Rachel began the 365 Project as a contribution to a Flickr group. The challenge was to create a patternless knitting project and add to it every single day for a solid year, posting pictures as evidence.

At the onset, Rachel decided that her project would not be limited to two dimensions, but reach out in all directions, evolving organically as she progressed. And as the project evolved, it became apparent that it would serve as a diary of her year. One portion of the sculpture brings Rachel back to a vacation in San Francisco, a scrap of yarn from a scarf she knit for her mothers, provides a gateway to memories of interactions they had while the project grew.

Early in the project, Rachel decided to use predominately mohair yarn and this limitation proved to be a catalyst for creativity and the project took on a very organic, almost aquatic feel. Other members of the Flickr group began sending her scraps of Mohair, and the occasional bead, for inclusion in the sculpture, turning the end result into a community effort.

Rachel’s experience with this non-traditional form of storytelling has led us to explore the idea of storytelling as a lifestyle, rather than vocation or expression of language. It has also led to to think about ways we can incorporate other crafts into our storytelling efforts, from the Drachurae Cycle RPG to an exciting unannounced project we’ve just begun to work on.