Welcome, to the second installment of “home stories,” my attempt to find something to say that interests me and also keeps me writing semi-consistently here on notes. I’m writing stories about objects in my home.

What you see here are crocheted coasters: vibrant green ones made from a yarn that’s slightly too bouncy (don’t set a glass with a narrow bottom down on one of these), flatter ones made from the wool of Scottish sheep, and a wild miscellaneous grouping sewed together as a table runner, for lack of a better thing to do with them all.

I need something to do with my hands. When I’m not working on a bigger knitting or sewing project or working in my garden, I make coasters. I’ve made a lot. They’re in every room in our house. No guest or occupant of my home will ever go without a small cushion upon which to place a drink. I’ve sewn excess coasters to the worn arms of a sofa. I’ve made them as gifts. I’m thinking about making coasters for the October giveaway in my A Thin Space Handmade Item Raffle.

Coasters keep me from casting madly about for a task to soothe my anxious brain. They lift my depression with the excitement of a new, finishable, project. They help me rest when my mind and body won’t let me be still. And they keep drinks from leaving whitened rings on wooden tables. Such a small object, so incredibly helpful and useful. Thank you coasters.