A few weeks ago my quilting friend, Rose, asked if I would join in a blog hop...answer a few questions, and pass the 'hop' along. I had participated in something similar in the summer, but these questions were slightly different; I could post anytime up to the beginning of November. I was rather humbled to be included in her blog-hop. She's a published quilter, living here in Quilt City, USA, where we are pretty darn proud of our quilters. Especially our resident ones. (Yes, she knows the only quilting I've ever done was done a lifetime ago, and then, not very well.)Sure. It will be fun. (remember, I'm not a quilter, ok?)
Being one of the very best procrastinators I know, I was only just beginning to think about this when Brandy asked me to participate in the same questionnaire. If you knitters don't know Brandy, you really need to. She makes my manic knitting look rather sane. Holy-moley can she crank out the knits---and she's only been knitting one year! I think it's sort of fun to see that this little blog swap is touring not just the knit world. Or just the quilt world. I wonder if embroider-ers do this, too? Hey, I embroider....sort of....
So here goes....
1. What am I working on?
::I'm sewing furoshiki cloths
::I'm working on a piece of sashito embroidery
::I have two sweaters, two pairs of socks, a chemo hat, a beret, two pairs of mittens and a pair of fingerless mitts, three afghans, a cowl, several dishcloths, and an elephant (in pieces) surrounding my knitting 'nest'(is it any wonder you haven't seen an FO in weeks?!?)
::I have warped my little coaster loom for some more coasters
::I found a Merry Christmas x-stitch on linen from half a lifetime ago; at the moment it says 'M '; the border is finished, though. Surely I can stitch a mere 13 letters before December. (surely)
Please note: there is NO crocheting pending. I have no rugs in the process of being hooked. My Russian embroidery needle is at rest. This probably rates a moment of silence followed by a very loud and raucous hoopla. You can throw in a happy dance if you like.
2. How does my work differ from others in its genre? As you can see, I have just a wee bit of a 'genre' problem at the moment. I adore hand sewing. a-d-o-r-e it! Just don't put a sewing machine in front of me. I can happily work on a piece of slow-stitching for weeks; put me in front of a sewing machine and I think I must complete the project in under 20 minutes. No matter how big.
The loom exists for the coasters, just as my old plastic potholder loom lives to keep me supplied with those cotton-loop potholders. At one time I thought I needed to learn to weave, but I got over that. I find no thrill or excitement with the warping process and since that takes (me) literally an eternity, I'm sticking with the mini-weaving projects---and only when I desperately want/need the product.
Which leaves us with the knitting. And maybe my obsession work actually does differ slightly from some others. As I've mentioned here many times, I'm very much a selfish, copycat knitter. There are so many wonderful designers designing so many exciting patterns that I will never find myself without something I want to knit. There, though, lies the rub...I have to WANT to knit it. I don't do well at all with knit-requests even though I gift far more of my FOs than I keep. I don't do well with chunky yarn (my cut-off is usually worsted, although I've been known to plough through an aran project or two). I don't 'do' novelty yarn (sparkles, sequins, fuzzy, hairy, ropey, bauble-y). I don't do #55 needles. Ever. (Well, once---for a granddaughter, but never again. I didn't post the finished picture. I was too embarrassed to admit I actually knit such a thing.) And I was totally miserable making those mandatory shop models when I owned a yarn shop.
3. Why do I write/create what I do? Simply because I always have. I learned to knit a very very long time ago...I think I knew how to knit before I could read. There were years (many of them in fact) when I didn't even know where my knitting needles were, but no matter how many other obsessions monopolized my life, and how many 'crafts' ran their course (macrame? needlepoint? cross-stitch?...hey, I actually DID design cross-stitch patterns and worked for a while for Ginny Thompson Originals) I've always come back to knitting. It's always been there. And I've always been pretty good at it.
But, since I've been writing (blogging) about knitting, I've discovered even more reasons to love what I do.... and that's in sharing the love and being part of this caring community of fiber people. There is nothing I find more satisfying than being able to talk someone through a sticky problem. To be someone's cheerleader through a project that taxes the limits of their skills...and see them succeed. Or to have someone reach out to me to help spread the word when one of our own is in need of some help. This is one such request, and while my dancing grands are on the hot-natured side, they are each going to get one of these adorable "ballet" sweaters. (Note: it's done in fingering weight yarn; I'm all over that!!!) You can find more information on Ravelry about this project, and even if you don't have a young girl for whom you knit....I bet you can find a mom (or grandma) who would love the pattern as a gift. Maria has gone to great lengths to assure purchasers that this is actually the fund raiser it is intended to be. The thought it was anything else never crossed my mind. We're knitters. We're good people.
Don't want to knit a sweater? How about a chemo cap for this project of Anke's. A buttery soft hat with a thousand prayers and good vibes knit into each stitch. I'm doing the asymmetrical cloche but will add a funky button to actually make it look aysmmetrical. This is where my creativity takes me these days.
4. How does my creative process work?
Easy. If I like the looks of something, I'll give it a try.
I just signed up for a bookbinding class.
I'm passing the hop on to....
Chris at Crafting from the Underground.
and
Anne at Shintanglestudio
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