Can we talk?

Handcrafts

    I've always enjoyed small projects like embroidery or crocheting. I like seeing something "come to life" in my hands.

    Maybe if I were an artist or a good photographer, I wouldn't need crafts. I always look at scenery and notice the lines, the blend of colors, the depth, the shadows. I can see all that, but I can't recreate it on canvas or a sketch pad or with a camera. I see people in certain moments and know that this pose, this moment is the perfect photograph, but I have no camera and don't know how to use one. I have such moments, such scenes frozen in my mind, my own private photo gallery, but I'll never be able to share them with someone else.

    But an embroidered collar or shirt cuff or placemat will be there for others to admire. They can finger the thread work and get up close to admire the fine stitches. They can experience a very brief joy looking at it. I will have to launder carefully and work to preserve it as best I can.

    Likewise, an afghan can be examined and held and touched. It not only offers something to observe, but it can keep one warm. It has a useful function, as well as aesthetic. I try to avoid offensive or obnoxious colors. A finished afghan can be quite expensive at today's yarn prices. But the extreme number of hours makes it of great value to the right recipient. I did one that I estimated took a hundred hours. At minimum wage, that's very costly. Most of those I gift with one understand the cost in man-hours and appreciate it all the more. Even should they not like the colors or style, they understand the value as a handmade heirloom.

    Which brings me to another thought. As we get older, we think about things like leaving something of value behind. Quilts, crocheting, knitting, etc. are ways we pass something of ourselves on to people we value and hope value us. I'm sure many people think that something homemade is not as good as a "real" gift. They might be inclined to give such a gift away or use it as a dog bed. However, when we have invested something of ourselves, our time, our hard work, in a gift for someone else, we tend to appreciate such a gift from someone else all the more.

      We all need to give something of ourselves once in a while. Take some time this year to make a gift for another. Find what you can do if you don't know already. Don't just go shopping. Invest yourself. Use the economy as an excuse. Or in my case, I don't save any money, I may spend more. But work on it yourself. It will mean more to you when you give it, and it probably will mean more to the one who receives it.