Sometimes I just get tired of being a technologist...spending so much time in front of a screen, typing away, with nothing tangible to show for the effort. Which is why when I get burned out on computer work I tend to turn to real-world crafts. In grad school I took advantage of courses in "Decorated Papers" and "Papermaking" through the MFA in Book Arts program. Here at RIT, I took a woodworking course. But my old standby, the thing I take up when I'm most in need of comfort, is crocheting.
My maternal grandmother (my "oma") taught me how to crochet when I was very young, starting with simple granny squares. As I got older, I tackled more complex patterns. As an adult, I've accumulated a stack of pattern books from Leisure Arts and American School of Needlework--most afghans, with a few hats and scarves and mittens thrown in.
When my brother-in-law passed away earlier this month, I decided to start an afghan for my sister--something to warm her during the cold months ahead. I chose the Rainy Day Blues pattern from Sandy Scoville's "Warm and Cozy Afghans" ASN pattern book. (The picture on the left is the one from the pattern book.) I've made this afghan twice before, once for our house, using Lion Brand Homespun yarn in Sierra--and it's a much-loved item in our living room. I made another one as a wedding gift for my older stepdaughter a couple of years ago (this one in Homespun Shaker), and she and her husband adore it. This time I chose Homespun Colonial, which seemed to suit my sister.
The nice thing about crocheting--as opposed to, say, blogging--is that I can talk to my family while I do it. I don't have to shush the kids when I'm finishing a row of stitches the way I do when I'm finishing a sentence of a long post. I can watch television while I do it, too, so over the past few weeks I've become quite a Gunsmoke afficionado. (Did you know they run two episodes of Gunsmoke every night on the Westerns channel? Neither did I! But Miss Kitty is definitely my new favorite television character!)
I started the afghan on Saturday the 6th, and finished it last night--record time for me on one of these projects. That's it on the right, next to our Christmas tree (we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our house...) It turned out quite well, I think. And I'll be able to give it to my sister as a moving-in gift on Monday when she moves into her new apartment.
Tomorrow I'll stop by JoAnn's, where Homespun yarn is on sale for $3.99/skein. It takes about 12 skeins to make the afghan, but it's well worth it for the enjoyment, satisfaction, and lasting warmth it provides.
what an accomplishment liz!
my mother taught me to crochet, and i taught myself to knit...
i am knitting an afghan of squares from my 'homespun' - each square a different pattern, and various shades - dark brown to soft cream - of the 'jacob's fleece' sheep i knew from the farm of a dear friend in northern california (who has passed on)... as i spin and knit i feel the love of my friend and of his beautiful jacob's sheep...
warm regards for the holidays liz...
Been there! Often. At work, I deal with software releases, quality processes and organizational politics.
Then a friend at work asked me to help build her father's Web site for his (get this...) pipe cleaner factory! here in Rochester. PIPE CLEANERS!
I tour'd the factory located on Central Avenue and was taken with the "tangibleness" of the business. (Raw materials come in. Workers work. The final product goes to the dock.)
Oh how I wanted to quit working at the Big Corporation and become a pipe cleaner-er.
BTW -- don't bother looking for the Web site. Never finished it. I found out the hard way: there's no money in pipe cleaners.