Little by Little

“Little by little,” an acorn said,
As it slowly sank in its mossy bed,
“I am improving every day,
Hidden deep in the earth away.”

Around five years ago, a sweet lady in our homeschool group offered to teach us crochet.  We went to her house one afternoon a week for several months.  I learned single, double and triple crochet, as well as granny squares.  Aravis, then twelve, made a potholder.  Mariel, age nine, learned the chain stitch, but quickly lost interest and joined Cornflower, age six, watching Disney movies in the other room.
I made a couple baby blankets and started afghans for the girls.  Although Mariel was fascinated by crochet hooks and actually bought several at a garage sale, the girls did not want to start projects.  After awhile I either finished or abandoned mine.  Whenever I thought about our foray into yarn crafts, I felt vaguely dissatisfied.  Evidently, my girls were not crochet-ers.

Then early this year we watched the musical, "Cats".  Aravis was intrigued by the costumes.  She discovered a Cats-costume-making group online.  She practiced crochet stitches until she could make arm and leg warmers. She taught herself to make Cats wigs and tails, which involves fraying homespun, making wig caps out of pantyhose, and combining colors to get the proper cat effect.  A drama friend offered to teach her knitting, and Aravis taught her crochet in return.

She is now officially obsessed with yarn crafts.  She visits Hobby Lobby at every opportunity.  She has almost completed her Cats costume and is instructing her sisters in making their own. There are yarn fragments all over the house, but especially in her room.  Her spending money goes toward more yarn, and her wish list includes homespun, Simply Soft, and don't forget bamboo silk...

Tonight all three girls are listening to Chopin and working on their Cats costumes.  I hear them in there discussing the proper use of hot glue and whether it is better to be paid for babysitting in yarn or money. I am telling this because five years ago I felt like crafting with yarn didn't "take".  But apparently it did. It threatens to overrun my home.  And I like it.