To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

I think God can relate to crafters. I think he can understand our desire to create something beautiful and useful. I think he can also relate to our tendency to jump from craft to craft… a time to knit, a time to sew, a time to cross stitch, a time to macrame, a time to stain glass, a time to paint, a time to needle felt, a time to sketch… you get the idea. Having lived half a century, most of which I’ve been crafting, I can look back fondly on all the different crafts I’ve dabbled in, and revel at the list of things I’ve yet to try. (I have a weaving loom showing up next week… can’t wait!) 

Sure, there are some crafts that have been my mainstay… might call them my "meat and potatoes" crafts… I’ve always knit and sewn without interruption. But there were some crafts I was so totally immersed in, I can’t believe I no longer do them. Like cross stitching. I’m not sure when I stopped making samplers and bookmarks. I know it was not a conscience decision to stop cross stitching, but I have. Every once in a while I go through my case of cross stitching supplies, look at the books and the unfinished projects, and think I should get back to it, but I haven’t… and truth be told… not sure that I ever will. (I will point out I’m still not ready to pack off the supplies and give them away… you never know!)

Another one of those bygone crafts is basket weaving. There was a time when I constantly had a basket project going. My SIL Jennifer, was also enamored with weaving… she even went so far as to make enough baskets that she was selling them at street fairs… but over time, we both moved on. Michelle and my niece, Bailey, remember us basket weaving… even made a few projects, but they were too young to tackle the craft in earnest. After a fair amount of prodding, Jennifer and I decided to revisit basket weaving.

So, yesterday, we headed over to Jennifer’s, with plans to basket weave. She had pulled out all the old supplies… she had become the caretaker of basket weaving paraphernalia… and the kitchen was littered with reeds and buckets, books and tools. Jennifer and I were both engrossed in flipping through our old books, oohing and aahing over the patterns we had made, and those we had not gotten to yet. 

I was trying to decide which basket I would like to make, when Jennifer went to the sink, and started filling a bucket with warm water, to dump into the big barrel that the reed would soak it. THEN, it came to me in a flash why I quit basket weaving… it is a messy, wet, time consuming, wet, skin cracking, wet craft. Did I mention you get wet while basket weaving… at least the way I basket weave! I get cold easily. The thought of working with wet reed held no appeal to me. And, my hands get so dried out in the winter, to the point of cracking, the thought of working with the reed sounded downright painful! I decided I was content to sit around the table, offering advice when advising was called for, drink my coffee, and flip through the books. I will point out, Jennifer made the same decision.

So, Jennifer and I sat at the table, chatting and laughing, while Michelle and Bailey worked on baskets. My mom even stopped by for a cup of coffee and conversation. We all had a great time. I felt like we were handing off the torch. Our time to basket weave was behind us (okay… I’m not saying I’ll NEVER basket weave again, but if I do, it will be outside, in 78 degree weather!) and it was now time for our daughters to have a go at it. And, I couldn’t help think… a time to teach, a time to learn.