Finding my mom's yarn stash in every corner of the house. She moved there over 37 years ago so this collection of yarn is leftover from finished projects, or unfinished projects or just plain forgotten about from the mid 1970's to the present. It's fun to sift through the boxes and revisit the trends in color and fiber where pastel acrylics, sparkly novelties and earth toned silks all take a place in the timeline of her purchases.
In my attempt to comprehend the immensity of the volume of material - and to embrace what was hers - I've decided to wind each skein, one on top of another, into one large singular ball.
As it grows to something that currently weighs over 15 pounds it possesses a gravitational pull that draws you in. The layers blend and change by the minute with each new application of color. The action of winding around the sphere feels uncannily like I'm orbiting around a sun or other celestial body.
I plan to continue until it measures 34 in. in diameter (the width of my front door) or until I run out of yarn - which ever comes first. Tonight the ball has consumed two large boxes worth of yarn, measures 15 inches in diameter and weighs 15.4 pounds. This roughly translates to 246 ounces or 6,991 grams or 69.9 skeins.
I've barely made a dent in the supply.
Cool project. Nice way to connect to your mother.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy. Yarn and knitting was and still is a important identity for my family.
DeleteIs there anyway you can document/preserve the color shifts? Like layers in a geode?
ReplyDeleteI had visions of making sculpture with my mother's and my father's collections (cameras, dishes, fabric, stamps) but the emotions were too strong, so released them to the universe, for others to use or transform.
Hi Linda, I've been trying to photograph as much as possible without disturbing the flow. I should be videoing it since it is such a performance to be wrapping. If there's ever another one I'll think about that more... for this one I'm going to just let it exist... it is a sight to behold at 17 inches... can't imagine what it will be like if I reach my goal of 34!
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