2KCBWDAY2
Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP
Here's the topic given us for today:
Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?
Looking back over what I've done in the past year, I don't think I can point to any big improvement in my skill, or new techniques that I have learned. But I think my biggest change is that I've gained more of a sense of my own "identity" as a crafter. It's been less than 3 years since I picked up a hook, after more than a dozen years of not crocheting. And during that long "sabbatical", the internet transformed the world of crafting just like every other area of life you can think of. The amount of information available is ASTOUNDING. I felt like a little kid, every new project I saw made me go, "Oooh! SHINY!" I just wanted to do EVERYTHING. My queue on Ravelry (my list of projects I intend to start) got ridiculous, like 45 items. I was also well on my way to achieving SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy). I was the poster child for crafting ADD!
So, who do I think I am now? First of all, I have realized I am a CROCHETER. I've tried knitting, I've done "knooking", which is creating knit fabric with a crochet hook. And I've discovered that what I really like is crochet. It's my zen, my relaxation, my calming center. And I've found that I get tremendous satisfaction out of making things for others. I'm not a bag person, or a shawl person, or a hat person. But when I have a stack of blanket squares to send to Knit-a-Square, a charity which distributes blankets to AIDS orphans in South Africa, I feel like my small effort is going to mean so much to a child who has nothing.
Crochet has given me a way to be creative, a means to help others, and a whole pack of friends both in cyberspace and in real life. And I only see more and better things coming in the year ahead!
Oh,and don't forget to enter my "Books and Hooks" giveaway! I'll be picking the winners at 5 pm eastern (US) time on Sunday April 3rd.
4 comments:
Great blog. I think part of being a crafter is finding yourself but not limiting yourself to expansion. If you know what you like, it can help ground you against all the crafting ADD. I like to dabble in other areas and look for new techniques, but I know I'm a crocheter at heart.
And I have to say, we are kin in the crochet for charity department. I love a sense of doing something worth while. I can sit at my desk all day in the middle of Illinois and help someone across the globe with just a few hours time each night doing something I simply enjoy doing.
So fun to find a fellow crochet-lover! I'm sure those children really appreciate your work, too. ;)
I feel the same about crochet! I love the way it feels and its relaxation effect on me. I have tried knitting and other things but crochet is my thing...
My queue is also overflowing!!!
It's so funny, I just can't get into crochet. preferences, eh?
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