Better Late Than Never

Traditionally, crafting in all its forms has been passed down from one generation to the next. Grandmothers taught grandkids to knit, while Moms ensured their daughters could run a sewing machine.

So what happened to me? I grew up with an immensely talented mother who could crochet, knit, sew, and quilt with the best of them. Every year my sister and I started school with intricately crocheted vests and matching purses (it was the 70s) and when embroidered denim became the rage a few years later, we sported stylish, homemade denim jackets finished with colorful, eye-catching hand-stitched designs. If that weren’t enough, she created gorgeous crocheted tablecloths and placemats, cross-stitched quilts, and sewed colorful summer fashions for us. Many years later, my mother busied herself making endless crocheted blankets, jackets, and caps while we waited to travel to China to adopt our daughter.

Over the years, she clearly tried to teach me, but it never took. I muddled through a few projects, but sitting for extended periods hunched over a ball of yarn or a piece of cloth ensconced in an embroidery hoop made me crazy. I’d much rather read a book.

Fast forward a few decades later and my own daughter became enamored with knitting after learning at day camp. When she asked for her own supplies, I remembered seeing a yarn shop, The Black Sheep Knitting Company, in our town center. After we bought her supplies, Nancy, the nice woman behind the counter asked me if I knit – so I could help her if she struggled. No, I admitted, but the shop fairly burst at the seams with gorgeous yarns of every hue, and sported a collection of finished shawls, sweaters, and hats that made me swoon. Maybe knitting wouldn’t be such a bad way to while away an evening . . . or a long plane ride . . . or a soccer practice. Maybe I could learn after all these years. Another woman, Judy, said I should come by the next day and she would teach me to knit.

That was nearly four years ago – and that’s how it began for me. I learned not only how to knit but to love it, and now the idea of sitting for an extended period of time without my knitting makes me crazy. Then, after seeing what could emerge from a skein of yarn, I began wondering what creating something from fabric would be like and bought a sewing machine.

In creating this blog, I’m in no way saying I’m anything close to an expert “crafter” – there are plenty of blogs out there by wonderfully talented knitters, sewers, and home décor experts, and I read what they write. What I hope to do here is share the world of fiber arts with people who never thought it was for them. Or who thought about it, but never believed they could do it. Because you can – and it will change your life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Kaufman

Feeling for much of her life that she couldn't sit still long enough to thread a needle and that all in all, she'd rather be reading, Stephanie Kaufman discovered crafting in her late 40s and now loves knitting, sewing, and household decorative arts.