This time of year is full of many celebrations. Celebrating the New Year has me in a time of reflection. The older I get the more I prefer to celebrate traditions over anything else. One tradition that came to mind was the passing on of knowledge. Old, lost arts like crochet and knitting.

Crochet is what my grandmother and my mother do best. What is crochet? Crochet is where you strategically weave yarn to form different pieces. Oh the amazing things you can crochet. Scarves, blankets, gloves, hats, and so much more.

 

 

My Grandma Dorotha was amazingly talented at crochet. She would spend hours working away. Her afghans had beautiful colors and were the perfect way to snuggle up under on a cold day. Even as a very young child, I wanted to know how to do it myself. I remember getting my first book and crochet needles. I would chain on and on for hours on end.

 

 As I got older I lost interest, but my mom started to pick it up again. Crochet is almost like therapy. It’s one of those tasks that take skill and concentration. You’re able to zone out of all of your problems and enjoy the creation in your hands. When we lost so much after the tornado in April of 2014, I think my most missed piece is the beautiful, ornate crochet blanket that my mom made for me. It was blue, my favorite color, and now knowing crochet helped me realize how much time she had to have put into it. She recently gave me a bag of yarn that has the remnants from that blanket that I hope to do something with even though it’s not enough for a blanket.

 

Through the struggles after and the enormous amount of stress and anxiety, I found the need for that crochet therapy. I looked for some yarn and bought me a new J hook. While I learned the basics from my grandmother, I found YouTube helpful in her absence. So many wonderful ladies keeping this art alive. I have been able to expand my knowledge of more stitches and techniques and am now working on my very first afghan. Just like my mom and her mom would make.

 

I even see my own daughter taking interest in my crochet and it fills me with such joy. Three generations of our Arkansas ladies that have learned crochet with possibly of a fourth inspired to learn this intricate art. There is such a feeling of accomplishment when you are able to make something with your own hands. I am so thankful to have had two beautiful women who have shown me the value of keeping this skill alive.

Ami Lee is a paleo mom turned food blogger trying to feed her 3 kids and LEO husband gluten and dairy free, among other things. She’s not a professional chef, but what she lacks in education she makes up for it with a little bit of common sense and a lot of love. Inspired by many chefs including Julia Child, Gordon Ramsay, and Emeril Lagasse, she is encouraged to try new things and do what she does best… Make it up as she goes along.