Breathing Life into the Lost Arts

When I was a young girl I enjoyed doing all the gentle home arts like baking, knitting, crocheting, sewing, and cross stitch.  My Mom taught me how to crochet and two elderly neighbours taught me to knit and cross stitch.  It pleased me to learn a new skill and then create something beautiful and unique with that skill. The more I progressed in my new found art the more I realized that I could make gifts for others.  I loved picking something out that would suit the receiver, the colours, the pattern - I would spend the time to get just the 'right' thing. :)

As the years passed I have picked up and put down these skills at will.  As the mother of babies and small children I lost touch with these gentle arts but as my children have become older I have carved out more time to once again embrace these time honoured arts.  I feel like we have a responsibility to breath life into these 'lost arts'.  In a world that is fast paced, full of gadgets, and the ability to easily buy items these skills can become lost; if not for some intentional care to preserve them.   I asked my mother to give me a refresher in crochet and before I knew it, I was well on my way to creating some pretty items from hats to shawls to blankets/afghans.  It's evolved into more then just a skill for me.  I often use the time to pray for the recipient of the gift.  Whether it is a prayer shawl or baby blanket, the stitches that make the item up have been sown with prayer.  

I have taught my daughter to crochet, knit and sew as well.  There is something so satisfying about working with your hands and while we work we connect as girls, as mom and daughter.  That time becomes precious and I have watched my little girl create her own patterns and make things to give to family and friends.  I taught one of her friends to crochet and she has taken off with her own creations as well.  It's amazing to watch them soar with this skill.  And they, in turn, crochet together and chat together while working on their projects.  I, myself, have some friends who also crochet and sew.  It is so nice to get together and chat while we work and explore patterns.  We share beautiful patterns, chat about the things we can make, encourage one another with compliments and the time it takes to show a new stitch or talk about a yarn. And while we are doing all this we are passing down the lost arts, beautiful arts that time honours.

Below are a couple of shawls I made over the past couple weeks.  I finished off a beautiful popcorn stitch afghan last month.  You can view it here.  

Shawl

Shawl

This is a beautiful plate warmer my daughter made for me.

For this post we are linked up with HammockTracks: It's a Wrap.