"Idle hands are the devil's plaything"
As soon as our hands were nimble enough, my mother taught my brother and I how to make things. The first thing I remember her teaching us was crochet and knitting, although I'm sure there were small, simple crafts before then. My brother took to knitting, and I preferred crochet; he had more patience and a more precise mind, while I liked the flexibility and speed of crochet. He learned both, and I dove headfirst into crochet, pretty much foregoing knitting from the getgo.
This week I needed a quick non-sewing project. I frogged a scarf my husband had started crocheting with baby alpaca, and felt like trying something new, so I decided to re-learn how to knit. Three days in, I'm finally stitching swiftly (comparatively) in continental style (under advisement from my mother).
Husband and I drove around a lot today, so I took my practice with me. While we were chatting, I realized how thankful I am to my mother for teaching us how to make things, and more importantly, that we can make things.
Throughout my life, I have always known my power over my environment, and my ability to manipulate it to suit my needs. This ranges from knowing I can crochet a sweater to knowing I can negotiate with others to attain my goals. Crafting is an amazing way to learn perseverance, pride in one's work, generosity, attention to detail, creativity, and problem solving. A lifetime of crafting has given me a sense of independence and confidence that I would be a completely different person without.
Thank you to all the wonderful people who pass on their knowledge of craft to others, and to my mother, for passing on her knowledge to me!
I remember fondly of days my mother and grandmother crocheting, as they would talk. Thanks for sharing.