Last night, I made myself a mocha, grabbed a piece of chocolate, plunked myself under my blanket and worked on a sock while listening to part of an audiobook and then some music. It was lovely. And I still get irrationally chuffed when I turn a heel! 👵😉👣
13 comments:
Yes, (Ingo´s) Granma´s super-socks are waiting to get out here, too!
Sounds like a cozy, sweet evening 😍
I sadly forgot how to knit.
Nothing quite like hand knit socks hugging the feet, is there ? :-)
You might remember if you had the needles in your hands and a you tube video playing :-)
My mom was the most crafty person I've ever known, she did it all. I never had her teach me how to knit, crochet, sew, grow a garden, or anything else. I've regretted that for most of my life :(
I taught myself back in the pre-youtube days, with a magazine called Stitch by Stitch. I used to see them in thrift shops sometimes. They were cool, because they taught all sort of different things--crochet, knitting, sewing, and a bunch of other stuff. Each mag had a lesson with clear pictures for each step. Then there was a small project one could do with what one learned. The lessons each week built on one another. I would sit there, hunched over the mag and my work, trying to make it look like the pictures :-) Our daughter was a toddler at the time, so I frequently had to put it down and pick it back up when I could, so in that way, it was better than a video, but some people have really great teaching videos.
It's a wonderful craft. I knew how to do it once, a lifetime ago, but kids and work just never seemed to allow. I should pick it back up. Nothing better than an audio book and busy hands.
Yes. You are right. I just imagined having the needles and remembered.
It would be a scarf only, though. ;-)
But interesting. You are right. My hands kinda knew what to do. "Scary"! I did this when I was 14 (a very boring kid...)
I hear you, Linda! I remember what that was like, but with just one kid! Books, stitching, hot beverage of choice--my idea of bliss :-)
Scarves are great, Iris! And if you made it wider and shorter, you could seam up the ends to make a tube and voila--you have a lovely cowl to keep your neck and face warm when outside in winter! Or make some squares or rectangles, sew them together and there's a cuddly blanket to keep you warm in winter!
I was a boring kid, too! I used to buy small stitchery kits in various cheap department stores--usually crewel embroidery and needlepoint. And of course I was always reading. Books and stitching. Wait, that sounds a lot like me as an aging adult! Still boring after all these years--LOL
You paint such an idyllic picture.. only, What sort of chocolate was it? Enquiring-minds and all of that.
Are we telling our 'beginnings of stitching/crafting' stories?
I also started out with the inexpensive kits, those were always on my holiday shopping lists. I did several hook-latch and cross stitch/embroidery type things. Oddly, only for other people. Nana got us into the fancy (but practical) plastic canvas items. (Like our own damen binden holders with fancy designs in yarn so you couldn't see what was inside etc.)
We used to make flowers with wire and paper for the greenery and some kind of dip-it stuff. We also just made them out of special paper. Then at indigenous camp we learned beading and how to make food out of foraging etc.
My mom taught me to knit and crochet pretty young but somehow my tension is always ALWAYS wrong for knitting now. I like to make things but rarely get the chance because I have to pick it up at different times and even in crochet I sometimes struggle to hold the same tension so one section isn't differently sized than the next. It's not too wobbly but I get impatient with myself over it lol. I have a relative who is a self-taught knitting designer and I struggle with the minutia. Maybe it's because I started with needle point? Everything is so uniform with it. We did t-shirt painting and various things, I've made huge comforters for people with favorite yarn that is discontinued, I'd like some of those things back now lol. (Sorta).
It's a bit odd when you're so crafty if people rarely give you things. I know I feel maybe as tho my work doesn't stand up to someone elses so I don't go-in for it. They might just repurpose the yarn anyway and I get that. I love books too as we've discussed what a voracious reader I've been since a young age, I really miss those days when I could go check out 15 'regular' books at a time from the SPL and read them all in a few days.
Now my vision struggles and my contrast vision struggles for yarn work but i still really hope to learn tatting that I watched in Scandinavia because even if I have to do it with larger size thread or yarn even I bet it would be fun. I enjoy lace type things so that seems a good way with vision issues. Which type of tatting do you think is best for vision issues? Fun thinking-through things like this!
Yes, tatting is fun! At least needle tatting is--that's the technique I've used. I don't have any experience with the shuttle. I have tatted with yarn as well. I have some wooden tatting needles for that purpose that Bill got for me. If you google tatted wall flowers, you can see some examples!
I also like kumihimo--that would be good with vision issues as well. I love the resulting braids and it can be truly mindless. It's particularly great for times when I am really tired or not feeling great in summer with the allergies or whatever, and don't feel like I can concentrate enough on anything else. I can still work on something. Most of what I see is really gorgeous beaded work, but that's not how I do it. I do it with yarn or embroidery floss and then embellish later if I want. Sometimes I use novelty yarn and it's cool how it is. I might knot them in various ways or add a brooch. I use them as necklaces or to hang cross stitch on and stuff like that. Here's one I made last year with some strands of a textured yarn and some of a very thin cotton. I finished it with beads from deconstructed charity shop necklaces:
https://shariburke.blogspot.com/2020/10/kumihimo-necklace.html
There's a link in the post above to a video that shows the basic 8 cord braid. I am currently working on a large experimental project--making 50ish braids and then sewing them together to make a bath mat. I'm loving the process.
Here's one I made for Halloween a couple years ago. This one is with embroidery floss in black and orange and I sewed on the flower, also from a deconstructed charity shop necklace.
https://shariburke.blogspot.com/2019/08/halloween-braid.html
Oh right, thank you for the reminders! I am definitely also looking forward to seeing your bath mat when it's done, are you getting close? I wonder if it will be kind of spongy (in a good way) because you do things tightly maybe it will 'stay openish' while it's laying there? That would also probably make it dry faster?
Yes, it should e spongy because the braids are all tubes, so they're nice and squishy! I am making the braids from acrylic and novelty yarn scraps, so the water won't be absorbed and it should dry quickly.
Oh that's great it will be so fun to see it!
I'm looking forward to seeing it, too!
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