Yo-Yo Mama

I was talking to my sister Lisa on Sunday and the whole time we were talking I was aware that she was holding the phone between her chin and her shoulder. This is by no means unusual for either of us. We both grew up with the busy-hands-are-happy-hands attitude of our grandmothers and mother — and no inconsiderable amount of nuns. While we catch upon each others’ lives we also cook, fold laundry, knit(me), cross stitch (her),and sew (both).

“What are you making?” I asked. She giggled and then said,”You’re going to laugh at me.” Yeah. So? What are you making?

“Yo-yos,” she said. “Remember those yo-yos ladies used to make out of scraps of cloth?” As a matter of fact I did so we had a good discussion about the right way to make yo-yos and she told me about the project she is working on — an American flag formed out of burgundy, navy and tea-dyed muslin with little stars all over them. “It’s so adorable,” she told me, “I’ve already made one and I’m making another one for my friend. I can’t believe how much fun I am having making these silly things.”

Since I have been vastly entertained lately making granny squares for my silk jacket I can’t very well say much about her making yo-yos and, in fact, I think it is quite wonderful. We talked about other projects we have seen made from yo-yos. Lisa remembers a clown that our Grandmother Werner once made from multicolored yo-yos. It had a wooden ball for the head and big jingle bells for the hands and feet. I had an idea for an envelope style evening bag made from yo-yos of different luxurious fabrics — velvet would be nice because it doesn’t fray.

“Isn’t this silly?” Lisa asked. “I mean it’s so old-fashioned. But I love doing it.” There is nothing silly about it at all, I said. In this crazy, hi-tech world what could be more of an antidote to all the craziness than sitting and stitching? Doing something creative, using your hands, letting your mind wander and just enjoying the process, thinking about the end result.

I am doing some work these days for a woodcarver/sculptor who makes fabulous things — everything from a ship’s figurehead to the ornaments that decorate the massive organs seen in cathedrals. I won’t tell you his whole story now because I am writing about that and it is quite a story to tell. But, in addition to his commissioned work he teaches woodcarving. He said that most of the people who come to him do so because they have jobs that are very analytical and the idea of spending time with tools and wood and making a thing of beauty is nourishing to their spirits.

I want to go online and search for a pattern for a yo-yo clown to send to Lisa. She has promised to send me pictures of her yo-yo flags and I am sending her pictures of my granny squares. It is a wonderful thing to love making stuff like this. There is a serenity and a contentment in it that isn’t readily found in the world. Lisa’s littlest boy, Patrick, is following in his mother’s footsteps. He loves to make things, too. It is a heritage worth passing on this business of using one’s hands and making things that make us smile while we are working on them. Sister Claudia was right, “Busy hands are happy hands.”

Thanks for reading.