In honor of Mother's Day........

The following article was actually written as a feature on Ozknits Blog. In honor of Mother's day this Sunday, I've decided to share this with you. My Mother truely inspired me as a child and still continues to insprire me today. Please leave a comment, sharing how your mother has inspired your craft.

I remember seeing my Mom's hands often. I would see her peeling potatoes to make potato salad. I would see her combing my sister's hair and neatly braiding each strand into ponytails. I saw her hands fold clothes, wash dishes, rake leaves, and mop the floor. My Mom was beyond a domestic engineer, she was a Domestic Goddess! So, it was no surprise when I saw her hands make a ball of yarn into the first Afghan that I ever saw. Around the age of twelve my mother sat my sister and I down, and showed us what a crochet hook looked like. She patiently showed us what she had recently learned as an adult, and didn't give up until when could remember the " granny square" by heart. At that time, I had no idea where crochet would take me. Ironically, it wasn't until I became a mother myself that I seriously picked up a crochet hook again. I started with the "granny square", just like my mother taught me. I had no idea that there was anything else you could make out of crochet. I had a difficult time reading patterns and often would rely on my Mother in Law to translate them. After a while I began shopping around for easy to read instructions. I taught myself every stitch I could learn, and soon after that I realized that I no longer needed to rely on patterns to create fiber art. With this new found excitement I started sketching. I began crocheting hats and other items by memorizing stitches and counting each one to obtain the desired look. I now know what stitches to use in order to obtain a certain shape or look, and instead of written patterns I keep example pieces. Someday I would love to publish a book that uses sketches to teach those that have a hard time with patterns the basics for obtaining a simple, yet wonderful piece to admire. Some of my future goals are to teach the art of crochet to the future young ladies of the world, publish and offer patterns to the public, and best of all become a Etsy Featured Seller