I love the Rosary!

I have always loved the Rosary. Even before I became a Catholic, I loved the Rosary. I remember as a kid, watching shows and movies featuring Catholics fingering their rosaries, and wondering what they were. By the time I was in junior high, I had learned to say the Rosary, and even managed to sneak into a Catholic bookstore to buy a cheap plastic one that I hid at home (Baptist households frown on such things, don'tchyaknow). I still have that old worn out rosary, having had to restring it a few times over the years. I had it with me when I went off to college and took the plunge to start studying to be received into the Catholic Church. I had it with me when I took my first Communion. I have several others now, some nice antique wooden ones, heavy hematite sets, a ladder rosary, even a large 15 decade one with belt clip, but that old plastic one is still my favorite. A few years ago I got into making knotted cord rosaries, and have gotten to prefer them as my go to for a prayer. I find the making of them relaxing. I can do it while watching tv, or doing medidation where I concentrate on the appropriate prayer when tying each knot.

There's some great sites online about making these, my two favorites being:

http://www.rosaryarmy.com/
http://web.mac.com/geerlingguy/articles/religion/knot-rosary.html

What's great about making your own is that you can make specialized rosaries for chaplets. People who just use a rosary for the traditional Rosary are missing a lot of beautiful prayers and meditations. There are some wonderful prayerful chaplets and alternate rosaries. Check out these online resources:

http://campus.udayton.edu/mary//resources/chaplet.html
http://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/chaplets.htm

It's funny. When I told my parents I was converting (trust me, that was not a fun time, and it's still a painful thing to think about 30 odd years later), one of the biggest objections was to the use of the Rosary. I have no idea why non-Catholics are so bothered by it, unless because of it's emphasis on Marian devotion. For me, it was a gift from God, as it started my feet on the path to the Catholic Church. If you haven't used yours in a while, take it out, and let it renew your faith.