It's snowing today but because it's not sticking, offices are still open. I had hoped that the weather forecasts would have been wrong and that a ton of snow would have fallen on the District last night. I would have stayed home, perched on my couch with a mug of hot cocoa and my crochet project in hand. I would have started and finished at least 3 One Skein Scarves and probably would have started another project.
Oh well...back to the old grindstone!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
You've Gotta Love This!
I had to share because it's priceless. I'm wondering how the cat stayed still long enough to allow the picture to be taken. My "Angel Cats' would have cut me to shreds during my attempts to put the hat on their heads. Afterwards, they would have torn the cap apart and then played with the yarn!
This picture belongs to Hooker2cats on Ravelry.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Community Building
The other day, I ran into a woman knitting while waiting for the Metro. Actually, I saw the scarf on her shoulder and thought it looked nice and warm before I saw that she was knitting. As I walked next to her, with my crochet project in my hands, I complimented on her scarf and told her how much I like Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which she was using. We chatted about how we just started (or in my case, restarted) yarn work and the various "sit 'n stitch" communities that have been cropping up. I asked her if she had heard of Ravelry.com which she had and I encouraged her to join.
It is so interesting to me to see how people are building relationships around the yarn work that we are doing. You see websites like Crochetville, you see all kinds of Meet Ups around yarn work, you observe people at coffee shops and such knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching. And like Ms. Knitter and me, you see us on public transportation, in doctors' offices, standing in lines and such, getting our yarn on.
I know this captures a lot of attention from people. Metro passengers and others who encounter me while crocheting look with interest at what I'm doing. One woman was doing an intricate crochet project with fine yarn on the Metro and a couple of women standing during their ride into the District, started asking about her project. One woman said that she was going to look into the craft. While waiting on the Metro one day, a woman came up to me, asked me about my project and proceeded to chat me up about the many projects she has completed. She said that she wraps herself up in a blanket that her recently-deceased mother crocheted for her years ago. It's wonderful to know that some of the things that we take our time to complete are lovingly coveted many years later. My sister has some of the afghans our late aunt made for her. My sister made a sweater/coat for me years ago and I still have it.
There's something about yarn work in public that seems to garner a lot of attention from all types of people. And when some people choose to approach us, sometimes sharing some of their experiences with loved ones who made this or that for them or how they watched them with interest while they created something pretty or wonderful.
I'm glad that people are doing yarn work in earnest...not just in their homes but elsewhere. Maybe I'm being idealistic in my thinking but I think that by doing so, we bring people together, even if it is just for a moment.
It is so interesting to me to see how people are building relationships around the yarn work that we are doing. You see websites like Crochetville, you see all kinds of Meet Ups around yarn work, you observe people at coffee shops and such knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching. And like Ms. Knitter and me, you see us on public transportation, in doctors' offices, standing in lines and such, getting our yarn on.
I know this captures a lot of attention from people. Metro passengers and others who encounter me while crocheting look with interest at what I'm doing. One woman was doing an intricate crochet project with fine yarn on the Metro and a couple of women standing during their ride into the District, started asking about her project. One woman said that she was going to look into the craft. While waiting on the Metro one day, a woman came up to me, asked me about my project and proceeded to chat me up about the many projects she has completed. She said that she wraps herself up in a blanket that her recently-deceased mother crocheted for her years ago. It's wonderful to know that some of the things that we take our time to complete are lovingly coveted many years later. My sister has some of the afghans our late aunt made for her. My sister made a sweater/coat for me years ago and I still have it.
There's something about yarn work in public that seems to garner a lot of attention from all types of people. And when some people choose to approach us, sometimes sharing some of their experiences with loved ones who made this or that for them or how they watched them with interest while they created something pretty or wonderful.
I'm glad that people are doing yarn work in earnest...not just in their homes but elsewhere. Maybe I'm being idealistic in my thinking but I think that by doing so, we bring people together, even if it is just for a moment.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Hello...My Name is Nicety & I'm Hooked on Crochet
It has been said that the first step is to admit your addiction. Well, I'm addicted but I don't need a cure...I'm hooked, I tell ya, I'm hooked!
When I was about 8 years old, my mother taught me to crochet and to knit. That was a challenge for her since I'm a lefty and she's right-handed. My grandfather (her dad) sat across from us one day as she taught me to crochet. Mom, a rather impatient woman, was exasperated by the way my stitches looked to her. Finally, Grandpop said "V, what she's doing is a mirror image of what you are doing." She got up off the couch, looked at my work from his vantage point and you could see the lightbulb above her head come on. From then on, she showed me how to do the stitches and I followed along...she with her right hand and me with my left hand.
She had several vintage crochet books (they were old when I was 8 years old!) that she still keeps in her window box. Most of them are patterns for doilies but some (if memory serves me) are of afghans and such. She and I stuck to granny stitches for blankets and scarves and single crochet for scarves and caps. She didn't display many doilies when I was young but she did keep much of her work in her window box.
My aunt used to crochet whenever she was seated. She'd pull out her work and just do it. It was her way of relaxing in between sewing projects and cooking. People would come by to visit and gossip while she sat, crocheted and listened. If the gossip was good, you might hear her chuckle. :-) I would sit across from her, amazed at how she could crochet so quickly and keep up with whatever was going on. She crocheted mostly blankets, some of which were draped over her couches, others she gave away to friends and family.
I started to crochet again some 2 years ago. I found it relaxing. I started on an afghan for my father but didn't finish it before he passed away December 2005. I did make a shawl for a friend as a Christmas present and she loved it. That made me feel good. However, I never picked that afghan up again, nor any other project until a few months ago when I came upon my stash of yarn. Since then, I've been crocheting like crazy.
Because I liked crocheting so much, I decided to start my own "sit 'n stitch" at work in the fall of 2007, which I call "The Hook Up". The invitation was sent out to my fellow union members who crochet, knit or cross stitch. One crocheter joined me in the lunch room and we sat for days, stitching and giggling. I've known her name for as long as I've been on the job (18 years at the time) but we've really gotten to know one another over the past few months. Soon, people would come around and see what we're working on. A knitter joined us and two other women - a novice and an former knit and crochet instructor - will be joining us when we reconvene next week. Our knitter is a member of many "stitch 'n bitch" groups in the area and she showed me how to do a cable stitch.
One of my online friends told me about Ravelry, an online knit and crochet community . Our knitter, "B" is also a member and she loves it. I don't blame her, it is a cool community and great way of keeping track of current and upcoming projects, learning new things and meeting people.
I hope to use this blog as a way of posting my completed projects as well as sharing with and learning from others who love yarn work. I'll be posting pictures, tracking various websites I enjoy and just sharing my love for the work.
Keep coming back to see my projects and to share yours. This should be loads of fun!
When I was about 8 years old, my mother taught me to crochet and to knit. That was a challenge for her since I'm a lefty and she's right-handed. My grandfather (her dad) sat across from us one day as she taught me to crochet. Mom, a rather impatient woman, was exasperated by the way my stitches looked to her. Finally, Grandpop said "V, what she's doing is a mirror image of what you are doing." She got up off the couch, looked at my work from his vantage point and you could see the lightbulb above her head come on. From then on, she showed me how to do the stitches and I followed along...she with her right hand and me with my left hand.
She had several vintage crochet books (they were old when I was 8 years old!) that she still keeps in her window box. Most of them are patterns for doilies but some (if memory serves me) are of afghans and such. She and I stuck to granny stitches for blankets and scarves and single crochet for scarves and caps. She didn't display many doilies when I was young but she did keep much of her work in her window box.
My aunt used to crochet whenever she was seated. She'd pull out her work and just do it. It was her way of relaxing in between sewing projects and cooking. People would come by to visit and gossip while she sat, crocheted and listened. If the gossip was good, you might hear her chuckle. :-) I would sit across from her, amazed at how she could crochet so quickly and keep up with whatever was going on. She crocheted mostly blankets, some of which were draped over her couches, others she gave away to friends and family.
I started to crochet again some 2 years ago. I found it relaxing. I started on an afghan for my father but didn't finish it before he passed away December 2005. I did make a shawl for a friend as a Christmas present and she loved it. That made me feel good. However, I never picked that afghan up again, nor any other project until a few months ago when I came upon my stash of yarn. Since then, I've been crocheting like crazy.
Because I liked crocheting so much, I decided to start my own "sit 'n stitch" at work in the fall of 2007, which I call "The Hook Up". The invitation was sent out to my fellow union members who crochet, knit or cross stitch. One crocheter joined me in the lunch room and we sat for days, stitching and giggling. I've known her name for as long as I've been on the job (18 years at the time) but we've really gotten to know one another over the past few months. Soon, people would come around and see what we're working on. A knitter joined us and two other women - a novice and an former knit and crochet instructor - will be joining us when we reconvene next week. Our knitter is a member of many "stitch 'n bitch" groups in the area and she showed me how to do a cable stitch.
One of my online friends told me about Ravelry, an online knit and crochet community . Our knitter, "B" is also a member and she loves it. I don't blame her, it is a cool community and great way of keeping track of current and upcoming projects, learning new things and meeting people.
I hope to use this blog as a way of posting my completed projects as well as sharing with and learning from others who love yarn work. I'll be posting pictures, tracking various websites I enjoy and just sharing my love for the work.
Keep coming back to see my projects and to share yours. This should be loads of fun!
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