Idleness, Fabric basket.

As many of you know, my father was—and always will be—my GURU. I grew up following his guiding mantra: "aaram-haram-hai." (Rest is a sin). Yet, despite that deeply ingrained discipline, I often find myself reflecting on a wonderful ARTICLE from The New York Times by Tim Kreider titled The Busy Trap. He wrote:

"Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done. 'Idle dreaming is often of the essence of what we do,' wrote Thomas Pynchon in his essay on sloth. Archimedes’ 'Eureka' in the bath, Newton’s apple, Jekyll & Hyde and the benzene ring: history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments and dreams..."  

Keeping my hands busy is my way of balancing these quiet thoughts and keeping sweet memories of my MOM close to my heart.

Instead of throwing away old clothes, I love upcycling them into something warm and functional. This basket was handmade using strips cut from an old Shalwar_kameeez suit. Recycling worn garments into fabric baskets, rugs, mats, decorative pieces, or cutting old t-shirts into yarn for knitting and crocheting is one of my favorite creative pastimes.

Upcycled fabric basket

Old clothing is something that it seems like many people throw away, it is also one of my favorite things to recycle. I like to make baskets like the one pictured above, I also enjoy making  rugs, making  mats

………, making deco items and cutting t-shirts into strips and knitting or crocheting them.

Fabric basket holding fresh guavas

Close-up of the crocheted fabric basket

Happy Day to you all!