Creativity

I've been knitting since I was a little girl. When I was about 12 I bought an Ashford spinning wheel kit, which stayed in the box until I was in my late teens. By the time I finally got it stained and put together I wasn't that interested in spinning any more.

That was before I visited a group of handspinners in the area where I lived at the time. They met monthly to share food and spinning time. I hadn't known what to expect, but I found a group of warm and talented women who were willing to share their knowledge with me, my mom and sisters, and others who wanted to learn. Their meetings were charged with creativity, and I soon discovered that their expertise went far beyond mere handspinning--these ladies were fiber artists. Their interests ranged from knitting to felting to dying to weaving. Many of them owned fiber-bearing animals, which included llamas, alpacas, angora goats and rabbits as well as sheep. In addition to fiber arts, some of them enjoyed soapmaking, cheesemaking, and antique collecting. I had stumbled onto a goldmine of knowledge and inspiration.

Spinning became one of my favorite activities. The gentle pump of the pedal under my foot, the quiet hum of the wheel, the transformation of a pouf of wool into a twist of yarn, all these things were the ultimate stress relief. I knitted a few things from the yarn I spun. My greatest achievement was the gray socks I knitted for Billy the Christmas we were engaged.

After we got married I didn't have time to craft for a long time. I spun sporadically. Recently, though, I've been able to carve out a few minutes here and there to engage in fiber arts once again. I'm a busy mom, so my projects are simple. Right now I'm working on a chenille wrap for chilly evenings and I recently ordered needle felting supplies. For my birthday my mom got me a book of quick knitting patterns that I can hardly wait to try. I'm planning a craft day and a one-day knitting camp for our home school group.

We're made in the image of God. Because of that, we are all creative beings, whether we feel like it or not. For me, fiber arts are one area where my creativity really blossomed. Billy talks about the importance of nurturing all of ourselves--body, soul, and spirit. Creating beautiful things nurtures my soul. It feels good to be creative again.

God provided a group of wonderful teachers for me when I least expected it. If you long to be creative but don't know where to start, ask Him! He has made you to create, and He will enable you to find that creative part of yourself.