There’s a moment in the first Harry Potter story where Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter are looking into the Mirror of Erised. This Mirror contains deep magical properties; the mirror not only shows one’s reflection but also the ‘deepest and most desperate desire of their heart’. The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see simply himself, how he is. When Harry asks Dumbledore what he sees in the mirror, Dumbledore claims to see a pair of thick woolen socks, explaining ‘one can never have enough socks’. Since moving to the highlands I have been reminded of this story, and become aware of Professor Dumbledore’s profound wisdom.
I naively travelled to the highlands with a limited wardrobe of cotton socks (covered in holes), assuming this would provide sufficient insulation for my feet through the winter. My foolishness forced me to attempt to create friction with my feet, so as to produce a byproduct of heat (another unsuspected byproduct was replicating an uncoordinated Freddy Austere dancing in thick treacle on the moon to Billie Jean). Now while I attempt to emulate a presence of outstanding professionalism at work I may of unknowingly busted out some feet warming moves in the Rag Tag workshop.
I didn’t realise anyone had noticed, but it turns out someone did.
At the Rag Tag Christmas party I opened my Secret Santa present and there sitting in some neatly crumpled red and white Christmas paper was a pair of hand knitted, emerald green, warm, wooly socks.
So I would like to say thank you to my Secret Santa for my No1 Christmas present. Hand knitted unique, beautiful socks. They not only warmed my feet but also my heart.
Thank You
Happy New Year everyone.
Rag Tag 'n' Textile Ltd is a registered charity working with people who are recovering from mental health problems. Based in Skye and Wester Ross, in the Highlands of Scotland, we are a social enterprise making handcrafted items from recycled textiles.
