Inspiration

Nothing would make me happier than a box of random stuff.

Something sparkly, something shiny, something soft, something fragrant… Nothing that you would go into a store for, nothing actually with a monetary worth, just something interesting to look at. I am a highly tactile person, I adore fuzzy stuff. I will play with a small sparkly object for hours on end. I can’t even wear my wedding ring and be able to drive safely out of a fear that a random sunbeam hits the damn thing and turns my Durango into a disco truck. Bits of ribbon are always fun, bags of tea, a random photo of pet or a teapot. Something in a triangle shape would be pretty cool. I love beads. I have a container of beads that I run my hands through just for the feeling of it. I hate balloons. Stickers would inevitably lead to hours of fun trying to stick them on husbeast. Rocks. Feathers. Buttons. Stuff of interest just laying around. All of the above, some of the above or no box at all, my favorite thing is inspiration, and that comes from the weirdest places for me.

The above block of text was a reply to a post about some knitting swap I had participated in on one of my online knitting communities years ago. The idea behind the thread that sparked my reply was a really nice one. Being that most knitters have been in the craft for years, most had unloved (unworn, unused, stuck in a box, never to see daylight) finished objects laying around, and wouldn't it be nice if someone wanted to claim the unloved and love it? The owner would post the unloved item and people would post back if they loved said item, and claim it. It was completely on the honor system, the claimer would often offer to pay postage, and sometimes send back little gifts if they so chose to do so. It was all often arranged in the thread in front of everyone that was reading, which was pretty cool. I ended up posting this little scarf I had made, it was a little cables and lace affair,  maybe 5 inches wide in color changing yarn in a ROY G BIV colorway. It was so very soft, and very vivid. I loved the little scarf but I never wore it. Once I finished it, It was banished to the box in the closet. It was claimed thirty seconds after I posted it. I only asked for finished object pictures of it, because I could not be bothered to wash and block the thing, and the picture I had on my projects page was an "in progress photo" Somewhere along the lines, the thread took a slight left turn and people discussed things they had received in the mail, and what kind of things they would like to receive. Queue my response above. It did derail the thread a little further and for a while I had mods contacting me asking if I would like to add my address to the mod's mailing list because people were wanting to send me boxes. The thread still lives to this day and every few days someone posts something new looking for a home.

The community and their thread (however lovely it was to be a part of it) is not the thought that spurred this post. It's that box. That description of that box.  For some reason, all my life, I have loved those shiny little beads. Even now, I can go online and search for hours, without a dime to my name for beads I will never use. I do this at least once a week. I end up with open tabs containing Etsy and Fire Mountain, and Beadaholique and all kinds of different tiny shops with shopping carts full of hundreds of dollars of shiny glass. I still run my hands through that container of beads. I recently was very excited to learn that it was referred to as a "bead soup". Now that I am becoming more aware of differences in quality of beads, I find myself researching more and more. The more I look, the more ideas I get just from seeing the hues and finishes on just seed beads. Forget about crystal, that is a whole different arena of sparkle. Weird inspiration is good, really, its fine, it is fine, but being able to catch that glimmer of idea just from your materials? That is golden.