Tag Archives: crafts

Saving My Sanity

creativity, Meditation, tinkering,

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst   
Are full of passionate intensity.

William Butler Yeats

I don’t have to tell you that the world has descended into chaos. We are well beyond dumpster fire, sailing into uncharted territory where there are most certainly large dragons dwelling.

I understand that it can be challenging to find any kind of peace in the midst of this nightmare. One practice that has helped me to quiet the external and internal noise is crafting. It may seem frivolous to suggest that something as simple as doodling a cat or crocheting a washcloth can ease the tension, but it works for me. I lose myself in the process of creation, a kind of meditation.

I know it works for others as well as I participate in two monthly craft groups. Some months, we work together on a specific project. Other months, we bring our own works in progress. There is food and fellowship, with a focus on the personal rather than the political. These groups spur my creativity and sense of community, giving me courage to try new things without having to be perfect.

March is National Craft Month and a great excuse to add a bit of crafting to your life, whether you pursue your lifelong passion or decide to learn how to do something new. Hoopla, a digital service provider for libraries, is celebrating with a curated collection of resources from books to television shows. You can access the list even without an account; check with your public library to see if they offer access to Hoopla. Your library may also have crafting kitso check out as part of their Library of Things. My library hosts monthly crafting sessions.

I make crafting a daily part of my day. I share a bit on social media but mostly just among friends. Online groups are not always as kind as they might be. (See The Craft Police.) Here’s a sample: I used washi tape to create a collage.

Washi Tape Collage

The Case for Crafts

21st Century Skills,

Can I start by saying that it’s 6:00 PM and it’s dark outside? We felt sorry for the commuters in the highway cameras they show on the news as they will be driving home in the dark for the next few months.  Winter seems to come with the time change. More time for indoor sports, including something I love to do: needlecrafts ranging from crocheting to knitting to sewing with the focus mostly on crocheting.

I have been a crafter all my life. My grandmother taught me to crochet. She also sewed. My dolls had unique, homemade clothes. If she were still with us, my grandmother would be a hit on Etsy.

I love making things. I find crocheting to be both challenging and relaxing at the same time. It involves math and patterns. I also make pop up cards where I learn a little bit about physics, I think.

So, I was happy to see that Craft is included at Make, the website devoted to DIY and how to projects. The focus tends to be on digital and electronic gadgets. But there, in the midst of Arduino boards and 3D printers, are crocheted crew members from the Enterprise and a quilted Kindle cover. These may not be the typical Martha Stewart kind of crafts but they show the fun of creating stuff.

The maker movement reminds us of the pleasure of creating by hand. There is a sense of being connected to a long tradition of folk artists and basement inventors. And, in my case, to my grandmother, who was never very far from a crochet hook or knitting needles.