Item description
A tracing done with green marker on white fabric. The tracing is of a rat-like creature with the head of a bird. The creature has a spiked tail and is wearing a shirt. It is putting a round object into its mouth. On the left of the creature is a swirled brach with flowers.
Image | 2020
Illuminations in Dark Times: An Embroidered Bestiary 19
It was purely by coincidence that a little over two years ago I purchased an embroidery pattern—from an online mega store named for a South American river—with the purpose of occupying my hands. In the winter, when darkness comes early and temperatures drop, my partner and I spend many a cozy evening on the couch, wrapped in blankets, cats curled on our laps, streaming our favorite television shows. The problem is, even though I am theoretically sitting staring at one screen, I would often look up to realize that I had missed what was happening because I had actually been compulsively staring at the smaller screen aglow in my hands. The solution? Occupy those hands with another pursuit.
