Pleas
e bear with me when reading the below blog. I do tend to run on, but there is a point to it all. Granted the point will be fairly close to the end. So if you must, feel free to skim the beginning if it doesn't hold your interest.
In my house there are many treasured keepsakes from my parents and others which I have collected along the way. Being a sentimental soul, I would like to pass many of these things down to the next generation. Never having had children, that would be my niece and nephews. However, there's the hitch, my niece and nephews and I do not share the same taste in collectables. In fact, for the most part they are not into collectables at all. OK, I have one nephew who is married with children who appreciates the finer things in life and a niece who is possibly more sentimental and into family history than I. My married nephew has already been the recipient of several things and will be getting more as time goes on (whether he wants them or not.) My niece is an archaeologist working on her doctorate and still fairly transient. She would take it all but has no real place to store things. After all, her parents can't keep everything; they have keepsakes of their own to pass down. My other nephews are just not into things. Truth be told, when it comes time to clean house I wish I was not quite so into 'things' either. In later years, the thought of 'dust catchers' has slowed down my urge to collect and brought about many trips to the St Vincent dePaul Society.
Still, I want to leave something of myself behind for these adult children. Perhaps it is the very human desire for immortality. Or, perhaps I want them to experience the same angst in later years that I now have; What to do with all this STUFF! So what do I leave for them which they would truly appreciate and would have meaning to all of us?
I thought about crafts but most hand crafted items these days just aren't that
original anymore. And there is that dust catcher thing to worry about. I could knit or crochet wearable items, but they already have tons of yarn items from their grandmother. So what can I do that would be exclusively mine? And then it hit me! I am an animal person, specifically a dog person. Their Aunt Julie has been associated with dogs for the entire lifetime of these nephews and niece. What better thing to leave for them than something to do with my dogs.
And what can I do to combine u
sefulness, my meager skill and my dogs together? Why make scarves and afghans out of dog fur, my dog fur!
And so I googled 'pet hair' to yarn. I love the internet. You can find out how to do just about anything on the internet, including how to spin animal fur/hair into yarn. Of course, doing it myself would require a certain amount of tools which then leads to more 'STUFF" in the house. BUT, there are people out there who will do that part for you. In fact you don't even have to wash the dog first. All you need do is collect the sheddings and mail it in. (No dust bunnies please) Any item which can be made from string or yarn is possible. And if you aren't crafty, the people on the World Wide Web will do even that part for you. Between my own dogs and as I pet sitter, I have an endless supply of shedding.
Oh kids, look out! I see an endless supply of key rings in your future.
