"Hooked!"

Summer afternoons in Paraguay can sap the energy out of everything - even a nine-year-old child.  However, siestas just weren't an option.  Naps were for babies and for old people.  And so I found myself wandering next door to Dona Celina's.  Dona Celina's grandchildren lived half-way across the country, in Ca'acupe.  My own grandmother lived half-way across the globe, in Pennsylvania. 


This is the first crochet project that I made with
Dona Celina's help.  I gave it to my mother for
Mother's Day more than 30 years ago!



Dona Celina would sit in the shade on her porch in the afternoon sipping terere, her crochet hook a blur producing intricate lace doilies or mantillas.  Her face would light up when she would see me crossing the yard.  "Adelante," she would call out - "Come on in."  She would give me the customary kiss on each cheek and pour me an ice-cold glass of terere. 

When I had drunk the bitter, but wonderfully refreshing Paraguayan tea, she would take out another crochet hook and ball of thread and hand them to me.  Her own hook would slow dramatically as she showed me how to make the stitches.  She would take my hands in hers, moving them in and out so that I could feel the rhythm of the stitching motion.  She would patiently correct my mistakes and praise my clumsy first efforts.  I fell in love with crochet that summer, not only because of the creative outlet that it afforded me, but because of the special afternoons that I spent with Dona Celina.  I was "hooked" on crochet!

Five years ago, I had the opportunity to return to Paraguay and visit Dona Celina.  She hadn't seen me in more than twenty years, but she recognized me immediately.  Spending an afternoon with her took me back to my childhood and was definitely the highlight of my trip!