Anything Worth Doing...

My love of crochet comes from my mom and her side of the family, but I think I can safely say that my talent for crochet comes from my dad. I don't think my dad has ever picked up a crochet hook and I'm pretty sure that the only time he handles yarn is to move it out of the way -- so, saying that I get my talent from him sounds pretty strange.... but nothing could be closer to the truth.

My dad is an engineer, a fixer of all things broken, and an organizer of well... everything. Many people would say that what my dad creates is not art, but in my mind, many people are wrong. My dad is an artist in precision.

He started me very young in the fine art of precision. The Lego sculptures we built together were engineered to last a lifetime and each block was perfectly color coordinated with the next. Images in coloring books were carefully outlined in their designated color before being meticulously shaded. And, when play time was over, everything was put in its place.

When I first took up clarinet (using my dad's hand-me-down Selmer), my dad sat with me during practice, encouraging me to play scales over and over (and over) again. And, the creative, artistic side of me hated him for it.

I remember once when he caught me reading a book while playing my scales on the clarinet. I tried to explain that scales were boring and that I needed something to occupy my mind. But, he took the book away, emphasized proper posture and embouchure and left me to try to devote my busy mind entirely to the task at hand.

But, looking at my work today, I see in it more of my dad than anyone else in my family. Each stitch is precisely where it belongs and all of the stitches work together in perfect coordination to make the finished piece. If I find that my gauge is not consistent, I will always rip out the section and re-do it. And, perhaps most importantly, when I am designing a new pattern, my ENTIRE attention is focused on the piece. In a word, each of my amigurumi creations is work of precision.

My dad always told me that "anything worth doing is worth doing right." Over the days and years, that saying has always stuck with me -- and it continues to influence everything I create. I know that I will never be a master in the fine art of precision like my dad, but that won't stop me from continuing to try -- with every last drop of my attention focused on the goal.

Happy Father's Day, dad. I love you.