My mother has a hard time sitting still. Even when she sits down to relax, her hands are busy with something–she’ll smooth out the edges of a napkin, or turn the pages of a magazine. She used to sew when we were kids, by hand and also with a machine, but I never saw her knit. I’m not sure why it didn’t appeal to her but I know many women, including The Wife,  love to knit (and some men dig it, too). They find the practice calming and productive, though I also hear The Wife curse and growl when she’s messed-up a pattern; that’s when she undoes a bunch of work and starts again.

It would drive me mad, but it doesn’t stop her, and when she’s finished, with a hat or a scarf, she’s got something handmade to give as a gift. This gives her a kind of satisfaction that is hard to replace.

Saw this on the train last night and I wondered what those balls of yarn will become.

[Featured image by Darwin.Wins]