Knit One, Craft Too

I suspect that many of you are multi-media crafters, as it seems that no crafter ever really just does one thing.  If you're anything like me, you have no less than 5 or 6 projects in the works at any given time.

One of the earliest crafts I tried was crocheting, taught to me lovingly and with superhuman patience by my grandmother when I was just five years old.  Years later, I discovered sewing, largely out of necessity in order to have pants and blouses that fit me at 5'10" tall.  In middle school, I taught myself to knit.  I learned by trial and error, following pictures and diagrams and ripping out many a row until I got it just right.  By high school, I was good enough to knit sweaters for my husband and boyfriend (who is now my husband of 30 years and my biggest fan!) for Christmas.

Various crafts have come and gone through the years.  In college, I learned quilting, needlepoint, crewel and counted cross stitch.  After my daughter was born, I learned smocking and made pretty little feminine dresses for her.  When my son was born, I was a stay-at-home mom and I delved into many crafts, including basket weaving and candy making.

Most of the crafts I've tried were tried out of sheer curiosity, the desire to learn something new, and the ultimate satisfaction of being able to sit back and say, "I created that!"  Some of them were one-hit-wonders, learned just well enough to complete a particular project.  Others resulted in my own little 15 minutes of fame, like the counted cross stitch design that I entered in an international magazine contest, won third place for, received a check for 50 bucks, and had published! 

I've found some crafts that serve more as stress relievers than others, and once in a while, I just get a yearning to pick up a needle and thread or a pair of knitting needles and some soft, fuzzy yarn and find a quiet place to work, lost in my own thoughts.  For me, the best craft for stress relief is knitting.  More than once, I've been know to knit "nothing" just for the fun of it and the relief from the day that it gives me.  It's a mindless, relaxing thing that I can do while watching TV or chatting with my husband, and when I'm done, I can tear it out, roll it back up in a ball, and use it again another time. 

Recently, I called my daughter to see what she was doing on her day off.  She was crocheting a granny aquare afghan.  Surprised, I asked her how she knew how, because I had taught her basic crocheting, but never how to make granny squares. "YouTube," she answered.  "They have videos about how to do anything!"   I couldn't help but feel a little pride.  As soon as I become a grandmother, I'll teach her to smock!

For those of you who knit, want to learn to knit, or know someone who knits, check out this great link with knitting-related gift items: Cafe Press, Knitting Gifts