Sweaters For Sticks Workshop!!!

When Colored Squid Gallery owner, Joyce, reached out to me to lead a Sweaters for Sticks Workshop at her shop, I was initially confused. It was my assumption that the process of wrapping yarn around sticks seemed too basic and boring for anyone to be interested in paying money to do it in public, but she assured me that people would enjoy the opportunity to gather and make something for their homes.

So last week, I led the workshop for a small group, and was delighted to find that Joyce was right! She and the participants taught me much more about the process of wrapping yarn around sticks. The workshop was an opportunity to practice creativity without having too much pressure on technique and outcome. Even better, it was an opportunity to share stories while our hands were busy winding.

I began by sharing the origin of the sticks. They came from an old oak tree that had been rotten throughout its core. It fell violently and dramatically, last fall, in a terrible thunder storm. I was devastated that it fell, but I was delighted that its branches could be repurposed for this project.

We also talked about life’s stages, works, passions, jobs, and passions and how we choose to spend our time here on earth. As we talked about our experiences, we slowed our minds and hearts as our hands kept busy. There was opportunity to listen while we wound, to admire the color combinations of each other’s branches – to notice that the color choices and patterns resemble  ourselves. We found joy in this simple experience.

And by the end of the evening, I realized that this Sweater For Sticks Workshop was much more than I had thought it could be. The participants encouraged me to develop it further. 

So, I decided to formalize this workshop and make it available to groups of all shapes and sizes. I’m excited to see how it takes shape!

The Workshop

I believe we all possess unique purpose for this life, and we all have something important to share with the world. Our creativity is an important engine for revealing ourselves to the world in fulfilling ways.

The Sweaters for Sticks Workshop allows participants to visualize our branching sticks as  a metaphor for our true purpose and reason for being, which flows or branches into each area of our life – family, school, work, friends, spirituality, and hobbies.

The bits of colorful yarn represent the choices and intentions we all make as we express our true purpose within each area of our life. When choosing colors to wrap around the sticks we can think about how we spend our time how we want to make our lives. We can ask ourselves, how is our life taking shape and how would we like it take shape.

Meanwhile, during the process of choosing and wrapping, participants can share stories and practice listening and being heard.

When we put thoughts and intentions behind our choices – we can create beautiful and interesting lives. We manifest these beautiful lives that are unique to us – that reflect our beauty.