Embelish the Story

Bonus post! Knitting and Crochet Blog Week may be over, but I was having so much fun I decided to do an extra day with the Wildcard topic!

This might sound odd, but my favorite embellishment I've ever included in a project, is one I haven't made yet. It is a crochet flower with a purple center and blue petals, and little green tassels sort of like vines. I've made the green tassels, and I've started three different times on the flower but had to stop and rip it out because I'd made a mistake or wanted to try it a little differently.

The reason it's my favorite is because once it is finished, it'll be the first "real" thing I've made with crochet. And it's going to go on a little purse that is a present for my friend Kay, and I'm so excited to give this present to her because I love to do nice things for my friends. So already, even though I haven't even made this flower, it has a lot of happy associations for me.

It also carries the excitement of being a totally freeform flower, hence the reason I have to keep trying different things. I started with a basic pattern (Ch 3, join with slip stitch, work too many dc's around and around to make ruffly edges, stop when flower is big enough) but strictly following those instructions didn't seem to be working. So I've been adding in more chain stitches and experimenting with the double crochets trying to get the shape I'm after. I have a feeling the reason I need to experiment is because instead of using the recommend yarn weight and hook size, I just picked a yarn that was pretty and I believe a lighter weight, and I only own one hook which is two sizes bigger. Gauge comes back to bite me in the butt! But I have been learning a lot about crochet by experimenting and messing up and figuring out why what I did didn't give me what I wanted.

Now back to work, so I can actually make this special flower a reality!

My Craft Time

Most crafters, when they sit down to craft (by which I mean really sit down to craft, not just crafty randomness that happens), have some kind of routine or ritual. Maybe they like to put on music, brew some tea, or even put in a movie depending on what they're working on. I wouldn't say my crafting time has any identifiable routine, as identified by dear Bruce:

Bruce: (something said in mock dire about how we're all going to die according to the local news)
Butterfly: Hmm . . . well, knit on through all crisis!
Bruce: More like through any circumstance whatsoever (with raised eyebrows as I stand in the kitchen knitting while he brews coffee)
Butterfly: ??? (looks down) Ooohhh! Yeah, I guess so!

No, for me, knitting fits into whatever time and space I have. Other crafts have their time and place, but not knitting. If I'm going to make something with beads, I either find a quite space with lots of room by myself, or I do it with friends in a bead circle. I have painted with watercolors, but that was only while I was on psychedelics. And mix-media crafts almost always happen with a movie playing in the background.

But knitting is just . . . random. I'll knit standing in the kitchen waiting for the kettle to boil. I'll knit while hanging out at friend's houses, chilling in the car, sitting at the all-night donut place. And I knit at home, either with Bruce as he uses the computer, or by myself in our room just sitting on the bed.

However, I'm starting to think that maybe knitting needs its own dedicated time. I've been reading a lot of posts on Zen Habits and copying inspiring bits into my journal, and I read a quote that's really had me thinking: "When you're walking, walk. When you're eating, eat." The context of the post was the idea of slowing down, savoring life, and getting more out of it because you're really taking in the moment.

So I'm thinking I'd like to start applying this to my knitting. Maybe I should knit less in public or social situations, and be present more. Likewise, I should give knitting it's own time and really be present with the yarn and the pattern. That's not to say I'll completely give up carrying my knitting around, but maybe if at least once a day I try to focus my attention on either just my knitting or just my friends or just the simple joy of making tea, instead of trying to multi-task, maybe the knitting will mean that much more, be that much more flavorful.

Something To Aspire To

It would seem to me that a very popular area of knitting is socks. There are tons of patterns, loads of books, boatloads of sock yarn, and thousands of feet warmed by lovingly made hand-knit socks.

And I am not part of any of it.

Why?

I have no idea.

Usually when you start out with knitting, it's just a misshapen square with several "experiments" in tension. Then the squares get less misshapen and eventually longer, and soon you have your first scarf. If you like scarves, then off you go! Soon every member of your family has a scarf. Now it's time to take on something else. You might take on a sweater, it is the classic option. Or perhaps you need some hats to go with all the scarves. Or you might tackle a market bag since Mother's Day is coming up. Each new project you tackle brings new skills, new discoveries, new delights. Until you discover that one thing that seems impossible.

For me, that was the dreaded DPN. Double pointed needles don't have to be scary, but for me it took lots of practice (and lots of easing up on the tension) before I really got it. I'm still not crazy about them, but I have several pairs of fingerless mitts and one mitten (yes, just a single mitten, it's a long story) to prove that I have mastered their basic use.

So if one doesn't like DPNs, one is less likely to knit socks, makes perfect sense, right? But dislike of a tool has never held me back from something. I'm not crazy about cable needles either, but last Christmas I made several gifts featuring cables because that was what would make the perfect gift in those cases. So why haven't I made socks?

I have NO IDEA.

Somebody, please, direct me to your favorite pattern and sock yarn and do not let me have any more excuses not to knit socks!

P.S. Please excuse my blog's fickle appearance, I'm attempting to give it a makeover, and I think I've finally found something I want to stick with!

And Now For Something Completely Different

You know, I was having a real block about this post. I wanted to really think outside the box. Instead I was provided with perfect ranting material. Please forgive me for the complete departure from all knitting/crochet themes for a moment and let us roast a fool this April Fool's Day.

I have always loved the musical My Fair Lady and one of my favorite songs has always been this one:



And I'm dreadfully afraid we have another murderer of the English tongue on our hands. This one knows how to speak it well enough, but obviously has a few things left to learn.

WANTED: Jacqueline Howett
FOR THE CRIMES OF: Syntactical Sedition and Ravaging on Reviewers
Please peruse for this for full story, the comments section is where it all happens.

Where do I start?

Here is one of the sentences that was pointed out as being poorly written:
"Don and Katy watched hypnotically Gino place more coffees out at another table with supreme balance."

What I think the author was trying to express: Don and Katy are watching Gino, who is a very hypnotic person to watch, use his superior balance skill to serve coffee at a table nearby.

Actual meaning of the words in her chosen placement: Don and Katy are watching Hypnotically Gino (is this a magic act?) place more coffees out at another table with Supreme Balance (can't tell if Supreme Balance is seated at the table or helping Hypnotically Gino, it might be a double act).

How the sentence might have been better constructed: Don and Katy watched Gino hypnotically serve more coffee at another table.
OR
Don and Katy watched the hypnotic Gino serve more coffee at another table.

WHY these sentences are better: If "hypnotically" is an adjective to describe Gino, it should be in front of his name as in the second sentence. If it's an adverb describing his service of the coffee, it needs to be with the verb as in the first sentence. Furthermore, trying to cram Gino's supreme balance skills in with his hypnotic coffee serving skills is a little too much. I would break it off into it's own sentence to make things more concise and understandable.

And you know what J. Howett had to say about that?
"Look AL, I'm not in the mood for playing snake with you, what I read above has no flaws. My writing is fine."

Yeah, you're writing is just fine. Not great, not stellar, fine. Fine may sell and get you the profit you want, but it does not make for great literature. She continues to abuse the reviewer calling his blog a snake pit and demanding he take the review down because it was "just considered abuse."

No sweetie, it's called a review. There are good ones, and bad ones, and even bland neutral ones. When someone reviews a book, they read it and talk about what they liked and didn't like. They do not wipe your ass with spun sugar. That's why you take the good ones and put them in a scrapbook and put the bad ones in the recycling bin. Privately. Without making a public fool of yourself.

Now here's my review:
I haven't read the book. I will never read the book. If anyone ever asks me to recommend them a good author, I'll tell them all about the likes of Terry Pratchett and Elizabeth Gilbert and all my other favorites, but I will never tell them about J. Howett. If anyone ever asks for a funny story about how someone made a total fool of themselves, I'll definitely tell them all about the time there was this lady who thought she was God's gift to writing.

J - Don't stop writing, don't stop learning, don't stop expanding your knowledge and your craft. Please do learn to control yourself where others can see you (and quote you, and archive you) and please do take the good and the bad with a graceful smile and a grain of salt.

Where Are They Now?

Back when I was first learning to knit and still using Kniffy Knitter Looms, I made lost of people scarves with . . . novelty yarn (le gasp!). Yes I was one of those crazies buying Fun Fur and other outrageously colored eyelash yarn and knitting tube scarfs on my loom. When I jumped into the craft, that was what was the rage, and like everyone that wore a chopped up sweatshirts and a side ponytail in the 80's, I outgrew it.

My favorite was an excellent scarf with 3 or 4 different yarns (I did make sure the colors were complementary) that ended up being I think 8 feet long in the end. The recipient, bless her heart, adored it and threw it in great artistic loops around her neck upon opening it up. No clue if she still wears it (wouldn't blame her if she doesn't) but at least I knew that she loved the thought and the effort I had put in.

The scarf was so well recieved that I set out to knit everyone one! Well, not everyone, but do recall making at least one neighbor a scarf, and one for my piano teacher, and my piano teacher's daughter. My piano teacher always held awesome holiday parties, including a Valentine's Mother/Daughter Tea, so both she and her daughter got red and pink feathery scarves. Those I know were put to good use for the holiday, then packed away with the Valentine decorations (which is probably the best thing to do with such outrageous scarves).

I also made my mom a scarf, which she doesn't wear because 1) it's a bit itchy, which is unfortunate but can't be helped and 2) she says she "doesn't know how to wear scarves" despite me giving her several pointers (my mom is sweetly a little fashion oblivious, but then again has so many other important things in her mind that it's totally excusable). I think I might ask her permission to frog the scarf and turn it into something else, maybe a lacy table runner, something that doesn't itch.

So when my then-boyfriend's mother's birthday was coming up, I thought a scarf would be perfect! She's a hard person to shop for, "stuff" usually just ends up being clutter around the house. I knew she liked clothes but didn't have a lot of pretty things since she felt self-conscious about her weight, so a lovely scarf in her favorite color seemed just the thing. I found a soft eyelash in a rich shade of purple, and when I showed it to the boyfriend, he was very surprised! That was her EXACT favorite shade! Yay! So I got to work and quickly had the scarf completed and wrapped up. I presented it to her, and she ooohed and ahhhed and put it on right away. Sadly, that was the last time I saw her wear it. In fact, the only other time I saw it, it was on the floor sticking out from under a stack of boxes with all sorts of dust bunnies and shredded newspaper stuck to it. Thankfully, it was only some cheap eyelash, and I quietly added his mom to my "Never again shall I knit for" list. Sad, but also kind of not unexpected. I just really hope the rest of my scarves did not end up this way, or if they did, that I never hear of it and can hang onto the happier memories of muti-colored fluff.

Tidy Mind, Tidy Stitches

I confess that while I'm naturally a bit of a neat-freak, organizing my yarn and knitting tools was not something I spent a lot of time on. I had a cupboard for the yarn, a drawer for the tools, and several WIP baskets lying around, and as long as everything made it into one of those containers, everything was fine.

Until I moved. Now, I didn't move in the traditional sense of pack up all your stuff, borrow a truck, get all your friends together, then MOVE. First I was just spending lots of time at Bruce's house. Then I was spending a week at a time at his house. Then I was only at my parents' for 3 days before running back to Bruce's (the situation with my parents is . . . something for another time. Things are much better now that we don't live together). So my stuff has been migrating bit by bit. I still go by my parents' place once every 10 days or so to pick up something else and give them a chance to see me.

My knitting is especially all over the place. First it was just my current project in my purse. Then it was 3 projects in my knitting bag. Then it was that plus a handful of needles and a plastic bag of yarn. Then I grabbed the plastic drawer most of my tools are in, but it's still in the trunk of the car. Now I have two bags of yarn/WIPs in the closet, a bag of loose tools and random yarn in my car, the plastic drawer in the trunk, and my knitting bag stuffed with all the miscellaneous that hasn't found a home yet.

So what to do? The Knit/Crochet Blog Theme for today is organization, but there is none to be had here!

This is my plan:

• Move plastic drawer from trunk to closet.
• Scratch that. Tidy up closet shelves to make room, then move in plastic drawer.
• Stuff all loose tools/bags of yarn into drawer.
• Go through knitting bag and knit up all WIPs hiding in there.
• Put finished objects away in appropriate areas.
• Put all tools and yarn that don't belong in knitting bag into already overstuffed drawer.
• Knit something to distract myself from chaotic drawer.
• Fetch remaining knitting related items from parents' house.
• Stuff them into chaotic drawer.
• Knit something else to avoid dealing with drawer.
• Invent new organization system.

Yup, that sounds good to me.

Skill + 1UP

I had always meant to teach myself crochet. In the beginning I never really thought about it much because there was always so much knitting to do. But I did definitely want to learn, I loved expanding my knowledge of crafts. After a while I thought "Oh, maybe I'll never get around to it, there are so many other things I want to do." But with my introduction to Ravelry came all the wondrous things you could make with crochet.

It was really my mom's gift to me this past Christmas that sealed the deal. She gave me three books: Freeform Style, Shibori Knitted Felt, and Hello My Name is Amineko. Freeform style teaches you the element behind freeforming the most amazing pieces, combining knit and crochet. Hmm . . . And all the cute little Amineko kitties are crochet too. Are you trying to send me a message, Mother? Well there was nothing for it, I would have to learn. Ironically, felting is another technique I was procrastinating learning, and Shibori Knitted Felt is full of awesomely lovely things that I now must learn to make.

It took me a while, but I finally am catching on to crochet. It took instruction from several different books, a handful of online tutorials, and some tips from some very helpful friends, but thanks to them I am just putting the finishing touches on my first piece that incorporates crochet. Now I just need to get up the motivation to learn to spin!