulness.

When I began, the remnants I worked with were, for the most part, fully formed squares that simply weren’t five or six inches in size, so the rehabs often involved a little frogging and reworking before the square was on its way. Here is an assortment of those early square earmarked for rehab:

The first crochet squares I identified for rehab
The first crochet squares I identified for rehab

As the year wore on and I worked my way through the larger remnants, the pieces I worked with got smaller or more complicated in some fashion, so the transformations have not been as quick. They require more piecing or more crochet and are, on the whole, a bit more fussy, but after all is said and done, I find that they are worth the fuss:

Twelve crochet remnants transformed into five-inch crochet squares; a visual demonstration of the intrinsic power of purposefulness
Twelve crochet remnants transformed into five-inch crochet squares; a visual demonstration of the intrinsic power of purposefulness

However, all of this crochet rehabbing leaves me with a number of yarn scraps which — because I want them to have purpose — I dutifully turn into “magic yarn balls”. As of this morning, I had three of these scrap yarn balls:

Three magic balls of scrap yarn
Three magic balls of scrap yarn

but with just a bit of effort I had them all tied together and rolled into one big “magic yarn ball”:

Three balls of scrap yarn transformed into one
Three balls of scrap yarn transformed into one

and when the time is right, I will dig up my scrap yarn ripple afghan:

crochet ripple afghan, crochetbug, crochet ripple throw, crochet ripple blanket, scrap yarn, use what you have, waste not want not
Another view of the first row of the future scrap yarn ripple afghan

and work to give the yarn scraps the same intrinsic power of purposefulness that I gave the remnants they come from, and I will do it the only way possible: one stitch at a time.

One thought on “The intrinsic power of purposefulness

  1. I absolutely LOVE you and your wonderful blog! I appreciate your *intrinsic power of purposefulness* essay. Everything about it speaks to me. Ty for sharing the *Magic Ball* YouTube video, it was fun to watch how she tied her bits of leftover yarn, just cannot throw them out, gorgeous colourful and precious yarn. I believe many other craft artists cannot bear to toss the ‘scraps’, either.

    I noted how a creative lady on Ravelry used her yarn scraps to set outside for birds to find to use in nest building. This appealed, so last Spring, I left out a small jar-sized amount of scraps in different locations. Most have disappeared by now, a very few remain. Perhaps the yarn helped warm a new or old nest for the little ones. Or the wind and the weather blew the scraps away!

    Sorry, I’m babbling. Again. I’m working on it, lol. I love your idea of crocheting a Ripple Afghan using your new pretty Magic Ball! It will look cosy and rustic and sure speaks a lot of your intention. I’m very much looking forward to seeing your completed FO. What started this convo? Right. I was admiring your new little scrap yarn kitties that you made for a dental hygienist’s daughter. I know she was thrilled to see them. Great gift ?. My two daughters are both dental assistants or RDA, just needed to tell you that ?

    Enjoy our day!

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