**Pompones**

By the time Sunday had rolled around I should have lost all hope. There I was, seated on my massive backpack on Calle Murguia, waiting. The sun was setting and with two large bags of yarn and a ukulele I couldn’t go far, I just had to wait!

“No te preocupes (No worries)!” I told my Airbnb host, Mayra, in Spanish. “I have plenty to do while I wait, take your time!” That was certainly true, because I had a vision, and to get there I had to unravel all this yarn!

Despite all the work I had in front of me, I couldn’t help but be grateful. I had purchased the lana (wool) from Josefina, a master rug maker and natural dye expert from Teotitlan in Oaxaca. Her craft comes from traditions passed down through multi general wisdom, and I had the privilege to visit and learn from her the previous weekend! She showed me how they dye deep crimsons and bright purples with the cochinil bug: a bug that drops off the branches of the nopal cactus as they dry. The cochinil creates the most vibrant wine color you can imagine, and mixed with a little lime juice becomes a vivid violet.

As I waited for Mayra to welcome me into her home, I was re-spooling the natural black yarn Josefina had sold to me. The black Lana was not dyed; it came straight from the black sheep Josefina’s uncle keeps down the road from their taller (workshop). It was so rustic: as I unraveled I found pieces of hay and other debris! It was no big deal, honestly, perfect for this project.

The big deal was scissors - I didn’t have any and they were NECESSARY for this proyecto (project). All I could find with my high school Spanish here in Oaxaca were safety scissors, and to make pompoms you need something SHARP. But I had faith that this project would all come together in time. I had one more week before heading back to Mexico City, where I would meet some of my favorite women from my life for a long weekend reunion. I hoped to gift each woman with a garland of handmade pompoms, each inspired by natural beauty I had witnessed living in Mexico for the last 3 months.

This black would be used for two different concepts: Nieblita (Little Fog) and Los Parajitos (The Little Birds). The beautiful thing that is often misunderstood about fog is that it doesn’t block your vision. Fog helps you to see by blocking out all that is not present. For that reason this garland has a bright purple cochinil pompom in the center, flanked by 6 black and grey Pom Poms on each side.

Mayra arrived before sundown, took one look at my MacGyver’d solution to unwind the yarn around my knees, and laughed. “We know this chore all too well in this home,” she told me. I still have no idea how Mayra’s home showed up on my Airbnb but it was a blessing. Turns out Mayra makes a living knitting beautiful pieces and creating embroidered commissions where she stitches designs onto her own photography. The woman whose room I would be staying in crochets hats and bags. My scissor problem no longer existed.

Shyly, and in broken Spanish, I described my project to Mayra. I told her of my drive to Teotitlan when I spotted some Old Man Cactus on a hill, which looked like fingers with the nails painted black. As we got closer, it was clear to me the black finger nails were in fact birds! Things aren’t always as they appear. Entonces (so), Los Parajitos represents the fluidity of what we experience as we change our perspectives, as a garland of green and white speckled poms, ending with a black pom on each side attached to a black tassel, like a bird.

Mayra excused herself, and returned with 3 different scissors I could try, as well as some sturdier string to hold together the poms. In order to create a gorgeous spherical Pom Pom, you need comfortable sharp scissors to snip snip snip away the wool into a perfect round ball. It takes a lot of work, but so worth it for my friends, for this occasion, because I wanted to share with them something I put my love and calluses into, representative of the place we were in, with a story. In Mexico, Pom Poms are a popular decoration sold in the streets and are representative of celebration. I asked many people about the significance of Pom Poms when I first arrived in Mexico and received many different answers.

“Ah, the Pom Pom is necessary for celebration! Each pom pom represents a different memory, or intention!”

“Wear them when you go out for buenas ondas (good vibes). When you have collected as many good memories as you can, you will feel the weight of your Pom Poms. At that time, you’ll know to give them away.”

“When you receive a garland of Pom Poms, give them an intention. Do you want to be more present, more grateful, more patient? Wear your Pom Poms and you will remember.”

“They’re nothing! Just decoration. And of course, for celebration. Obvio.”

It was clear to me PomPoms can be interpreted and worn with many intentions in many ways, but all considered them a way to cherish fond memories and celebrate life.

One week later, I finished my last garland of Pom Poms on an 8 hour bus from Oaxaca to Mexico City. My flight had been cancelled due to a protest blockading the Oaxacan airport, but I had to deliver these Poms. One friend I would meet, Tatiana, I hadn’t seen in over four years! You can see Tati and I wearing our Pajaritos garlands in the featured picture. Safe to say, we both collected many memories that weekend while wearing our Pom Poms.