A stich, or nine, saves time...

I share Kallis's thoughts and sentiments about looking to the past in order to build a sustainable (and fulfilling) future. I've always enjoyed crafting as I find it helps engage a different part of my brain, and relaxes that part that's always fretting or trying to work something out. I hear from many people about the "waste of time" it is to spend days making a simple hat or pair of gloves, when we could have purchased those things almost instantly. Again I agree wholeheartedly with Martin Borden (quoted in the article), that, "when you make something..., there is an incredible sense of worthiness to that." I often think that  because "we have happily divested the responsibility of taking care of ourselves", to corporations with large factories overseas, we are not only putting strain on our planet, but missing out on a great source of joy and accomplishment. I always tell my kids that I can buy them what they want for their birthdays, but if they're really lucky, then I'll make them a pair of socks. Many many think they can buy a dozen mechanically made pairs for a fraction of the price to knit a single pair; but in that pair single pair I've spent literally hours twisting, weaving, making mistakes, correcting mistakes, and all the while thinking about the person I'm making them for. I look at a blanket I knitted squares for over several summer vacations, and I think of the kids surfing waves while I watched and worked away. Time is possibly the most precious thing we can ever have, and I think finding ways, as our ancestors before us, to treasure that and invest in each moment are very important. And, as Kallis notes, this wonderful opportunity to slow our lives down, has the added benefit of nurturing our planet.

I enjoyed trying the rope and weaving techniques, but the lacing was a bit complicated for the time of night. I hope to revisit the lace though as it looked exquisite, and the technique looked a fun challenge. When I was making the rope, I remembered a Coast Salish Weaving group I attended (pre-COVID), as I had a similar feeling of what Kallis describes as "un-venting ancestral knowledge," - just an indescribable connection to the people that created and repeated this technique countless times and many years before me. I enjoy knitting for many reasons: the colours and patterns, the challenge, the way it makes me relax and slow down, and the idea of creating something from virtually 'nothing.' But I think a large part of why it's so important to me is because, while I'm doing it, I feel part of me is in Scotland with my grandmother knitting beside me.