Knitting is Knot for Me!

This week, I thought I'd attempt to knit a pair of booties for my unborn baby.

It sounds delightful, domestic, and mommy-like, right?

I was hoping that my pregnancy hormones would predispose me to have unrealized talents in this area.

So, on Tuesday, I got together with my pregnant friend Jenna, and off we waddled to a knitting class at the little church across the street from our house.

Both of us had the goal of booties.  Attempting a sweater or a hat seemed a bit too complex.  But booties should be simple, easy, and quick, right?  Definitely, we both agreed.

Once we arrived to class, our instructor suited us up with wooden knitting sticks, a ball of yarn, and the more realistic goal of making a small square hot pad.  :-(

I was disappointed.

I have too many hot pads as it is.  So, I began to wonder if perhaps I could use the hot pad as a washcloth for baby.  Or maybe use it as an ultra-small burp cloth.  My mind began to desperately think of the ways that a very small square piece of knitted yarn could be useful, appreciated, and later sentimentally valued by my future child.  But I was coming up short.  :-(

After 45 minutes of one-on-one instruction with an extremely patient teacher and only a very small bit of knitting to show for my very confused mind and fumbling fingers, it was time for me to speak up.

"Thank you, but I think this task is a bit too tedious for me," I admitted.  As I waved my white flag, the instructor smiled kindly.

Jenna was more gracious than I was.  She persisted with the instructor, who never left her side.  I watched.  Another 45 minutes passed.

Finally, class was over, and Jenna left with her results -- with the ball of yarn and the wooden needles still attached.

But her results were so small that I had to squint in the sunshine to see them on our walk home.  We both laughed.  And then I started to feel guilty as a mother.

I wanted to give my child something hand-made, but I had nothing to show for it.

Am I the first generation in my family to NOT give her child the gift of something handmade?  I began to feel so sad.

And then I remembered that each of us are blessed with different gifts and that the gifts I'd be giving my child would be different than this.  And that's OK, I guess.  Right?

I am an archive-r, a memory-saver, a sentimental writer, and a ready-to-learn future photographer.  The gifts that I give my child (other than love, food, shelter, and fun) will come from the talents that God has given me.  And they will result from the things that I ENJOY doing!

So while my child might not have a pair of hand-knit baby booties (let alone a hot pad), he or she will have so much more: a mom who loves them immensely and who will be savoring and documenting every moment of his or her life!