--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A half finished shawl left on the coffee…" description: "\"A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a mess; it's an object of art.\" — Stephanie Pearl-McPhee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6d/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_art_a-half-finished-shawl-left-on-the-coffee_2506674.png" --- # A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a… ![“A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a mess; it's an object of art.” quote by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6d/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_art_a-half-finished-shawl-left-on-the-coffee_2506674.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6d/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_art_a-half-finished-shawl-left-on-the-coffee_2506674.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6d/stephanie-pearl-mcphee-8527_art_a-half-finished-shawl-left-on-the-coffee_2506674.png) > “A half finished shawl left on the coffee table isn't a mess; it's an object of art.” [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An unfinished project can be seen as a work of art, not a mess, shifting perspective to appreciate process. **In simple terms:** Unfinished work can be art, not chaos. Key Takeaway Reframe incomplete tasks as creative expressions. Themes creativity process mindset Mood calm inspired Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - crafting - home décor - personal projects - studio work Key Concepts art theory psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment influence perception? - What transforms mess into art? A Different Perspective Some may view incompleteness as neglect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Coffee Table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee-table-1115350/) [Finished Shawl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-shawl-1115348/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-finished-816648/) [Knitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knitting/) [Mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mess/) [Shawl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shawl-432159/) [Shawl Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shawl-left-1115349/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) ## Related quotes > [Everybody tells me that they would love to knit, but they don't have time. I look at people's lives and I can see opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/everybody-tells-me-that-they-would-love-to-knit-but-they-don-t-have/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [“Given good yarn, good workmanship, and good care, a knitted shawl and outlive its knitter, providing warmth and pleasure to several generations of family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-waterman/given-good-yarn-good-workmanship-and-good-care-a-knitted-shawl-and/) [Martha Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-waterman/) > [I continually blacken pages and scribble away, so I always have a number of songs that are half-finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-continually-blacken-pages-and-scribble-away-so-i-always-have-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [Who's started has half finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-s-started-has-half-finished/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Half finished work generally proves to be labor lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/half-finished-work-generally-proves-to-be-labor-lost/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Nobody wants to see a half-finished Vine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/nobody-wants-to-see-a-half-finished-vine/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [My solo albums were each like a half-finished puzzle; they represented only the beginning of a full picture. Simply put, they were inadequate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-slick/my-solo-albums-were-each-like-a-half-finished-puzzle-they-represented/) [Grace Slick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-slick/) > [For me - showing a half-finished manuscript is tricky. Just as a bird will get spooked and abandon her eggs if some outside party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/for-me-showing-a-half-finished-manuscript-is-tricky-just-as-a-bird/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [I've written a couple screenplays and half-finished plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-meloni/i-ve-written-a-couple-screenplays-and-half-finished-plays/) [Christopher Meloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-meloni/) > [“Wings of a half finished book across his chest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/wings-of-a-half-finished-book-across-his-chest/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [First snow-falling-on the half-finished bridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/first-snow-falling-on-the-half-finished-bridge/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [There is nothing so fatal to character as half finished tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd-george/there-is-nothing-so-fatal-to-character-as-half-finished-tasks/) [David Lloyd George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd-george/) > [“ToScottie March 11, 1939 p. 387- 388 And please do not leave good books half- finished, you spoil them for yourself...Don't be so lavish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/toscottie-march-11-1939-p-387-388-and-please-do-not-leave-good-books/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [A painting that is well composed is half finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bonnard/a-painting-that-is-well-composed-is-half-finished/) [Pierre Bonnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bonnard/) > [A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/a-half-read-book-is-a-half-finished-love-affair/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## More by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee > [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Knitters use knitting to value-add to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/knitters-use-knitting-to-value-add-to-the-world/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [In the nineteeth century, knitting was prescribed to women as a cure for nervousness and hysteria. Many new knitters find this sort of hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/in-the-nineteeth-century-knitting-was-prescribed-to-women-as-a-cure/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Achieving the state of SABLE is not, as many people who live with these knitters believe, a reason to stop buying yarn, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/achieving-the-state-of-sable-is-not-as-many-people-who-live-with/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [I am a person who works well under pressure. In fact, I work so well under pressure that at times, I will procrastinate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-am-a-person-who-works-well-under-pressure-in-fact-i-work-so-well/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [The people who think I'm famous are knitters. Most of my life, I'm wildly unrecognized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/the-people-who-think-i-m-famous-are-knitters-most-of-my-life-i-m/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [“I make a habit of setting aside some time each evening to take out my knitting and work quietly on it, happily relaxing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-make-a-habit-of-setting-aside-some-time-each-evening-to-take-out-my/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [You know you knit too much when ... You will check out a book from the library just because you heard that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/you-know-you-knit-too-much-when-you-will-check-out-a-book-from-the/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [There are twice as many knitters as golfers in North America. Still, if you walk into any airport in North America, you can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/there-are-twice-as-many-knitters-as-golfers-in-north-america-still-if/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [If you have time to knit, if you've taken up knitting, it means you're not worried about the essential stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/if-you-have-time-to-knit-if-you-ve-taken-up-knitting-it-means-you-re/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [It turns out I will buy any yarn, even yarn I will never use, if the store discounts it by more than 50 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/it-turns-out-i-will-buy-any-yarn-even-yarn-i-will-never-use-if-the/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [A plain sock by itself is terribly boring, but it could score points by having a clever stitch pattern, or maybe by being made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/a-plain-sock-by-itself-is-terribly-boring-but-it-could-score-points/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [When confronted with a birthday in a week I will remember that a book can be a really good present, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/when-confronted-with-a-birthday-in-a-week-i-will-remember-that-a-book/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [“It turns out that I will buy any yarn, even yarn I will never use, if the store discounts it by more than 50%.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/it-turns-out-that-i-will-buy-any-yarn-even-yarn-i-will-never-use-if/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [You know you knit too much when ... You take knitting to a wedding, in case there's a little time before the bride comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/you-know-you-knit-too-much-when-you-take-knitting-to-a-wedding-in/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) [Explore all 80 Stephanie Pearl-McPhee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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