While I appreciate the convenience and efficiency of modern advances, I like to keep one foot in the past, and do things the old fashioned way. It's a tricky dance to execute, but when I can, the resulting connection I feel to my ancestors, history, and humanity is a priceless gift that not only I enjoy, but get to share with my son-my future.
Both my maternal and paternal grandmothers were highly skilled at knitting, crocheting, macrame, cross stitching, embroidery, etc. I have dozens of examples of their beautiful work that is not only practical, but a reminder of who they were and how special they still are to me, even though they are no longer here. I think of my Nana every time I pull out her delicately embroidered table cloth and napkins. And I can't help but smile when I wrap up in my grandma Lucille's colorful crochet blanket. These gifts were made with love and carefully honed skills, and are worth so much more to me than anything they could have purchased at a store. It occurred to me, with Christmas approaching, that I should learn to knit, and give my creations away as gifts.
It turns out that there is the most beautiful yarn store just down the street from me--who knew. And not only do they sell unique yarn, they offer classes. That's how my obsession began. I was not overly ambitious to start. I knew that I had a short amount of time and zero skill level to complete these gifts. Scarves seemed like a reasonable project to tackle. However, I had no idea that one wrong stitch would send me down a tangled knitting path with no trail of bread crumbs to help me find my way back. After much trial and error, a few classes, several pilgrimages to my knitting guru, multiple knitting needles, and about 40 hours later, I created three scarves. They weren't especially beautiful, though I would have been very proud to wear them. They weren't unique or even made from exceptional materials, but they were made with lot's of love. Within each stitch I weaved love, kindness, and all the positivity I could muster so that when the recipients wore them they would feel special. On Christmas, I was able to give my son, and my boyfriend's daughters their gifts. I can only hope that when they wear them they feel warm and special. If not now, then maybe sometime in the future.
