I had an interesting conversation with my mother this weekend. She met two women at a community presentation who gave a program on tatting.

Tatting is a form of lace making. When I was a child, my grandmother told me tatting was a dying art. That was all it took for me to try to learn how to do it. I don’t recall my grandmother tatting—my great aunt was the tatter in the family—but she knew how to point a child in the right direction! I learned the basics of rings and chains after a fashion, then set it aside.

Fast forward to 2014. I mentioned to someone in my guild that I kept trying to tat, but not really knowing what I was doing, didn’t get much beyond a few rings. She organized a tatting class over two Saturday mornings and now I’m on my way again. Thanks, Ginny!

It seems that one skill leads to another and then to another. Some weavers spin in addition to weaving. Spinners often knit and crochet. Weavers and spinners sometimes dye their own fiber. And those with wool sometimes felt it. I surprised a fellow guild member recently by admitting that I spin. It’s a tactile activity that soothes the soul, and I enjoy it. Like I enjoy tatting, knitting, and crocheting. And I’ve even tried my hand at making a booklet. It’s the joy of the process, the joy of working with my hands.

Like my grandmother challenged me long ago, I challenge you to try something new. Pick up a craft you haven’t tried before or return to one you’ve set aside. Rediscover the joy of the process and working with your hands!