I have loved to make things with my hands ever since I can remember. One of my favorite memories as a kid is sitting up high on a branch in our front yard tree with my sisters collecting branches for my mom so she could make wreaths. We fashioned some sort of basket with a rope pulley system so we could lower the branches down to her without having to get out of the tree. My mom was always letting us help with all kinds of crafts around the house. She taught me how to knit when I was in middle school. I made a long white garter stitch scarf with some acrylic yarn that has long since been misplaced or given away. In high school she helped me sew a dress from a simplicity pattern and I have

I lost interest in knitting during high school but picked it up again after getting married. I made a few simple projects and was afraid to knit in the round. Then a few years later my friends started having babies. I tried a newborn hat and mittens pattern. I made a simple hand stitched baby quilt. With my moms help, I made some felted knit baby booties. A little later another friend got pregnant and I wanted to bring something handmade to her shower. I was planning to make some simple sewn bibs but couldn’t find any gender neutral fabric I liked. So I looked on pinterest at knitted baby gift ideas and saw a picture of a knitted bunny. I was sold instantly. I didn’t care that my knitting skills were mediocre at best. I didn’t care that I had never made anything three dimensional before. I had to make it. I bought the pattern and went through it step by step, youtubing my way through any and all directions I didn’t understand. Before I knew it I had made a bunny head. And by the end of the weekend I had a finished animal. That wonky bunny was the spark I needed to continue pushing myself to make things and to learn more about knitting. Since then I’ve made multiple other stuffed animals, plus sweaters, gloves, socks, and other things I had always been afraid to try.

I haven’t lost momentum since that first bunny and I can’t imagine ever not knitting and sewing now. I have more than enough projects lined up to last me a lifetime.If I hadn’t tried to make that bunny I might have stuck with easy projects and never gotten hooked on knitting. And what a sad life that would be for me! I love making things so much now that I can’t imagine it not being important to me.

The other motivator for me was that I just couldn’t wait to see my friend’s reaction when she unwrapped the gift. I knew she would love it no matter how wonky it was because I had made it. And she did! She sent me a photo of her newborn baby laying beside the bunny and still sends me photos of it in the nursery.
It is this feeling and the satisfaction that comes with it that makes me want to create things and make them available for others to get enjoyment out of them. I want to create things that people will be excited to hand over to someone as a gift. I want to knit something that makes you love sitting in a certain spot in your home. Something that makes you feel beautiful, cozy, playful, or proud. I want to use my hands to make something out of what seems like nothing that will bring years of pleasure and usefulness.

I love to encourage other knitters who feel like they are too inexperienced to try a project that intimidates them. The most important thing is that whatever you are making has to be something you really want. If you want to make a sweater there’s nothing wrong with doing a little research and trying one that seems like a good project for a beginner. But make sure whichever pattern you pick is for a sweater you’re dying to wear. Otherwise you won’t be motivated to push past your insecurities and learn the stitches or techniques required to finish. I was dying to give my friend that bunny at her baby shower. And that’s the reason I was motivated enough to finish it even though making it was frustrating at times and I even seriously considered giving up and buying a gift instead (more than once).