Followers

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Q & A

ETA: first things first!  Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!  ARRRR!

Do you look at Zoom's blog (http://www.knitnut.net/)?  Lately she's been answering random questions from comments.  On the 17th, she answered mine!  And now I'm answering hers. 
I also have a history of craftiness, mostly fiber related.  Mom tried teaching all her girls to crochet, cross-stitch, and knit -- but her instruction mostly didn't "take".  I started collecting bone china figures of pure breed dogs, and other assorted animals.  Back in the rock 'n roll years, oldest Sis started embroidering on a pair of jeans, which she then "outgrew" and passed along to me.  I added hundreds of yards of embroidery floss to them, so that by the time they were stolen from a dryer at the laundromat, they were EPICALLY embroidered; they were the very measure of hippie fashion.  Needless to say, I was crushed by their disappearance from the laundry.
Later I took up cross-stitch embroidery and macrame, and collected lots of magazines about cross stitching.  I found that I just couldn't see the fabric well enough to suit me, while stitching, so I got one of those great big magnifiers that hang from a cord around your neck.  It's so heavy it makes my neck hurt.  So I've pretty much stopped embroidering.  Macrame still has its charms for me (what can I say, I was a hippie chick), but all that knotting makes my hands hurt. 
Then I got cancer.  While on chemo, moving around in almost any way would make the first order of business a trip to the porcelain receptacle.  As in,"Hey, I almost feel like I could hold down some water; let me cross the living room to the kitchen and get a glass full."  The woman starts across the room, then veers right towards the bath instead of left to the kitchen.
Anyway, I spent a lot of time just sitting on the futon, and there's only so much reading even I can do at one sitting.  One day between chemo treatments I went to the library, and brought home several books about crochet.  And taught myself!  All the time, what I really wanted to do was knit, but it looked so much harder (two sticks?!?) that my chemo-fuddled brain said "No way, chickadee".  So I crocheted for a few years before I took the plunge and learned to knit -- big surprise, it's easier than crochet.  And easier on my ganglion cyst in my wrist, too.  I had the best teacher (for me), Debi Stoller's Stitch "N Bitch.  I still refer to this book, when I feel I need her simple visual aids. 
My Little Sis wants me to take up needle-felting, and has given me some pattern books for items knitted then decorated.  I'm kinda "meh" about that technique, but could try it this winter.  I'll likely use some of my thrift store sweaters to practice it.  Gad, a plan is forming! 
Recently, I thought about spinning my own yarn.  I can't seem to get the hang of drafting, and there are other activities I'd rather spend time with.  No biggee. 
Next weekend I'll head over to the Threadfest, and try to snag some nice upholstery & drapery fabrics -- I have an idea that the Lotus Origami Bag  (http://exchangingfire.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/the-origami-lotus-bag-tutorial/ ) could be a good holiday giftable, that wouldn't take as much of my time as knitting.  So, now I'll be sewing?  Haven't done much of that since high school, which was back in the time before Time.

No comments: