Things Remembered - Day 4 - A Stitch in Time...

Over last week and weekend, I was at a conference in another part of the continent and managed to finish a baby blanket over the course of the week, stitching as I listened to different sessions and letting the crochet hook mindlessly do the work while my brain focused on other, far bigger in the moment, things.

While waiting for one of the sessions that I attended to start, I was chatting with a few folks at my table and one of them commented that it seemed as though I had been crocheting for a long time.  27 years, to be exact.

I still remember the first time I held something crafty.  I was sitting on my bed in Rwanda with my Grandma Hammond by my side. I don't remember exactly what we were doing, whether it was cross-stitch, petit-point, or crocheting, but I remember watching her strong, weathered hands carefully attend to the task at hand.  I was mesmerized by the fact that from something so simple, something beautiful could be me made. Later I learned that my Grandma could do just about anything when it came to crafts.  She taught me how to paint (a skill that never quite stuck), got me started on hardanger, showed me how to frame prints, and was always willing to try something new.  She has such beautiful hands that have made such beautiful things.

My Grandma Teusink was also incredibly crafty.  She always had a bag with her knitting somewhere close-by.  I was mesmerized with what her hands could make as well. She would take something as simple as a ball of yarn and turn it into a blanket that represented her love and prayers and hugs.  I loved watching movies with her on Sunday afternoon, both of us with a craft project of some sort in our hands and chatting the days away.

 I remember the first time that I watched Anne of Green Gables or something similar and there was a sewing circle.  That was the life!  Can you imagine sitting around doing crafts while talking with your friends all afternoon? What a treat!

There were, of course, other people who helped me along in my craft endeavors along the way.  I’m so thankful for Julie, who taught me how to make delicate snowflakes for Christmas gifts. So many trees have little Teusink creations because she took the time to inspire me in something new And then there was Carol, who was shocked that I didn’t know how to make a Granny Square when I was 12, so she taught me how.  Countless baby blankets have been made and shared with love and prayers because she took the time to help me figure out something new.

I’m thankful for hands that can hold a crochet hook as if it was a natural extension of those hands.  Every stitch is a reminder of people who have poured into me, and a prayer for the lives of the people I am able to pour into.

Now I must be off…it time to make myself a cup of tea, cuddle up under my blanket from Grandma, and stitch away.