The Value of Making Things

Motherhood is about creation.  We create life, create families, and create complete people as our children grow into adults over the years.  Maybe that's why it's so satisfying to also create things with our hands.

In our culture, it's far easier to wander into a store and buy anything you could ever need (and a million other things you really don't).  However, there is something deeply fulfilling to the soul about sitting down and taking the time to make something out of nothing, to listen to the rhythmic clicking of a pair of smooth wooden knitting needles, or the gentle hum of a sewing machine as you create something beautiful for your family to use.

I prefer knitting and sewing myself, but one of the great things about making stuff is that there's something for everyone out there.  Baking, painting, embroidery, crochet, scrapbooking, pottery, needlepoint, weaving...  The list goes on, and if you look, I guarantee you'll find a method of creation that appeals to you, that sings to the stressed and consumer-driven parts of your mind that crave something deeper and more meaningful. 

In our culture, choosing to take the slowest route, to do something with love rather than out of convenience, is meditative in its simplicity.  When I sit down to knit, within minutes I can feel my heartrate and breathing slow and my body relax.  Feeling the earthy components, whether wool yarn or raw wood or soft natural fabric, is grounding.  Given how far out of touch we are with the Earth and our own true needs, it's no wonder the various methods of crafting have become so popular over the last few years.

If you haven't yet found a craft that's right for you, here are a few links to get you started.

Craft Gossip

MADE

Craft

Craftster