A long, long time ago, before the invention of huge machines and vast factories, people made things by hand. They fished by hand, made baskets by hand, created dresses and other clothes and even copied books by hand.
After a while, as the human brain evolved, these talented hands were replaced by machines. Now, all of our belongings are probably made by machines and we don’t have to look too far to see that, just go to your kitchen, the toaster, blender, mixer and electric can opener.
Now, it’s easier to go to the shop and buy something than do it by hand. Sometimes it’s not just that it’s easier, it’s also cheaper and faster. Maybe in some small home, a grandmother is making pickles and jam, but the new generation are completely different. Is this good or bad? There is no answer to this question, we can’t change what has already happened. It’s like someone suddenly decided that television never existed, we can’t change that and that’s it.
We all probably remember the amazing jam made by our grandmothers or the taste of Sunday noodles made by our mothers. Now, it’s time for my own opinion, everything is possible, all you need is a little time and that’s it. Everything can be found on the internet and when it comes to recipes for home-made preserves, there are probably a million available on the internet and the taste is not even that important (because unfortunately, first of all you have to practice a lot to create that superjam). The most important thing is satisfaction and the amazing feeling of something achieved.
Recently, my friends were laughing at me and looking at me weirdly because I have started knitting. Every evening, with a nice coffee and good music, I take my wool and try to create something. I’m not too good, because I only know how to do plain stitches, but one day I couldn’t stop and after a few days I had created a scarf. After a few weeks, I had made a very funny dress and you know what, it makes me feel very good, because it is my creation from beginning to end. I did it myself and even if my little creations are nightmares, I am still really proud.
It’s not that we have to be the best at something, it’s like the expression ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’, so before we start doing something really well, we have to be patient and practice. Our grandmothers and mothers weren’t born masters of the preserves and maybe in forty years’ time I will be sitting on a chair with my grandchild, dressed in my scarf, you never know. Anyway, now I have promised to learn how to do purl and so my message is ‘start doing something’. The idea is more difficult than the reality. Remember, if something goes wrong, you can always go to the shop and buy jam or a jar of pickles.
