stitches

About five years ago, I discovered crochet. I was standing in the yarn aisle at Michael’s (again) and realized all I needed was one two dollar hook and some cheap yarn. And youtube could show me everything else.

I made a couple of crazy lopsided dishcloths first. Then more. If I knew you, you got a dishcloth that year for Christmas. I was hospitalized for appendicitis and a skein of acrylic purple yarn went with me.

The next obsession was making amigurumi, a Japanese word for cute stuffed animals and toys. Round and round I stitched, making personified cupcakes or apple sweaters. It was fun - look what I could do with just string!

It’s a little thing, making the same stitches over and over, a thousand times over, only to start it over again. But something about the monotony is calming, even fun. When Nate is finally in bed and supper is over, it’s comforting to sit down, start something on Netflix, and pull out a ball of yarn. Just a few minutes later, that bit of color is reshaped into something real, something I made. It may be a simple accessory, but it’s something that didn’t exist without me.

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to combine both making and giving, two of my favorite things to do. I would make 25 hats to give away, I thought. I met that goal in August and went looking for a new goal: a Minecraft blanket to give Nate for Christmas. Meanwhile, I’m already buying more wool and gathering more patterns for several other projects: hats, cowls, maybe a baby blanket.

Ultimately, it’s not a lot: a pile of yarn, a few hours, a little money. But if something can both entertain and soothe me at the end of a long day, I consider that a gift worth my time. Something about me ticks better when I make, so I’ll keep stitching and hooking, row after row after row.

I’m not giving this up anytime soon.