'It helps families': N.B. woman's grief project turns into fundraising efforts for local charity
Winding recycled wool into stars started as a way for Michelle Swan to manage her grief.
"My brother passed away in March. He had a long, hard battle with cancer,” Swan said.
After six years of battling the illness, Swan’s brother passed away.
“It was really overwhelming and I just needed something to channel my grief because I knew it could overtake me if I didn't find something to do,” said Swan.
Swan began creating stars from the left over wool pieces at Briggs and Little Wool Mill, where she works.
"There's some waste product in the process of yarn making, I've been kind of dabbling here and there with other things, and so I did just decide to make something easy, really kind of tedious. Something to lose my thoughts in,” she said.
So, for the last six months, Swan has been saving scraps and shaping stars.
"I don't knit. I've tried to knit, I don't enjoy knitting I find it's hard on my fingers and there's so many other people who knit very well,” said Swan.
“I just started saving the colours that I liked, and the colours that made me feel just a little bit of joy and I thought they'd make a nice star."
Those at Briggs and Little say they were happy to see Swan make use of the wool wastage.
"It's a wonderful project. The pieces that she's using would typically not be used for anything else, so she's recycling something. It's making a beautiful Christmas project for her," said Leah Little, a manager with Briggs & Little Wool Mill.
Proceeds from Swan's stars will go to a local charity in Harvey, N.B. called Christmas Mommies.
"The money stays in the community. It helps families with their Christmas wish list or food in the winter. I think there's high school bursaries, just any community member that needs help and asks for support, they try to help them out,” Swan said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.