Finding My Vocation

I learned knitting in one afternoon and had made over twelve scarves the first month. I learned to crochet one hot summer day in Arizona, and by the end of summer had made several blankets for family members. This happened again and again with crafting. It would confused me to see people struggling for weeks to understand a simple stitch. I enjoyed crafting. It is a natural gift that I was apparently born with. No matter what kind of craft was put before me, I managed to pick it up quickly and run with it. I didn't realize until I was much older, that not everyone is able to do this.

While being good at so many different crafts was fun, I still felt like I needed to focus on something. To really dive deep and learn all there was to know about a particular craft. I didn't just want to be a crafter of all trades. I wanted to be an artisan.

Somewhere along the road of life, my crafting and my faith collided. I realized that with such a gift that God had given me, it felt only right to start using my gift to help others. I started knitting and crocheting for charity. I made quilts with ladies at my local church to give to those who were ill. Crocheted baby hats for the local NICU and shawls for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. But I kept feeling like there was something else.

It was while taking a class on Buckspoint lace that it hit me. The teacher laminated about the fact that the reason there are very few good lace teachers in America is because we Americans treat crafting like a buffet table. We pick and choose, taking a little of this and that, but never being disciplined enough to delve deep and master anything. She was harsh. But she was right.

I love lace making. But I never thought I could do any more then just dabble in it. Let's be honest, a young black girl with dreadlocs down to her waist is not the image most people think of when they think of a lace maker. It was hard for even me to look at myself and think, 'lace maker'. At some point I had started learning about the long history of lace and the church. Shortly thereafter I discovered the blog, LDS Lacemaker, and just fell in love with the connection between my own faith and lace making. Was this what I was being called to do? I wasn't exactly sure, but I started to get a feeling that lace was the key to my vocation.

When in doubt, make and pray. So that is what I did. I continued to make lace and listen for an answer. Despite the little hints that kept being dropped around me here and there, I just couldn't wrap my head around the possibility that I was meant to make and maybe even teach lace. But the signs kept coming, some less subtle then others. Over time I found myself uninterested in any of the crafts that I once enjoyed. My hands would suddenly cramp every time I tried to crochet or knit. My fingertips would become sore or go numb when I tried to cross stitch or sew by hand. I managed to find some relief in making rosaries, but anything beyond that and my hands didn't want to cooperate.

But when I made lace- bobbin lace and especially tatted lace, my hands were in heaven. I could sit for hours making lace and not notice the time. When making lace I just felt at peace. And if that wasn't enough of a sign, even my doctors noticed that my blood count was the best it had been in months. I was even physically healthier when making lace.

So, lace making would be my vocation. It would be the world in which I would delve in and eventually master. I choose tatting, specifically needle tatting, as it is easier for me to travel with and teach. I love the lace that just seems to appear out of thin air when I am tatting. And the countless new discoveries made in tatting keeps it interesting.

And this is what has lead to my vocation, this blog, and my dedication to the craft.