Traditional leisure activities

Traditional leisure activities like spinning; knitting, crocheting, embroidering   Isn’t Just for Grandmas

"More than any other part of the body, our hands reveal our inner state."

------Omraam_Mikhael Aivanhov

I had learned to knit  first, it was the year 1962, I was ten years old and studying in nth standard in  Shishu Vihar Hindi School,  Jamnagar.  Jamnagar  is a historic city  Lord Krishna established his kingdom at Dwarka town in Jamnagar district, in later years when I was in teen years I learned the basic stitches of crochet. Then came a time in life that Knitting and crocheting has always been an outlet for my stress. I love the magic of using my hands to create something from a beautiful ball of yarn. I took yarn for granted until I observed my aunts, grand maa and other ladies in my family    spinning and dying the spun yarn, and making bags with tapestry crochet technique. Then  I understand the process that the yarn has to go through before I ever see it and it has only added to the magic.

I've spun lots of punies(cottan balls) and  dyed a bit, even if it was with Kool Aid…and I enjoyed using a canvas of yarn to create a whole different kind of work of art. My eyes have opened up to color and the combinations one can make with joining hues and crafting something fresh and vibrant.

But what about creating the yarn itself? I  t know that  my ancestors spun that’s why to keep the tradition on and to handover it to the younger generation  I feel it calling to me…previously I use to spun in a lot but there is a big gap in between, the need to spin has been strong for a while now and I’ve pushed it away because of non availability of charkhas in my house   . I’ve wanted  a Traditional Charkha for a while now. I can’t really tell you why because I’m not an expert on spinning wheels or anything…but it spoke to me the minute I saw one. No other wheel gave me this same feeling and the sense that I’m destined to spin has not diminished…if anything it is growing stronger.

In the month of August we visited the village Bhagana I saw a charkha in one of the house I visited, it hit me head on , I told my intensions about charkha  and found  that there was a sweet woman needing to sell her wheel with all its attachments. I practically freaked out. A beautiful  Traditional Gharkha and it had my name all over it. Being none too patient I waited until nightfall to discuss the purchase with my daughter  and she knows how much I’ve wanted one…even if I can’t spin yet due to lake of space in my house …but any how .i got it and now it is mine!!!

My front corner today

xoxo