What's in Your Attic?

Two of my friends came upon a small gold box while cleaning their mother’s attic. Inside they discovered a length of small ivory pearls crocheted on variegated pastel cotton thread. It was loosely crocheted, allowing the soft pastel colored thread in pink, yellow, baby blue, and soft green to show through between the pearls. Imagine their surprise when they saw it – their mother frequently crocheted with yarn, but they didn’t know she knew how to crochet with beads!

My friends’ surprising find is just one example of the timeless art of beading. We’ve come a long way since early people strung shells on vines and hung them around their necks, but beading in one form or another has been around nearly as long as humans*. Contrary to some men’s opinions (including my husband’s), beading is not a fad. NO! Beading transcends time. Beading is eternal. Beading is an art form, a craft, a hobby, a therapy for some. Most importantly, beading brings people together - people from different walks of life, different beliefs, even different generations. Celebrate this holiday season beading with (or for) someone you love. What’s in your attic…?

*A Brief History Of Beading, Karen Vertigan Pope