Making myself well: Participant collaboration in ‘Woolly ... · A gift The crafted packaging of the ‘Reflection Boxes’ was also designed to construct a physical representation

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©2017Mayne,A.PublishedbyLoughboroughUniversity.ThisisanopenaccessarticleundertheCCBY-NClicense(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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Makingmyselfwell:Participantcollaborationin‘WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxes’

AlisonMayne1

1. SheffieldHallamUniversity

ThisitemwassubmittedtotheproceedingsoftheLoughboroughUniversityTextileDesignResearchGroupINTERSECTIONSConference2017byAlisonMayne.Citation:Mayne,A.(2017)Makingmyselfwell:Participantcollaborationin‘WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxes’.InProceedingsofIntersections:CollaborationsinTextileDesignResearchConference,13September2017,LoughboroughUniversityLondon,U.K.Availablefromwww.lboro.ac.uk/textile-research/intersections.AdditionalInformation:Publisher:LoughboroughUniversity(©Mayne,A.)Rights:ThisworkismadeavailableaccordingtotheconditionsoftheCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0International(CCBY-NC4.0)licence.Fulldetailsofthislicenceareavailableat:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/PLEASECITETHEPUBLISHEDVERSION.

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Abstract:Thispaperexploresthewaysinwhichcommonthreadsinthepraxisofmakingquietlyathomecanbeuncoveredthrough‘ReflectionBoxes’–filledwithyarn,hand-craftedstationeryandsuggestionsfor activity – as a means through which participants can tell their own stories about wellbeing andcraftingwithknit,crochetorweaving.Theboxesrepresentaninvitationratherthanaprobe,providinganopportunityforcollaborationwhereparticipantscanengagewithresearchinthemanneroftheirownchoosing. Participant responses offer perspectives on the individual creative processes of amateurcraftswomen, considering activity inmakingwhich is frequently undertaken alone in domestic spacesand ‘hidden’ from the academy. Findings contribute to understanding about how participants aremaking with yarn as a way of expressing personhood and managing their subjective wellbeing, inadditiontorevealinghowcollaborationinresearchhasbeenanenrichingexperience.Keywords:wellbeing;amateurmaking;yarncraft;participation‘WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxes’–thecontextThispaperpresentsthecollaborativeprocessof ‘WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxes’–oneofthoserichdiversions in research where original plans shift, but significant insights demand their own separateinvestigation.The‘ReflectionBoxes’beganaspartofalargerPhDstudyintofemaleamateurmakersandtheirrelationshipbetweenknit,crochet,wellbeingandsharingcraftedobjectsonFacebook.Anumberofparticipants contacted the researcher to express how they would prefer to contribute directly andpersonally,ratherthansharingtheirviewsonline–perhapsthroughajournal.TheconceptofaReflectionBox was developed to support thoughtful responses over time and were sent to participants forengagementforeightweeksbetweenApril–June2016.Whatfollowsisanexplorationofhowtheboxeswere designed and how participants responded to reflecting on both their creative making and theirexperienceoftakingpartinresearch.AnexistingPhDresearchcohorthadbeenestablishedtostudythesubjectiveperceptionsofwellbeinginwomenwhocraftedinknitorcrochetandsharedtheirmakingonFacebook,withdatagatheredthroughaclosedgrouponthatplatform.Usingafeministlens,theprojectdeliberatelyfocusedontheexperiencesofwomen often invisible in socialmedia research: Participants in the broader groupwere a purposivesample,identifyingthemselvesasamateurmakers,activeondigitalplatformsandwithastorytotellabouttheimpactcraftinginyarnhadmadeontheirlives. Seventeenparticipantsfromthisgroupvolunteeredfor the boxes project following a call in a post by the researcher and ensuing discussion with othermembersintheclosedFacebookgroup.The‘ReflectionBoxes’werethendevelopedinresponseandweresenttolocationsintheUK,Ireland,Italy,USA,CanadaandRussia.Fourteenboxeswerereturned.TheconstructionoftheboxesdrewoncurrentpracticesofmonthlysubscriptionboxesbymentalhealthorganisationssuchasTheBlurtFoundation(2017)andsmallyarnbusinessessuchasFortheLoveofYarn(2017), as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 below. These may be designed to support wellbeing, inspiremakersandbeasurpriseanddelightfortherecipient.

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Figure1.FortheLoveofYarnMysteryBoxSource:FortheLoveofYarn(2017)

Figure2.TheBlurtFoundation‘BuddyBox’Source:TheBlurtFoundation(2017)

Theinitial ideaofajournalmayhavebeenlimitingforthosewhowishedtoexpressthemselvesinwaysotherthanthroughextendedwriting,orwhomayhavefeltoverwhelmedbyablankpage.The‘ReflectionBox’ - filledwithcakesofyarn,hand-craftedstationery,pensandpencils,a thumbdriveandsuggestioncards for activities -was thereforedeveloped to facilitatedifferentwaysof communicatingdataand toprovidepromptstosupportavarietyofresponses.Theparticipantwasencouragedtochooseforherselfwhichoftheseactivitiestoengagewithortofocusonherowninspiration:Theactivitycarddesignatedthe most important was the suggestion to ignore everything provided and contribute creatively inwhateverway the participant chose. Details of the box contents can be found in ‘What’s in the Box?’below.Whyboxes?TheoreticalInspirationsThrough tactile engagement with material objects such as yarn, the theoretical background to the‘Reflection Box’ project has drawn on Pink’s (2015) work on sensory ethnography and aestheticethnographyaspositedbyWarren(2008).Participationthroughalternative‘hand-made’promptsinorderto capture thoughts andexperienceshas resonancewith the textilenatureof theboxmaterials andofparticipants’ interests in yarncraft, as engagement is connected directly to an embodied practice ofmaking.Participantswereencouragedtocreatetheirownimagesthroughphotographyordrawingasaway of reflecting on personal experiences of making, as well as creating knit or crochet artefacts.Therefore,theboxanditscontents,alongsidewhatparticipantscraftedandembellished,becamematerialandmemory objectswhich Pink (2015) suggests are ‘evocative of the research encounter’ (p.144) andworthyrepresentationsofknowledgeintheirownright.MethodologicalInspirationsTherearealsoconnectionsacknowledgedherewithculturalprobes,althoughthis languagehasperhapscometo feeluncomfortable insuggestingan intrusionrather thancollaboration;anactiontakenbythedesign academy and ‘done to’ participants. Probes as constructed by Gaver et al (1999) originallysuggesteda researchapproachwhichcelebrates choice,empathyandengagementasawayofelicitinginspirationalandintriguingresponsesthroughcreativeartefacts.Inafollowuparticle,Gaveretal(2004)

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exploredtheproblematicappropriationofprobesbythedesignacademywhereresponsestendedtoberationalisedintheanalysisofstraightforward,unambiguousandspecificresearchquestions,thuslimitingthepotential for richengagement. Moredeliberately, theprinciples in thisprojectarealignedwith thecollaborative,gentleexplorationsproposedbyWallaceetal(2013)andWallaceandLindley(2015),wherecreativeartefactsprovideascaffoldforparticipantresponsestoexploretheirexperiences.IncontrasttotheworkofWallaceandhercollaborators,thisprojectcouldnotencourageengagementwhenphysicallyalongside participants. ‘Conversations’ in the journal – often written to the researcher by name -generated rich responses from a wide range of participants which would not have otherwise beengeographicallypossible. Thesoft, textilematerialityofthe ‘ReflectionBox’contentsandtheoptionsforwaystorespondsupporteddialogicalengagementovertheeight-weekperiod,quietlyexploringpersonalcreativityinactsofamateurdesignandmakingathomecommontocraftersacrosstheglobe.AgiftThecraftedpackagingofthe‘ReflectionBoxes’wasalsodesignedtoconstructaphysicalrepresentationofwhat Limericket al (1996) andOakley (2016)havedescribedas the ‘gift’ ofwhatparticipantsoffer theresearch process. Such gifts – of time, insight and shared data – are givenwithin the unequal powerstructureoftheacademy.Claimingthatparticipantsareempoweredthroughcollaborativeresearchstillmasksthehierarchyinprojectswheretheresearcherasksandtheparticipantsprovide.InLesBack’sbook‘TheArtofListening’,heponderswhether‘whenwelistentopeople,dotheygiveustheirstoriesordowestealthem?Attheheartofallsocialinvestigationisadialecticaltensionbetweentheftandgift,appropriationandexchange’(2013,p97)

Thisprojectacceptstheresponsibilityofworkingtowardsamelioratingsuchtension,respectingthatwhatis given by participants in collaboration measures more than ‘data’ to be analysed. As a way ofacknowledgingthis,theboxeswerecarefullywrappedandberibboned,packagedasadelightfulpresentfor participants to explore and use as theywished. The generous insights and textile treasures of thecompleted‘ReflectionBoxes’weregiftedbacktotheresearcher,withexplicitpermissionsgrantedtousequotationsandimagestoshareinpresentationorpublicationforafixedperiod-buttheyarenotownedby the researcher. Takingpart in theproject camewithaguarantee that theboxesand their contentswouldbereturnedtotheirmakersattheendof2017. What’sinthebox?Thehand-craftedaestheticoftheboxmaybeobservedinFigures3and4below.Wrappedintissueandcolour themed, they included stationery, a hand-stitched fabric covered notebook and three cakes ofmerinoandacrylicmix4plyyarn:

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Figure3.WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxASource:Mayne,A.(2016)

Figure4.WoollyWellbeingReflectionBoxBSource:Mayne,A.(2016)

Itwasimportanttosupportreflectionsontheimpactofmakingbyhandthroughprovidingaboxwhichcarriedmessagesaboutthevalueofthehandmade.Therefore,thefabric-coverednotebookwasstitchedbytheresearchertosupporthand-writingorsketchingresponsesandyarnwasprovidedtofacilitatemakingbyparticipantswhomaynothavenecessarilybeenabletoaffordtocontributetheirownmaterials.Differentwaysofcontributingwerecreatedinlinewithparticipants’suggestions–thattheymayliketodraw,annotateorcraftaresponsewithavarietyofmaterials.ApurplethemewasadoptedtomatchthecolourschemeoftheFacebookgroupgraphics,makingconnectionsbetweenthehapticexperienceoftheboxprojectandthedigitalexperienceofthesocialmediaplatformresearch.Thecontents,eachpackedseparatelyinanorganzabagandsecuredwithribbon,areidentifiedinthetablebelow:

Table1.‘WoollyWellbeingReflectionBox’contents,assharedinparticipantguidance

Apackofcards,eachsuggestingareflectiveactivityfromthebox–choosewhatyouwanttodo,whenyouwanttodoit

AUSBstick–forsavinglotsofimagesifyouwanttotakephotosthatmaybetoobigtoemailORifyou’dliketorecordyourreflectionsusingawordprocessingtool

Someyarn–useittomakesomethingifyoulike,ortakepictureswithittoshowhowyoufeelonanyday–tightlywound,neatlystitched,allinamuddle…

Afabriccoverednotebook,ifyouprefertohand-writeanyreflections,drawordoodle

Somepostcardstorecordthoughtson–totheyarn/yourself/another

Somecolouredpencilstodraw,designordoodlewith

Alovelypentowritewithifyouwish

Somerosepaperclipstofixthingstothings!

Somelabelstoattachtocraftedobjectorimages,toaddyourthoughtsorexplanations

Ofcourse,addanythingelseinthatyou’dlikeorrecordyourthoughtsinadifferentway

Therewere36cardscontainingsuggestionsforactivityinthe‘ReflectionBox’,themostsignificantoneofwhichwashighlightedtoparticipantsas‘Ignoreallthesesuggestionsandwrite/make/draw/stitchideasinyourowncreativeway’.Othersincluded:• Whathasmakingmeanttoyoulately?• Draw/takeapictureofsomeyarn,toshowhowyoufeeltoday(tightlywound…jumbled…neatly

threaded…peacefullyinaball?)• Howdoyoufeelaftercraftingwithyarntoday?• Draw/takeapicturewhichyou’dliketobeusedtoidentifyyouintheresearch(notfaces,butperhaps

workinghands,thetopofacrochethat,orwoolly-sockedfeet• Writeapostcardtoyourselfinayear’stime–whatdoyouhopemakinghasdoneforyouinthattime?• Draw/takepicturesofyourhandsworkingORnexttoyourwork…• Whatdoesyourmakingrevealaboutyoutoday?Participants were encouraged to respond creatively and individually – as indicated in ‘MethodologicalInspirations’ above, the project was designed to allow participants to lead with what they felt wassignificant,whilstprovidingascaffoldforthosewhowishedtouseit.Someusedeachcard,drawingthemrandomlyfromtheorganzabagtheywerestoredin;someselectedoneortwocardsandusedthemasaregularprompt;otherssketchedandwroteastheywished-inspiredorfrustratedinturnsbytheirtextilemaking.Unboxingcollaborativeresponses

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The fourteen boxes returned in June 2016 contained a rich treasure of data, often breath-taking in itsdetail, artistry, and frequently raw personal honesty. Common threads have been established whichincludereflectionsonthepositiveimpactonwellbeingthatmakingwithyarnexperiencedbyparticipants,alongsidesomejuxtaposingmessagesaboutitsfrustrationsandconfusions.Therewerevaluableinsightsinto amateurmakers’ descriptions of a personal creative process which perhaps would not have beenexposed if not for the extended reflection facilitated by collaborating in the box project. Some alsoreflectedontheexperienceofcollaboratingintheresearchprojectitself.PositiveexperiencesofwellbeingTherewereperhaps familiarmessagesabout thepositive impactofmakingwithyarnhadonsubjectivewellbeing,althoughthepromptsinthe‘ReflectionBoxes’supportedparticipantsinrepeatedlyreturningtothinkaboutthewaysthismanifested.ForJM,thetactilequalityofyarnitself,aswellastheproductionofadefinedobjectenabledhertomanagethestressfulnatureofherjob:‘Yarnkeepsmystresslevelsdown,andmakingTHINGS,somethingIcantouch/see.Whenyouteachyouworkveryhardbutyoucan’ttouchorseetheresults.Yarnisanantidoteforthat’(JM)

A number of journals contained references to the meditative, repetitive nature of stitching and thecomfort that thisbrought toparticipants,echoing the findingsofCorkhill etal (2014) inwhathasbeentermed‘therapeuticknitting’.AnexampleofthisisAM,writing:‘Ifeelexhausted.Ioftenfeelexhaustedbeforetakingthehook. Crochetingismymeditation…andallpossiblerefreshment,all inone. Itwillprobablyevenlullmetosleepinhalfanhour,butthatmeansthatmymindisatpeace’(AM)

Similarly,thisbalanceofcalmandrestorationcanbeseeninAW’sentry:‘I takecomfort indoinga repetitive, squishy task thatconcentrates themindandallowsmystress/agitationtodiminish…itgivesmeadailypurposeofmakingsomethingpositive’(AW)

Interestingly, shegoeson todescribehow theactof knitting isperceivedas the self-careequivalentofbathingheryoungchildren in theeveningbefore settling them intobed,withall thecomforting,warmovertonesassociatedwithsuchanact.Comfort–totheextremeofbeingentirelycoveredbysofttextileisrecordedbyCWinherjournalofsketchesandexpressivedescriptions:‘whenyoumakeablanket,thereisastagethatyoureach,whereasyoumake,thefabricstartstocoveryourbellyandthenyourthighsI liketothinkIcouldkeepgoingandcovermyselfCOMPLETELY–andthenIwouldbesafefromeverything’(CW)

There isayearning forprotectionwhich thisparticipant feels is satisfied thoughhermaking, resonatingwithShreeve’s(1998)connectionsbetweeninfantmemoriesofbeingwrappedinsoothing,tactilewarmth.Forsome,thejournalentriesreflectedthewaysthatbeingcreativethroughyarncrafthelpedtomanagepainandsymptomsofestablishedconditions.CJusedherjournaltolistcurrentphysicaldifficulties,suchas: ‘1)physicalpainquiteirritating(fibromyalgia) 2)mood:middlingdepression 3)legsheavy&dragging(MultipleSclerosis)’(CJ)Addingbelowthat‘creativityisamagicaldistraction’fromthedailychallengeswhichherconditionsbring.FrustrationsandanxietiesHowever,notallparticipantsechoedsuchapositiveexperienceinreflectingontheircreativityinmaking.CJalsowroteinherjournaloffeelingbenighted,unabletomakeatall,with‘fearsanchoringmeinthepast,creativitytrappedunderarmedguard.Constraintssuffocatingmyflowholdmycreativityinside,holdingmeinside’(CJ)

ItisofinterestherethattheparticipantarticulatestheoppositeofCsikszentmihalyi’s(1992)‘flow’-whereinsteadofanxietiesanddistractions slippingaway, lost in the taskofmaking,CJexperiences strainanddistress.LGalsowroteextensivelyofherfrustrationsinbeingunabletorememberhowtoconstructwhatshewantedtomake:

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‘After40+Icouldhaverememberedsomeofthisthen–backinthe70sIpickedthisupafterIrecoveredfrombacksurgery.Apparentlynot.SowhenIbeganagainaftersomanyyears…mybrain’sfilecabinetopenedinthenightandinformationslippedout(orwasmisfiled)’(LG)

Herdescriptionofthedifficultiesofmemoryareevocativeandmovingassherecountsthewaysthatyarncraftinghashelpedhermanage traumatic situations in thepastandyet isaware that shecannot recallhow to make things as well as she could previously. Frequently, participants communicated theirfrustration in losingmotivationorbeingunable to channel the creativemakingwhichusually sustainedthem.ThisisillustratedthroughCW’sjournal:‘AllIwanttodoissitandmakesomethinglovelybutforsomereasonmyhandswon’ttranslatewhatIhaveinmyhead.I’mfeelingreallyfrustratedwithit.NormallyIcanjustpickthingsupandgetonwithit,butlatelyI’mpullingapartandthrowingawaymuchmorethanIhavebefore’(CW)

There isasalutaryreminderherethat therearenegative implications forwellbeing inbeingengaged increativeproductionandthatworkingwithtextilesismorecomplexthatofferingapanaceaforallills–anunder-researchedaspectofthe‘artsforhealth’agenda.CreativemakingGauntlett(2007)arguesthatacreativemethodsuchasthatofferedbytheboxprojectcanberevealingwhere participants are ‘invited to spend time in the reflective process ofmaking something’ (p.182-3).Whilstconsiderationofpersonalprocessintheeverydaycreativityofmakingwithyarnwasnotanexplicitfocusintheboxcardprompts,manyparticipantswroteabouttheirowncreativity–somewithconfidenceand otherswith uncertainty. CW expressed anxieties about sharingwhat shemadewith anyone else,includingtherecipientsofgifts.Theideaofsellingwhatshehadmadeatalocalcraftfairfilledherwithworry:‘IthinkthetruthisthatIamAFRAIDthatsomethingthatmeanssomuchtomecouldmeanLESStosomeoneelse’(CW).Forthisparticipant,creativitywassomethingdeeplypersonalandprivate,whereasfor CJ, her textile creativity was a way of communicating with others. In a journal entry where sheruminatedonthemeaningsof‘well,well,well’asbothasignofponderingandaconnectiontowellbeing,CJwroteabouthermakinginanevocativecelebration:‘Artallowsartiststoexpressfeelingsthroughcolour,textureorpattern.Artisacommunicationfromtheartisttotheworld…Iwantmyarttolookbeautiful,feelsumptuous,smellfresh,soundquiet,tastedelicious!Myartwillhelpmetalktotheworldusingcloth,stitch,knot,loop,thread,fibre,needles.’(CJ)

Betweenthesetwopositionsofwantingcreativitytoremainhiddenortobeshoutedfromtherooftopslaya common ground where participants often wrote about the ways that making with yarn allowed forpersonalexpressionandacraftingoftheselfwhichcouldhelpbalanceexpectationsofgenderorfamilialobligation:‘Ithasgivenmean individuality,arecognitionthat Iamanindividualwhocanmakeindividualthings,ratherthanbeingawife,daughter,motherandgrand-daughter.Icanmeansomethingsomehow’(AW)

In a postcard sent ‘with love and a hug to myself’, AW also wrote encouragingly about fostering herpersonalcreativity:‘Don’tdespairifyouhavegivenup,iflifegetsintheway.Beinspiredtostartagain.Youdeservetobecreative.Itisnotawasteoftime’(AW)

Here,theparticipantseekstoremindherfutureselfnottodiscountcreativity,buttoseeitasempoweringandrewarding–herquiet,creativemakingathome isacknowledgedashavingthepotential tonurturepersonhood.Changeandenrichment?It is crucial to remember that the Research Excellence Framework (2012) guidelines recognise thesignificance of engaging with participants and that projects related to creativity may result in notableimpactonindividualsaswellaswidergroups.Asdiscussedabove,thewomenengagedonthe‘ReflectionBoxes’projectoftenwroteabouthowpreciousit was to consider their wellbeing and its link to yarn crafting, its frustrations and their own creative

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process. Some also commented on explicitly on the experience of being involved in research. Forexample,CJrecordedherexcitementinbeingpartofthestudy,feelingaccomplishedintheembellishmentandpresentationofherjournal:‘AwakeallnightbuzzingwithideasandTAKINGACTION.Handsewingarunningstitchtostabalise[sic]thecoverofthissketchbook.Alsoaddingpocketsforstuff.Ifeelaccomplished.’(CJ)

AMusedherjournaltorecordtumblingideasandsketchesforherowncrochetdesigns,allowingherselfspacetoconsideradifferentfuture.ShetookthedesignsfromtheboxprojectandsubmittedthemtoaBulgariancrochetmagazine,wasacceptedandisnowdesigningforthemprofessionally.

Figure5.EmbellishedjournalSource:Mayne,A.(2016)

Figure6.DesignsketchesSource:Mayne,A.(2016)

Personalimpactslikethese–whetheraquietsenseofaccomplishmentoranexternalformofvalidation–cannotbeplannedfor,butformpartoftherichexperienceofworkingcollaborativelywithparticipants,supportingtheminengaginginavarietyofwayswhichholdsignificanceforthem.Finally,anapparentlysimple and significant impact comes from MR, who wrote of changes to her low mood and lack ofmotivation:‘Ihavebeenstuckinaholethathasbeenreallydifficulttogetoutof.Thisresearchprojecthasactuallyhelpedmequitealot.Byusingthetasksonthecardsasinstructions,Ihavemanagedtomakeajournal,finish somecrochet squares.Andputmy feelingsdownonpaper…making this journalhasmademethinka lotabouthowIdothings…thishasbeenthemostcreativeIhavebeenfora longtime.Thankyou.’(MR)

Shedecidedtofocusnotonmakingattheendoftheproject,butonwriting-continuingto‘journalformyself’.Suchoutcomeswerenotanticipated,butreflectthatengagingincollaborativeresearchmayhaveimpactforparticipantswhichreachesbeyondthescopeoftheprojectandhavevalueintheirownright. Opening,notclosingUsingacollaborativestrategysuchasthe‘ReflectionBoxes’meansthatresearchisinductive:thereneedstobespaceforparticipantstosurpriseandchallengeourexpectations;tobeallowedto‘genuinely…leadtheway’(WallaceandLindley,2015).Insendingboxestobeinterpretedandexploredbyeachindividualovereightweeks, responseswereperhaps richer thandatagathered in interviewsconstrainedby time.However, for some participants, these journals became rich gifts received and given, full of hope,aspirationsandwhisperedsecrets.Datasuchasthis,generatedthroughacollaborativeprojectrootedin

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theeverydayaretoofrequently‘thefragments,thevoicesandthestoriesthatareotherwisepassedoverorignored’(Back,2013,p1).Italsoresonateswithcurrentinterestincreativity,fromHelenKara’s(2015)work on creative methods, the recent ‘Crossing Creativity’ (2017) symposium at the University ofWestminster,toDavidGauntlett’ssecondeditionof‘MakingisConnecting’(forthcoming,2018).Collaboratingwithparticipantsinrespondingtotheirsuggestionsforalternativemethodsofcontributingto researchhighlighted limitations in theoriginalproject:Whilst somegroupmemberswerecontent tosharetheirthinkingthroughtheclosedFacebookgroup,participantsinthisprojectwantedgreaterprivacyand preferred the opportunity to communicate with the researcher directly. For others, respondinghapticallyaboutatactileprocesssupportedtheconnectionsnecessarytoreflectonwhatmakingwithyarnmeantforthem.Dataprovidedthroughtheboxprojectsupportedexistingmessagesaboutthepositiveimpact of knit and crochet for wellbeing, but also highlighted the need to consider its negativeimplications. Perhapssomeofthemostcelebratoryoutcomeoftheprojectwerethereflectionsonthesignificanceofpersonalcreativityandwhatitmeantfortheindividualssharingtheirexperiences.This project indicates above all that there is exciting work to be done in further collaboration with‘everyday’textilecrafters.Theacademyshouldpaythe‘courtesyofseriousattention’(Back,2013,p1)towhat is communicatedbyamateurmakersworking in theirowndomestic spaces,engagecriticallywiththemandexplorefurtherthecollectivewaysofknowing(Welch.2006)aboutwomen’smaking.

AcknowledgementsTheauthorisgratefultothegenerousparticipantsoftheReflectionBoxprojectforwhattheyhavesharedandtoDrAlisonGwiltforherinspirationandsupport.

ReferencesBack,L.(2013)TheArtofListening,1stedn.,London:BloomsburyAcademic.TheBlurtFoundation(2017)BuddyBoxMediaKit.Availableat:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/shd29fcfc4564y0/AAD4hVQDT3H--tu4jhzwRmZia/BuddyBox%20Images/Lifestyle/Buddy%20Box%20Jan%202017?dl=0(Accessed22May2017).Corkhill,B.,Hemmings,J.,Maddock,A.andRiley,J.(2014),‘KnittingandWellbeing’,Textile:TheJournalofClothandCulture,12(1),pp.34-57.CrossingCreativity(2017)AninterdisciplinaryUKresearchsymposiumattheUniversityofWestminster,London,25May,2017,http://www.crossingcreativity.com/Csikszentmihalyi,M(1992)Flow:ThePsychologyofHappiness,Rider:London.FortheLoveofYarn(2017)YarnLoversGiftBox.Availableat:https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/263280789/yarn-lovers-giftbox-custom-dyed-200g?ref=shop_home_feat_2(Accessed22May2017).Gauntlett,D.(2007)CreativeExplorations:Newapproachestoidentitiesandaudiences,1stedn.,Abingdon:Routledge.Gauntlett,D.(forthcoming,2018)MakingisConnecting,2ndedn.,Cambridge:Polity.Gaver,W.,Boucher,A.,Pennington,S.andWalker,B.(2004)‘CulturalProbesandtheValueofUncertainty’,Interactions,11(5),pp.53-56.Gaver,W.,Dunne,T.andPacenti,E.(1999)‘Design:culturalprobes’,Interactions,6(1),pp.21-29.Kara,H.(2015)CreativeResearchMethodsintheSocialSciences:Apracticalguide,1stedn.,Bristol:PolicyPress.Limerick,B.,Burgess-Limerick,T.andGrace,M.(1996)'Thepoliticsofinterviewing:powerrelationsandacceptingthegift',InternationalJournalofQualitativeStudiesinEducation,9(4),pp.449-460.

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Oakley,A.(2016)'Interviewingwomenagain:power,timeandthegift',Sociology,50(1),pp.195-213.Pink,S.(2015)DoingSensoryEthnography,2ndedn.,London:SAGE.ResearchExcellenceFramework(2011)Assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions,Bristol:REF.Availableat:http://www.ref.ac.uk/media/ref/content/pub/assessmentframeworkandguidanceonsubmissions/GOS%20including%20addendum.pdf(Accessed15May2017)Shreeve,A.(1998)‘MaterialGirls–TacitKnowledgeinTextileCrafts’inJohnson,P.(ed)(1998)IdeasintheMaking;PracticeinTheory.pp.103-114.London:CraftsCouncilWallace,J.,McCarthy,J.,Wright,P.andOlivier,P.(2013)'Makingdesignprobeswork',inProceedingsoftheconferenceoncomputer-humaninteraction(CHI).NewYork:ACMPress.Wallace,J.andLindley,S.(2015)'Theflexiblerealitiesofusingdesignprobes:reflectionsfromacarehomecontext',inJudge,T.andNeustaedter,C.(ed.)StudyingandDesigningTechnologyforDomesticLife.Burlington:MorganKaufman,pp.75-92.Warren,S.(2008)'Empiricalchallengesinorganizationalaestheticsresearch:towardsasensualmethodology',OrganizationalStudies,29(4),pp.559-580.Welch,P.(2006)'Feministpedagogyrevisited',LearningandTeachingintheSocialSciences,3(3),pp.171-199.

AlisonMayneAlison Mayne (ORCID 0000-0002-1562-9368) is Scotland-based amateur maker in knit and crochet,Associate Lecturer in Fashion Theory and doctoral researcher in women’s crafting experiences [email protected]

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Making myself well: Participant collaboration in ‘Woolly ... · A gift The crafted packaging of the ‘Reflection Boxes’ was also designed to construct a physical representation