I had a great day.

I took the day off from my day job today. That means I had the school day to sew, stuff, blog, knit, clean, catch up, there were many possibilities.

I spent the seven hours turning, stuffing and ladder stitching two and a half dolls. Two and half dolls that were already stitched together yesterday. For those of you who make dolls, you are familiar with turning, stuffing and ladder stitching.

They are slow--these activities cannot be rushed. But that is part of their attraction. Although to those who don't create, it would appear that creativity propels this process. Creativity is one ingredient. But those who make things by hand, the main attraction is the actual making. The slow, often methodical, process of carefully putting bits together, whether it is stitches in a hand knit sock or the meticulously threaded hair on a doll's head, is what we love. And it is often these slower more mundane activities that allow the time for our more creative ideas to percolate.

To those who aren't into it, it probably sounds painstaking. For those of you who craft, most likely you feel as I do, this is relaxing, joyful, and why you do what you do.

It is the zen of crafting.

I love my slow days.