My Knit Teddy Bears

Check and see if there are any bears in my shop.

I have hope, I have faith, and I am convinced that during our darkest of moments, we’re able to remember that life and happiness cannot be shredded by something as ridiculous as poverty. This bear reminds me of so many philosophies along those same lines. The teddy bear looks like it was handcrafted by someone caring for a boy who doesn’t know he’s poor (unless someone tells him). It looks like the kind of teddy bear that a boy alone on a farm clings to for companionship and love, uncaring of his imperfections and strange stitching. If we consider this crafting of knitting an art form, which it surely can be, then I’m watching my own particular art form turn into a lost version of Americana’s Folk roots in rural life. And if that’s the case, then this little teddy bear is definitely a portrait of a poor boy alone on a farm…. holding on tight to hope….

$20.00 Made of Fisherman’s wool, measures 12″ tall.

 

Coytown, just north of downtown Orlando, is a vibrant, young, energetic, and artistic few blocks of old concrete ranch style homes from the 70′s. But, the coolest thing about Coytown is its Asian population. The community of Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese is so vibrant and strong that even Publix has signs out front written in Vietnamese. You have these amazing restaurants and shops, whole blocks where nothing is either spoken or written in English, and people mingling over coffee and sweet milk.
Pom Pom’s Teahouse, Tasty Wok, Pho 88, Vihn’s. Its not uncommon to hear any of these places in daily conversation.

As many of you know, my knits are a reflection of things around me, portraits in the life of a man who found solace in a set of bamboo knitting needles and unprocessed yarn. My knits are snapshots and observations of my life. I had to make a bear to commemorate that little tourist free section of Orlando many commonly call “Little Saigon.”

$20.00 Made of Fisherman’s wool, measures 12″ tall.

 

Yes, it’s true, in the wildest ways that destiny works, that I found myself out on this abandoned piece of property alone. It is NOT true, however, that it was supposed to become a way of life for me. I found refuge here because it was a place of quiet and solitude; it was a place to find peace beyond the turmoil that last year had wrecked me with. However, instead of something remarkable surfacing from the silence and the isolation, I found something deeper brewing within me: that all the frail little nuances that make me uniquely Gregory Patrick had been shoved to the side to make way for self-doubt and paranoia.

Clutching tight to this bear I am fully aware how blessed I am.

Throughout my time out here I’ve rediscovered quickly that I am a strong individual, a mighty, creative man who is loved. And so, I move myself now on a quest to recapture the truth behind what I had once reminded myself of once before: you control your destiny. Only YOU have the power to make a change.

My emotional and spiritual salvation are all entirely up to me….

$20.00 Made of Fisherman’s wool, measures 12″ tall.

 

There is this commercial on television. Might be for insurance, not quite sure, but the parents are discussing medical treatments for the daughter. Cut to the daughter getting put into an MRI and just before she’s to undergo the treatment, she hands her father this very simple, rugged, been through the mud teddy bear to her father. There is this simple, brief, 2 second shot of this teddy bear that has this face that says, “I”ll be here ready for when you need me!” And the father, delicately hands the teddy bear back to the little girl as she clutches it for dear life at the end of the commercial.

Who wouldn’t start the water works? You’d have to be somehow cruel not to start weeping, even if but for a tiny bit. To begin with, I hate seeing little kids with illnesses. Breaks my heart. The innocent beginnings of our lives are meant for the exploration of real human existence, its not to be a quick lesson in the actuallity of our fleeting existence. Children shouldn’t be reminded just as the dawn begins to break to show all things wonderful and grand, that sunset will be upon them soon…..that darkness has its equal reign.

So, I came up with this bear to be that reminder, that meditative break from truth to anyone lonely or sick, that there will always be love and support just a hug away when you need it.

$20.00 Made of Fisherman’s wool, measures 12″ tall.