Color is one of my Joy Seeds.  Seeking color in the world helps me notice the present and practice grounding.  Sometimes it’s color in nature – seeking out variations and hues and trying to capture them with my camera.  Sometimes it’s in art.  I love the art of handpainted yarn.  I love the colors, the names, the creativity, and the passion that can be imbued in one skein.  I love how almost anything can be inspiration for the dyers.  

Here is a color inspiration game you can try as a Joy Seed:

Pretend we’re yarn dyers trying to come up with skein names and colors inspired by whatever comes to us.  

First, the pause – slow down and take a deep breath and then another.  Next, look around – notice the colors around you.  What do you see?  Close your eyes if you want and look with your imagination. Now ask yourself the question, “If you could paint a skein of yarn, what would you do?”  Maybe you’re inspired by the colors in the room – a book cover, toys, a familiar blanket.  Maybe you’re inspired by something outside – the trees, the cicadas, flowers.  Maybe there are patches of colors.  Maybe there are small dots scattered among the fibers.  Maybe the colors blend and flow into each other.  What might you name this yarn?  Is there something in this skein that brings you joy?

My family plays this game in the car. A few weeks ago we were playing and I was inspired by dusk as we were driving home.  The colors were rich and delicious – blue and black, the tree shadows playing against the darkening sky.  I wanted to knit that sky as a shawl and wrap up in it.

Recently, I bought a skein called Spearmint by Dancing Leaf Farm.  It’s filled with greens, grays, and a bit of yellow and blue.  It reminds me of the mint growing beside our house – gifts from our families that bring many memories of mint tea sipped on porches, rolling the fuzzy leaves between my fingers, and the smell of mint, especially when my spouse accidentally mows too close and chops it into the air.  I hold this skein and the colors and connections fill me with joy.  

I look forward to winding it into a ball, thinking about what I might make.  It will probably be a hat.  I’ve made hundreds of hats.  The shape of hats is comforting and familiar, similar to the mint this skein reminds me of. I wonder who will get this mint hat.  I imagine I will try to give it to someone with whom I want to share the kind, loving memories and compassion that it recalls for my mind and spirit.  And maybe that person is myself.

What are the colors of Joy Seeds in your day?