Latch It!

Know what this is?

It's a close-up of this:

And it's used for this: 

This is one of my on-going projects, a latch-hook rug. Eventually, when I finish, it will be a Christmas present for either a family member or one of my readers. 

Long time ago, someone I loved dearly used to hook rugs to help his arthritis. The motion eased his fingers and made them a tad more limber than they would've been for a person of 73. An added benefit is that the process is mindless, calming even, so he tended to be more even-natured than his fiery wife. 

I used to watch him while he worked. Just being with him eased the tensions of the day. His eyesight wasn't all that great--not that he couldn't see, but he couldn't always tell the colors apart, so I helped him as often as I could. Special times.

Now I do these myself. I can't afford the wool yarn he used and have to settle for acrylic, but the activity is still relaxing, still able to keep aging fingers nimble. When I'm done with the one I'm working on, it'll look like this:

Pretty nice, huh? 

By the way--in case you didn't know, Stitches Thru Time is having a birthday giveaway to celebrate being a whoppin' two years old!!! We're excited and want to share our joy with you in the form of a giveaway. Don't forget to tune back in this coming Friday!