Sep. 20, 2007 - Pretty Things
Over the summer my dear friend told me that she was going to try to make beaded stitch markers. I was intrigued by the idea, but because I had never seen them, I couldn't picture it. When I saw my friend over the next several weeks, I asked her about the stitch markers. Through trial and error, she had found the right jewelry findings to make these stitch markers.
On Saturday, she and I got together for an outting. We were attending the Knitter's Day Out together. It was a wonderful event offering classes and a vendor hall for knitters. I am more of a crochet-er than a knitter, but I enjoyed the vendor hall and all fo the beautiful findings.
My girlfriend and I met early at a local diner for breakfast and as I hoped into her car to go from the diner to the local college where the Knitter's Day Out was being held, my girlfriend handed me a small zip loc bag. Inside the bag were two beautiful stitch markers!
She put a beautiful glass bead on a round jewelry finding that is the loop part to a lobster clasp. The beads on my markers are a beautiful marbled blue glass. She used a pin especially made for jewelry to attach the bead to the sliver loop. The pin itself has a woven pattern to it on the head, so it adds a lovely detail to the bead.
I used one of my stitch markers while knitting a hat for caps for kids. I was so tickled to use it because it was very beautiful. It is a wonderful feeling to make a beautiful product while knitting or crocheting, but it is equally wonderful to use beautiful items while crocheting or knitting. I have fallen in love with the new wooded hooks and sticks. Now I've got a new love for beaded stitch markers.
Recognizing the beauty in our craft is important. A comment on my earlier blog said something like, "Isn't it amazing to think that we are using the same stitches that other women have used for thousands of years?" There is a beauty to what we make. There is beauty in what we are doing, especially when you think in terms of the history of the stitches. And there is beauty in the materials we use as we stitch.
God has given us a beautiful world. I find it is easy to recognize His beauty in nature. When I'm walking the woods with the boys, I can recognize God's creativity all around me. I am greatful that He showed me the beauty in crochet and knitting, and not just in the finished product, but also in the process.
