I have always assumed at some point in the learning process that things get easier… That when you are more skilled, you can do things more easily and they don’t take so much effort. I’m starting to think this is complete folly or I just have a really bad memory for quite how bad every single stitch was when I was a true beginner. Case in point, this week’s lovely crochet shawl!
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Recently, I feel life has been an exploration of synonyms for tired. Fatigued, exhausted, spent, weary, shattered, frazzled… I think if it is possible to feel all of them at once, I am doing an excellent job. Much better than I feel I’ve been doing with my crafting, though I have managed to sneak in a little hairpin lace making of late!
After reaching complete frustration point with Venus, which has been my travelling crochet project for far longer than I care to remember, I thought maybe it was time for something a little new. I’m a big fan of lace crochet projects for doing on the go as they’re easy enough to just slip in a project bag and pull out as is convenient.
After I’d pulled it all apart in a bit of a rage at the airport, I have finally managed to progress from the first section of Venus onto the fans! Who would have thought it? I have restarted this pattern three times now and, probably out of sheer bloodyminded stubbornness, I am determined I will get to the end. Occasionally, I succumb to taking a scorched earth approach to mistakes in crochet, mostly because frogging is a lot of fun, rather than fixing things or working around them, but maybe this is the final time I’ll restart this shawl for no good reason!
I think I am suffering with a great case of crafter’s block, which I am going to define as suffering with the desire to make all the things, having lots of ideas, but no ability to actually execute any of this.
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For my previous coasters, I’d stuck to following some great online tutorials. To me though, patchwork seems like one of those skills where it’s far better if you understand the concepts behind constructing a block and can mentally deconstruct patterns, much like making temari, rather than just learning to follow a pattern blindly.
The subject of handmade gifts is always a topic that generates a great deal of feeling in the crafty community. There are the horror stories of people demanding blankets from colleagues they barely know, then ‘generously’ offering to cover the cost of materials to the tune of £10, or ‘can you spin my cat/dog/deceased relative’s hair’ requests. In fact, the problem is so common that Ravelry has an entire group dedicated to people who ‘knit only for themselves ‘and for people who bless us and hand us boxes of expensive chocolates, or money’.
I always love the idea of handmade gifts. If I had time, everyone I truly appreciate would get at least a handmade birthday gift every year. Maybe even one designed especially for them. However, the reality of the processes is more along the lines of i) nearly forget birthday until last minute ii) panic, iii) try and be as thoughtful as I can last minute.
It has been far, far too long since I’ve had a chance to update this blog. So where have I been the last few months?
There has been a lot of this…
A bit of this…
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Crochetopedia bills itself as the ‘only crochet reference you’ll ever need’ which is indeed a bold claim for a book. It’s 244 pages of stitch diagrams, instructions and patterns but will this book prove to be the last crochet book I ever buy?
astitchornine 