Knitting, crochet, sheet-metal, resins, making something from nothing – often by applying heat
I finished them this weekend. Not the best pictures (excuse the Ulta bag and the entire kitchen behind them), but you can see the general idea.
Two tiaras, the colored beads say “13.1” in the center. We are now officially Princesses of the 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon.
We are the rulers of the realm! Or, at least, the front part of the house!
We come from a long line of textile artists. Our mother knitted as long as we can remember. L and the other sister, R, have both knitted and crocheted for years. I was the last to learn – at the hands of L while she visited me during a snowstorm. We were trapped in the house and, I think, as a last ditch effort to avoid murdering me, she taught me to crochet.
And crochet I did. My first project was the obligatory scarf. Then another scarf. Then I looked on the internet and learned how to make a hat. Then, there was the great winter of 2010 in the mid-atlantic/northeast United States. It felt like from December 2009 through March 2010 we got a snowstorm that delivered at least 3 feet of snow. I was trapped inside for days. I made hats, I made arm warmers, I made amigurumi bumble bees.
At this point, you may be thinking, “But, C, crocheting and knitting are for old ladies and hipsters – I’m too cool to be an old lady and not cool enough to be a hipster, why should I start this exciting new hobby?”
And to this, I say, “You are not cool enough to be an old lady. Have you seen old ladies? They are freaking awesome. You only wish you could be that cool.” But after that, I give you this list:
1. Murder-Prevention. As mentioned above, it is a great murder prevention method. Truly. I think my sister was ready to shave off my hair when she finally said, “do you want me to teach you how to crochet?” Do you have siblings you want to murder? The best way to annoy a sibling is to ignore him/her. This works with all sorts of family members – spouses, parents, siblings, children. If you have an activity that you can do with your hands that appears to require your concentration, you can ignore your loved ones to your heart’s delight. Plus, if you get called out, you can innocently claim that you were just sitting there working on your project when the offending loved one came in to torment you. Best defense ever. Trust me – nobody ever blames the person engaged in needlecrafts.
2. Tangible Results. It is amazing how proud of yourself you can feel when you spend time doing something and you have a tangible product to show for it. No matter what it is, you can take pride in saying, “I made that,” which is so much more than saying “I watched that.”
3. Justified Trash TV. I enjoy some good trash television, but my schedule doesn’t allow me to watch all the trash television I’d like. Fortunately, because I crochet, I can take the time that I would use on my project and multi-task by watching trash television. Now I’m being productive and bringing myself up to date on “Bad Girls Club“. Nobody can judge me for rewatching season two of the series to prepare myself for the beginning of the new season if I have an afghan to show for my work. That’s right – I watched girls get drunk and fight, but I now have a decorative couch cover. Wanna fight about it? Because, if you do, I have some really cool moves I learned from some drunk girls. I’m ready.
4. Yarn Stores. If you don’t knit and crochet, they can be boring. If you do knit and crochet, they are magic. Seriously magic. If you can find an independently owned store, go visit. The people who put their life savings into opening yarn stores don’t tend to be ruthless Gordon Gekko types. They’ve usually done something with their life a little different than operating a yarn store to get them to that point where they can open a yarn store. They usually don’t open it as an investment, but because they love yarn, they love yarncrafts. They usually are directly involved in the daily operation of the store. More awesomely though, they will usually help you with your projects. You will be amazed what you can create and accomplish with a little guidance from someone more experienced. The experience of learning something from someone who loves what he or she does and wants to share those skills with the community is in and of itself worth the effort of learning how to knit or crochet.
5. Community. Knitting circles, Stitch ‘n Bit(#, or sitting around with friends. Knitting and crocheting are vehicles for getting together, spending time together, learning – not just about the stitches, but about the people too. Something about the repeated motion of stitching, the intimacy of creating together, and the enjoyment of others make knitting and crocheting an immediate bridge-builder. You can knit and crochet alone, of course, but it is a great social activity too.
6. Old Ladies and Hipsters Will Think You are Cool. ‘Nuff said.
7. Amigurumi. Amigurumi are single-crochet “things” that are small and cute. The reason I use the word “things” is because amigurumi can include animals, vehicles, flowers, food – anything. They are fun, adorable, usually quick, and one of my favorite things to make
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8. Learning a New Skill is Good For You. Your brain wants to work. Learning new skills is good for your brain, and what’s good for your brain is good for you. You don’t have to become the best knitter, just good enough. Knitting and crocheting are skills with low startup costs (until you get into the yarn stores, see above). You can learn the basics and stop there, or build on those skills for a lifetime.
9. You Can Turn Downtime Into Productive Time. Some people love to be busy. They love to be productive and become frustrated when their precious productive time is stolen from them, either by air traffic control holding a plane on the tarmac, a delayed signal on the train, or even when an illness or injury befalls them. If you experience a period of time where your activity is limited, if you have a project with you, you can exercise your brain and be productive, despite the restrictive circumstances.
10. Accessories. The best reason of all. You can make your own awesome accessories! Mr. C. has put a ban on hat-making for a while because I love making hats. Love, love, love it. Below is a picture of a hat I made for a trip to visit J (the brother of the brood) in Korea. I made that hat! It is an awesome hat, warm, soft, the forehead portion was long enough to cover my ears, but the top was loose enough to prevent hat-hair. I couldn’t find a hat like that – no, I had to make it. So I did! You can make hats, arm-warmers, socks, belts, jewelry, headbands, ipod holders. If you can think of it, you can probably knit or crochet it. There’s nothing like having something made just for your needs.
In summary, making things is fun. Knitting and crocheting are fun. C watches trashy television. L likes to threaten C with murder. Crocheting justifies trashy television and prevents murder . Why are you risking your life and the lives of others? Go get some needles, watch trashy television, and make something!
My Sister is Making Me Do This 