Working with my Hands

My grandmother taught me to needlepoint one summer. When a friend and I visited her for a week, she took us to a needlepoint store and helped us each pick out a canvas--mine was a vibrant 80s patterned heart. We sat on her sectional with our colorful yarns and talked and stitched. You'd have thought we were matrons, but we were in elementary school.

The sectional is now in my family room, and I haven't needlepointed in years. But I have started knitting in the past few years.

A former student taught me how to knit while I was trying to teach her High School English. I was pregnant and thought a colorful scarf was just the thing to make me feel like a new mommy.

Three years and two moves later, I finished the scarf and gave it to my sister-in-law. I have now multiplied my scarf output and have added washcloths to my repertoire. I learned how to do a hat, but it didn't stick. I'll try again though.

There is something so relaxing about knitting, really any sewing by hand (I am trying to glamourize hemming because I need to go fix a hem in my little girl's dress). You get in a rhythm and can talk or watch T.V. but still feel creative and productive. Another perk of your hands' being busy: you don't snack as much!

Right before my recommitment to knitting, I was going through my usual restlessness about being a stay-at-home mom. I was reading Proverbs 31 again and recognizing all the many talents of this woman who works and manages her home so stunningly well. One verse caught my eye:

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands" (Prov. 31: 13).

Hmmm.... Such a still and quiet habit for such a busy woman. She is working hard from morning dark to evening dark, and not only does she keep her household and family in order, but she also does great business--buying real estate, planting a vineyard, trading, and selling the garments she makes. Of course, this woman of noble character is also godly and wise. She's the ultimate super mom.

But I like thinking of her in the quiet moments, working with her hands. Maybe it's dark outside. Maybe she's cooking or sewing, but she's being creative.

Being a mom is often about everyone else and not about ourselves. Finding a creative outlet is to me vital to staying energized.

How do we make time for creativity in our lives? In what ways do we make time to work with our hands?