Halloween

Another Halloween has come and gone. I did not dress up this year, and neither did my cat. Banichi sometimes dresses up as a spider and helps me hand out candy. He is usually as big a hit as the candy. I just didn't want to deal with that this year. I had somewhere between 50 and 75 trick or treaters come by, before I decided to call it quits. I got chilled, the neighbors were starting to close up and turn out lights so I did too. I didn't think I was ever going to warm up.

While handing out candy I worked on my embroidery sampler. I actually got a fair amount done. There were many nice complements on the colors and several little girls commented that they liked to embroider. I was saddened though when one girl asked if I was knitting. Here was this nice curious little girl who had never been exposed to needle crafts. A fair amount of my history is tied up in craft work -- not to mention a huge amount of space in my house. My mother taught me to embroider. My grandmother gave me my first knitting needles and yarn. My mother made me clothes, taught me to make clothes, she sewed and knitted Barbie doll clothes for me, I learned to needlepoint by watching her; she and I learned to quilt together, she on quilt tops made by her grandmother, and me using up scraps from cloth mom and I had made clothes out of. Then there is the hours of fun and enjoyment of learning new crafts with friends, and the new friends I have made simply by knowing some needlework and getting involved with groups in person or online who also practice needlework. I do hope that, that little girl who didn't know the difference between knitting and embroidery has some other memories with her parents, some other hobbies that will be as pleasing and rewarding to her as needlework has been and continues to be for me.