Blue Ribbon Gifts

When I came home from Nigeria three years ago, I told my mom "I need a hobby!" She and I promptly ran to the local craft store and bought some beautiful black and red feather yarn to knit a scarf. Several months later, my mom retrieved the neglected, partially finished scarf, tore out part of it (because of many, many mistakes!) and re-knitted it for me, making it into a much smaller scarf than originally intended because the many mistakes had to be cut out and thrown away.

So much for my knitting hobby.

But I still needed a hobby. So, with much less enthusiasm than my first try, I took up crocheting. I decided to crochet a rug using three strands of yarn held together and a large hook. Easy, but not really a beginner project. After starting and restarting and getting bored, then taking it up again, I finally got the rug done. And it looked pretty good! So I thought, I can do this, I think I'll try another project! Now it's two years later, and I honestly can't remember how many things I've crocheted since I've started. I'm usually working on three or more pieces at the same time (not literally; I'm not that good). Now I enjoy looking through crochet books and finding the pattern with the most complicated stitches and giving myself a challenge.

Recently, we just had our county fair, and I decided to pick out my five favorite things I've crocheted this last year and enter them. Four of them got blue ribbons. One got a red ribbon, but there was a small mistake in it that I just couldn't fix; oh, well, I love it anyway. The above picture is of my doily I made my mom for mother's day. One of my very favorite projects I've ever done.

I've discovered a peaceful joy from my hobby that has brought forth so many pretty things. A way to rest and enjoy beautiful things. A way to let the stress of the day peel off little by little. I've come to realize that crocheting, for me, is a gift from the Lord. A gift that lets me enjoy His peace and beauty wherever I am, that lets me be still and rest in Him.