.png)
I remember one Christmas as an eight year old that my grandmother gave myself and my cousins each a knitting kit. Complete with yarn, needles, instructions, and all the notions you could need, I still have and use most of those things today! At the time I didn't appreciate what she had given me. I tried my hand at a few rows but found it tedious and soon gave up. For years that knitting kit sat on my shelf in the closet serving no purpose other than to collect dust.
Years later in my university dorm I found myself searching for an outlet to cope with the stress of school. It wasn't long before my hands found a hook and I began cranking out hats like there was no tomorrow. Crochet had quickly become my favourite pastime and I didn't go anywhere without my favourite hook and skein. I began to realize how much I had taken that knitting kit for granted as a kid - just think of all those years I wasted!
At the time I thought my grandmother was giving me yarn and needles, but I eventually realized her intentions were to give me a craft. A skill. A part of her legacy as a crafter herself. Today I understand the unspoken value of an heirloom blanket or handmade gift; those items were stitched and sewn with love by someone who believes so much in the power of handmade. My house is full of gifts made and passed down by my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Of all the things in my home, those items are some of the ones I cherish most.
So that's how it all began. I guess you could say I was born to make; that it runs in my family. This family tree is made up of makers and doers and movers and shakers - people who use their minds and hands and time to shape and create something that only few will appreciate.
