Fiber Freak

Yarn. It is simply twisted fiber made of natural or synthetic threads. I have even heard of some eccentrics spinning their pet’s fur or their own hair to make yarn. That’s a bit on the fringe – no pun intended! Perhaps working with yarn speaks to something in our genes of those ancient days when all clothing was handmade in order to survive. If you ask any crafter of yarn, they will tell you it is therapeutic, mysteriously addictive and deeply fulfilling to work and finish a project. Also, there is a tremendous amount of pride that makes each project special and precious. I overheard a woman at a fiber artists’ guild telling a story of a scarf she had made and happened to be wearing that evening. The stitches were impeccable as was the exquisite beading work. The scarf was so eye-catching that the receptionist at her dentist office offered to buy it right off her neck. The woman simply replied, “You cannot afford to pay the worth of it.” The receptionist did not understand it was not simply the materials and the time it took to make the scarf but also the love that was poured into making it that made it priceless.

My love of crocheting, like cooking, has become a part of my life through the influence of previous generations. My Nana’s couch was always draped with knitted parts of sweaters waiting to be fitted together. Many times, she would use my sister or me as a mannequin to double check her work. Regrettably, I have only one simple brown sweater she made that has survived over the years. It has small holes in it and is not particularly pretty but I cannot bring myself to throw it away as it is one of the precious few physical things I have left of her. Nana B used to crochet placemats for the aforementioned dining room table. (See previous entry.) Even with four children, my Mom found time to crochet us ponchos or make warm granny square blankets. It is Mom who taught me when I was a young girl how to crochet. I remember my initial fascination of watching the metal hook bobbing in and out of the loops of colorful yarn. It took me years of practice and patience to feel the correct yarn tension while utilizing the hook to make the fabric.

I started working full time and, truthfully, when dating took up most of my spare time, I dropped my creative outlet. I occasionally would feel a creative surge and tried sewing and making floral wreaths but it never lasted for long. For a few decades, I had put aside my crochet needle. After Nate was born, I felt unnecessarily chained to the house. During his newborn years when his feedings and diaper changes were every couple of hours, I did not have much time in between to do much. By not doing anything creative, I slipped into a depression I barely could admit to myself let alone anyone else.

Then one day as I was stewing in my seemingly endless boredom, I was reorganizing books in a bookcase and came across a clear plastic bag full of crochet needles. I bought them years ago at a garage sale when I thought I would renew my desire to create. The needle hooks were miniscule and obviously made to work thread for lace. Excitedly I went to the craft store and purchased a book with several patterns of lacey snowflakes. The patterns were easy and could be made within a short amount of time. It took a few flakes before my hands remembered the required tension and for my brain to recall how to make the stitches but I was off making dozens of snowflakes. As I finished each one, it filled that desire to see something accomplished quickly and filled that need to be creative which helped banish the doldrums of the everyday routine. It was truly an answer to my prayers. I was so grateful to God that I gave all the proceeds of the snowflake sales to my church’s Christmas collection – just paying it forward.

I have found a few resources to help fuel the fiber fever. Knit and Crochet Today is a show on Create TV(PBS) that offers expert advice and visual how-to’s as does YouTube. Sign up for free at Lion Brand Yarn and receive weekly emails containing free knitting and crochet patterns. Also, check out your local library and see what pattern books they have. Most of the pattern books I own are due to checking out books they had and liking them so much I just had to have them for myself. To see some amazing artistry, check out Etsy.com and click on the crochet category.