Your Age Is Not Relevant – Crochet Ruminations

There are plenty of hobbyists who have crocheted for a very long time when they think of start dates to present.  However, it’s a little tiring when someone like me gets a lecture about crochet from someone, just because they are older.  When I know for a fact they’ve never lived and breathed the art as I, they’ve never explored their skills the same, nor taken the risks I have. And I’m pretty sure if we added hour for hour, effort for effort, my “crochet age” would likely dwarf theirs in a second.

I’m just excited when others are crocheting.  I don’t care if they’re as fanatical about it as I or not.  But I don’t appreciate being talked down to, simply on the basis of age and with nothing to do with skill.

I don’t know why crocheters do this to each other at all.  Painters don’t do this.  They recognize artists wherever they are on the time line.  Potters don’t do this.  At least not in my art circles.  But crocheters (and knitters) will.

Age alone does not equal knowledge and skill.

I Never Set Out To Sell Crochet – Crochet Ruminations

It wasn’t in the plan.  Really.  I crochet because I can’t help but do it.  It’s very meditative for me.  Like playing piano, or writing, it’s something that helps me stay that nice person most folks like. 

We neeeeeds it, gollum! 

And even when the whole family has been gifted out of their minds, I still crochet. It’s just one of many ways that I express my inner geekery. 

I say we all have a madness in Life and crochet is just one of mine.  Which stands out just a little in a climate that’s rarely cold.

There’s always a new idea in my head somewhere and I never tire of thinking on a different angle for this or that when it’s crochet.  I have about 40 different unfinished projects going at a time, so there’s always something I can work on.  If I’m feeling less than benevolent to a particular project (and some projects do end up in the “dog house” for awhile), I put it aside and switch to something else so I can come back with a fresh attitude another time.

When it comes to conversations, even then I can’t shut up about crochet.  I find myself drawing analogies to the artistic process involved with crochet design, or industry quirks, marketing tools or a myriad of other crochet related micro-conversations that I find myself tying to more common life scenarios.  And there I’ll be, with folks staring at me going – did you really just relate that to crochet?

Uh, yep. Yep I just did.

It’s more perfect than you think.  Like “Zen And The Art Of Crochet” and “What Crochet Taught Me About Popularity” kind of material.  That’s the way it is for me.  And I’ll argue there’s nothing wrong with it either.  Substitute “cooking” in place of crochet and most folks would hardly blink an eye.  We all have our ways to explore the inner workings of self, business, relationships and world.  There’s nothing wrong with mine.  Whatever gets your attention.

But selling crochet?  That started out because I’d crochet while waiting on my kids.  People started noticing what I was making and wanted one too.  Before I knew it, “I want one! I want one!” and I was in business.  The fact that anyone wants to pay money for my expertise is just awesome.  It helps pay for my madness!

How about you?  How did you get into crochet related business?  And if you’re not yet, what do you think might get you to or why would you not want to?

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When Dreams Are More – A Story About Gratitude – NaBloPoMo

It’s the month of November, the month we celebrate Thanksgiving.  The month we supposedly deeply feel, express and show gratitude in all its forms.  And yet, right out of the gates, I have felt like complaining this first week.  I’ve read things that have gotten under my skin, been irritated with tasks I’ve been volunteered for (ahem, voluntold for), there are things I want to get done and haven’t been able to, and there’s my struggling to be and do everything, everywhere, all at once.  Plus there are very real and unfair things taking place at this time in my life.  Things I can’t control and just have to deal with or ignore.  If anyone has a right to complain just a little, it’s me.

And yet there are blessings too.  And there are times I think, when the only way to deal with things is to shift our state and be reminded of our blessings.

And so I often find inspiration comes in unusual forms in my life, if I’ll just but listen.

I am a dreamer.  It is part of who I am.  I have always dreamed dreams of significance.  As such, it is really interesting sometimes the things that come out as wonderful experiences and lessons that often only the dream world can provide.  I keep saying I’ll write a book about my dreams.  Maybe someday.

One night I had an opportunity to reflect within during my sleep.  There were all sorts of things dreaming through my head that night, but at one point, I suddenly became aware of a single state of being – Gratitude.

In my dream, all the people of my childhood began to flow before my eyes, like a river of stories.  But they weren’t the major figures that are easy to look back upon and remember.  The people I was reminded of were those who played small but important roles, whether I was aware of them as a child or not.  Some of them had faces and others, I did not know them, but I was shown stories of the roles they played that at some point made way into my life.

The grade school principal who I rarely saw or was aware of, but who depended heavily upon my mother as PTA president, the parent volunteers who put together the carnival I bought my first jewelry at, the mother who part-time coached my basketball and volleyball team one year, the grandmother from church who rode the bus with my brother to make sure he got to basketball tournaments without mishap, the friends of my parents who were great about supporting their role as parents and sometimes took us kids to give them a break, the lady at the concession stand who always had a smile, the mothers who volunteered to cook in that hot cabin kitchen at summer camp whose faces I can’t even see, the teenagers who listened to my stories as a kid, the girl who taught me to make mud pies.  And there were so many more.  Such small and even tiny events in my life throughout my childhood and then on into my adulthood.

So many people who had indirect and yet important positive influence upon my life.  And it was time for every one of them to be told “Thank You.”  Thank you for who you were then and who you are now.  Thank you for the small roles you have played, even if you didn’t think it mattered or anyone noticed.  Thank you for doing things the best you could or stepping out to do a small thing that had a trickle down effect upon the Soul that I AM.  Thank you for taking the time to Smile and to Listen.  Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t know you.  Thank you for playing chase with a couple of bored kids stuck at an adult gathering. Thank you for loving my parents and believing that their job was important enough to support, even when you did not have children of your own.  Thank you for judging and encouraging me at the science fair. Thank you for sending my teacher that info on volunteer opportunities for young kids. Thank you for taking the time at the grocery store to tell me that a bag of apples can help you make a long drive better than gallons of coffee.  It’s saved me time and again!

Yes – those carnivals you slaved over meant something and positively affected us as kids.  Yes, taking the time to laugh at our jokes and look at our creations made a difference.  Yes, that piggyback ride at the church picnic made for a positive reference point in my sense of community. Yes, that handful of change you gave me at the store, when you didn’t even know me, touched my heart. Yes, that heart-felt talk you had at the city council meeting changed my life for the better, even if you weren’t sure what you were going to say or who would agree with you.

Your insecurities don’t matter.  What does matter is what you did in spite of them and I thank you.

Thank you for the sense of community you fostered and gave me as an internal foundation to return to time and time again.  You have been a great teacher to me, even if you don’t remember me and we pass unknowingly on the street today.

We have connected, you and I.  And I am so very grateful!

Use Those Like And Share Buttons! #ItsFrustratingWhenYouDont – NaBloPoMo

Day 6 and we are well underway for the annual November NaBloPoMo.

I am cruising through, finding new interesting blogs and writers, new discussions to get involved with.  It’s exciting, inspiring and then bang!

No like buttons.  No share buttons.  Nada.  Zip.  Again and again.  Not even the standard blog like, much less the Facebook like. And don’t even get me started on hard-to-find RSS feeds.  Hint: Make it easy to subscribe to your blog by any means that works best for me.

Bloggers! Use those social sharing buttons! Make it easy for other bloggers to fan your work, support you and help you along!  Especially during NaBloPoMo!

And what I’m guessing is, if you don’t have easy ways for others to share your work, then it’s unlikely you are very involved with sharing the work of others either.  And that’s not how this social stuff works.  So, come on.  It’s not hard.  Just take the time and do it!  Share and be shared!

And I’m not saying you should share anything you don’t really like.  More on that later….

Don’t know how to add buttons?

Well, the first place I’d send you to learn how to add buttons to your particular blog will be the forums for your blog’s platform.  The information in those user forums will likely be the most accurate, helpful and up to date.

However, here are a few articles to help:

Facebook “like” buttons for Blogger blogs:
http://www.bloggerplugins.org/2010/04/facebook-like-button-for-blogger.html

“Share” buttons for Blogger:
http://maketecheasier.com/add-share-buttons-to-blogger/2011/05/26

More instructions for “share” buttons on Blogger:
http://www.digitalkonline.com/blog/bid/54870/How-to-Add-Social-Media-Sharing-Buttons-to-your-Blogger-Posts

Facebook “like” buttons for Wordpress blogs:
http://mashable.com/2010/05/07/wordpress-facebook-like-buttons/

“Share” buttons for WordPress.com blogs:
http://jamal919en.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/how-to-add-share-buttons-in-your-wordpress-com-blog/

“Share” buttons for WordPress.org blogs: 
http://tripozia.blogspot.com/2012/08/adding-stylish-share-buttons-to-your.html

iFrame and JavaScript help:
http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/04/adding-facebook-like-buttons-to-your-site-is-damn-easy/

Adding social sharing buttons in general: 
http://mashable.com/2011/03/11/add-social-sharing-buttons/

You might be wondering why I didn’t hide all those links above?

Well, as a courtesy, it’s nice sometimes when you’re sending folks to a bunch of links to let them see the links first so they can decide if they are safe or not. I tried to pick pretty mainstream links, but by posting them, you can see the names of the sites outright.

If you have more helpful links to add to the list, share them in the comments below!

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I Need Better Routines – NaBloPoMo

As we draw closer to the official sale of our home and then the purchase of our new home, I am star-struck by the chaos of it all, in a deer-in-the-headlights sort of way.

And realize, I need better routines.

Why?  Because the ones I had before all this *change* have not stood up to the test of anomalies in my life.

After a couple of unpredictable hurdles, my routines have weakened and some even fallen by the way side.  Which means they’re less help anymore.

Good routines and habits are the way to sanity for me and for many high-performing folks.  Some of my friends try to refer to me as organized.  But I know that’s not quite true.  I’m not as organized as it is that I constantly seek organization.  I am in constant pursuit of it; continually studying to find a better way.

Why?  Because I haven’t found it yet.  And because without a good sense of direction, I waffle in the wind.  And I have trouble remembering things.  Habits help me get stuff done so I don’t have to remember anymore.  It just happens.  Routines help me do more than the average bear.  All the pursuit and studying means I have lots of ideas I can share to help others, but not that I’ve found the perfect balance personally.

For now, I find myself finishing many anomalous deeds, but also in need of adding others to my already full schedule.  But when ever I pick up a ball here or there to add to my juggling act, it seems a few must be dropped to wait on the ground.

So I need to slow down and meditate for a bit on the matter.

To let myself visualize the parts of my days, weeks, and the hats that I wear in life.

To imagine how the pieces can fit together again, only this time with the new pieces flung into the mix.

There are times I think a 3D computer model might actually be useful to map out facets and aspects, and help me write a new program for my day.

There are only so many waking hours.  And today I gave several away to others without return.

Having time for others is important, but where do you give and when?

I am beginning to wonder if I should have taken some “vacation” time off from some of my usual duties while handling such larger than life changes.

The Courtship Behind Successful Blogging – NaBloPoMo

“People are watching you, whether you realize it or not.  The question is: what are you showing them?”  ~ Jeff Goins

You can’t love blogging and not love communication.  If you’re going to blog, you have to embrace the fact that you are entering a world of fluid conversation and community.  Neither of those aspects work too well without a sense of relationship.

There are different types of successful blogs and the relationships behind their success.  Blogging for larger businesses is of course different from blogging for individuals.

If you subscribe to a blog owned by a company, it is likely you do so because you like what they have to sell and perhaps want to know when they have new information, releases or sales, etc..  And as a reader/fan, you likely hope the said business will listen to your opinion when you comment.

It behooves the business to communicate directly with their customers.  You are, after all, their greatest asset, the established customer.  If they want to keep you as a customer, then they should invest in your experience.

When you are an individual, the relationship takes on a more personal pitch.  And make no mistake, successful blogging is about developing a successful relationship.  To create a successful relationship with readers, as with any kind of relationship, your blog must court.

There are of course all kinds of relationships in the world.  The relationship between life-partners, between co-workers, between mother and child and best friends.  They all have variations on their rules.  But they all have a period of getting to know each other.

What are you going to say and how?

Successful blogging is a casual communication skill that rides a balance somewhere between traditional writing skills and effective public performance, whether we’re talking about public speaking, or something less stuffy like the art of story-telling.

So what experiences are your readers having?

If blogging is a conversation, do you do all the talking?  Or do you listen too?  If blogging is about community, how do you fit in?  Are you an active and contributing member?  Or are you the quiet one in the corner who never gets involved or helps with anything?  Or worse yet, the arm-chair warrior who always complains, but never has anything to positive to give?  Or the pyramid scheme salesman of the family?

If blogging is like a performance, what is your purpose?  What information and message are you trying to get across?  And can you keep it succinct?  What emotions and experience do you wish to invoke?  What memories will your reader walk away with?

If blogging is a courtship, what kind of date are you?  Always talking about yourself?  The gossip?  Or concerned with things that don’t matter much to anyone else?  Are you careful about your appearance, manners, behavior?  Are you articulate and a good conversationalist?  Or are you shy and hope someone else makes the first move and then feel disappointed when things don’t turn out as envisioned?

And most of all, are you true to yourself?  (Don’t be a fake.)

If a blog was the perfect date (or best friend), what attributes would it have?

As you ponder on these things, here’s an interesting article I found about the value of blogs vs. traditional print in science.

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Blogging – What’s In It For You? – NaBloPoMo

Are You Getting The Most Out Of The Experience?

Yesterday’s post stimulated some serious thought on my part about the whole blogosphere experience.  Those of us who are really into the social media experience across several platforms and genres tend to have an innate finger on the pulse of the culture and reasons (both spoken and unspoken) behind the relatively new universe of blogging.  After all, it’s a new frontier that’s barely about 13 years old, the same age as my son.

But what about you?  Why blog?  What’s your specific purpose?  What’s the point?

It’s within our human make-up to have purposes behind the actions we take, the experiences that we choose, even the things we ignore or pass by.

So if you’re going to blog, what’s in it for you?  What do you get out of it?  Do you blog for yourself, writing what you want?  Or do you blog for others, trying to write what readers want?

What is your vision?  What are your goals?  Fun?  Education?  Controversy?  A writing exercise?  A journal?  A journey?  To make friends?  Network?  Sell your products?  Find yourself?  Stave off boredom?  A place to whine?  A creative expression?  Humor? What?

Do you expect visitors?  Do you simply fling words out to the Universe at large, hoping they might come back to you in some new form?  Or do you blog to find your voice?

Why do you do it?

Because…
it seems to me that if you’re going to blog…
if you decided you wanted to jump into this world…
then you must have at some level hoped you would connect with others.

Whether your purpose is kinship or contention, somewhere you probably wished, or expected, that your words might be read…
that those words might actually impact someone…
somewhere out there.

And no matter your purpose, no matter what you think you might get out of it personally, content and delivery is what will determine whether your words are ever really heard.  Yet to be successful, you must have the former to go with the latter.

Some thoughts to ponder until tomorrow….

Writing Prompts Bite – NaBloPoMo

It’s NaBloPoMo time of year again.  National Blog Posting Month.  That month of November for writing that is so near and dear to my heart.

Yes, that’s right, I’m going to plague you every single day for the month of November – already.

And I have less of an action plan ready than I did last year, but I don’t care.  I’ma doing it.

I didn’t want to use November 1st as the obligatory announcement.  That’s so last year, and the year before and, well you get it.  How interesting is that?  The whole world of NaBloPoMo all writing to let everyone know this is it.  The big month, the time of year we all look forward to.  Just how many posts like that can you read?  And just how much can you tell about a writer from that?

Still, here I am, day two and what. I’ve got nothing.  No ideas.  I’m tired, it’s Friday and I haven’t had an interesting idea all day that doesn’t require a couple of hours of research. (Darn it Julia, you’re doing it again!)

So I head over to check out prompts.  What can I write about that isn’t researched or journalistic but still interesting, or entertaining.

I use NaBloPoMo as a writing exercise to write.  That’s what it is to me.  A chance to push my skills and make the commitment.  A pledge to annual training.  A tribute to my readers.  An exercise in intelligent discussion.  A step into a bolder me, because it ain’t no exercise for sissies.  AND it’s FUN.

And today’s prompt?  “Where would you like to live?”

Seriously…?  O_o

I can’t.  I just can’t.  That’s like my second grade paper.

And so I looked over the other prompts, which were just as boring as the first.  Who wants to read that?  Um, ‘cuz hey, I like NaBloPoMo because it’s fun and creative.  And creativity wasn’t even slightly provoked in those questions.

I want to know more.  I want to know the story behind the story.

I want to know, what’s the first thing you think of when you see the color blue and why?

I want to know, if you sat by the railroad tracks nearest to your home, what birds you might see?

I want to know, what food in your life has had the most impact upon you and how?

I want to know what it was like to hold your first grandchild?

I want to see things not just from a different angle, but from your mind.

Why do you write?  And why should I read?

I want to notice you.

Make me.

What You Like About Me Is Owed To Grandma Dot (Advice That Changed Me) – Crochet Ruminations

As far as advice that changed me?

The first thing that comes to mind for me are words from my Grandmother when I was a child, after I showed her a crochet sculpted hockey puck I made.

You see, a thought occurred to me as I was learning to crochet: that I could do more than what everyone around me was doing. That I didn’t have to just make doilies and afghans. That I could use a hook and yarn to sculpt, kind of like clay. So I set about to prove my theory.

As silly as it might sound, showing Grandma and hearing her words was a pivotal and freeing moment I have never forgotten.

“Well look at that clever thing! See there’s nothing you can’t do and bring into reality when you set your mind to it. If you want it, and work for it, you can do it.”

That was all I needed.  I’ve never been the same since.

As an adult, I realize those words may seem clichéd, but that tiny young moment contained so much power for me. Something huge shifted inside of me. I have since heard stories from others who were criticized for not doing things “correctly,” even having their hands smacked with rulers when they messed up, and other stories!  And no wonder as a result they never really picked up the art of crochet. None of my family ever did something like that to me.  And Grandma Dot always took time and marveled at my ideas.  She made me believe.

You never know what it is that will make a difference for someone.  How about you?  What piece of advice changed your life?  Who was it in crochet that made a difference for you?

He’s Smarter Than He Knows…

It was one of those days, with all the details and “have to’s” coming down on my head.  Too much demanding my attention, too many things vying to converge on the same space-time continuum, too many worries and nothing I could ignore, put off or say no to.  And it all required a lot of concentration.  I stare at figures and paperwork and bills, trying to apply a sense of logic and peace to it all.

My son runs into the kitchen (my office).  His enthusiasm about a funny incident at school gushes over me. Then he notices I’m already sitting there in tears.

“Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry honey, things are not so great right at this moment and I have a lot to figure out.”  Caught off guard, I’m not very good at choking back tears.

“Well, but things are going to be so much better now that you are here,” he tells me.

I smile.  “I love you very much son.  That was sweet.  Thank you.”  There are times he’s amazingly sweet and his belief in me catches me off guard.  Changing subjects and pulling myself together though I add, “But I do need you to do your homework.”

“No…” he declares.  “First I’m going to come over and hug you right now!”  He loom tackles me in my chair.

Sigh…..  It’s one of those sighs where I love his hugs, wish I wasn’t so stressed and am trying to refocus so I can do what I need to do.  My son never hugs lightly.  It’s always a tackle and a bear squeeze.  And in effort to comfort me he hangs on a little longer.

I hold on to the moment just a bit and then pat his arm.  “I wish I could just live on hugs dear.  But there are just so many things coming down on me right now and I need to think.”  He lets go.

“So…” he says lightly, “just use an umbrella.”

I know I am here to teach my kids and guide them in life, but so often it is they who teach me. I stare at my son as he walks away, his words striking a tone.

And I realize he’s right.  It’s so simple.  Just use an umbrella.  And there’s always time for hugs.

Bidding Begins NOW For Mrs. Maplesworth – Crochet Hook Challenge

Shout Outs!

So it’s been a busy week, but check it out!  My Crochet Hook Challenge was featured on The Moogly Bog! Thanks much to Tamara for the feature of my video on Engineering a Crochet Hook.  Check out her great article on Making Your Own Crochet Hooks!  Jimbo and I are both mentioned.  The Moogly Blog features a lot of patterns and wonderful articles for both knitting and crochet.

Also thanks to Kathryn Vercillo for featuring my Crochet Rumination article about “The Shape Of Crochet Hooks” in her most recent edition of Crochet Link Love on Crochet Concupiscence.   Kathryn writes extensively about the latest happenings in crochet.  So if you consider yourself a serious fan of crochet and you’re not yet on her subscribers list, or following her on Twitter, well then you should be.  She will get you in touch with more crocheters and crochet related news than any other one stop shop outside The Crochet Liberation Front.  And y’all know my love for the CLF, so check Kathryn’s blog out!

Mrs. Maplesworth Is Done!

And it’s time to share details and put her up for bid.  Bidding begins at $5 with free shipping!  You have nothing to lose, so thanks for your bid! (See bidding details below.)

To recap, here’s the first video introducing Mrs. Maplesworth’s design:

Here are some closeups of this particular design.  Note the angle of the throat to where it drops back for the bowl.

Here you see the throat angle back into the bowl, just slightly. This is a helpful design when pulling a loop through several other loops.

Here’s a closeup of the shape of the lip. Note that the head is minimally messed with so it remains the same size as the throat and shaft for consistent work.

Mrs. Maplesworth is made of maple and is about 5 3/8″ long.

This hook is hand sanded to be consistently a size “J” all the way through from head to tail. This photo was taken near the middle stages of making it.

And here is the latest video showing off her polish!  That shine comes from an hour and a half’s work just polishing alone.  This hooks is unfinished, as I did not seal it with anything, but it is super slick, and super highly polished by hand, which imparts its own kind of protection.

Silent Auction Bidding – How This Works:

If you’re new here, please read the previous posts about my crochet hook challenge and subscribe to my blog.  It’ll be a lot easier to stay on top of things that way!

Please email your bids ($5 increments) to Worx@PixieWorx.net with “crochet hook auction” in the subject line. The auction will run from now until Thursday November 1st, ending at 11:59 pm Central Time. This will allow me a chance to get your hook in the mail before the end of the week.  Any tied bids will be settled in favor of the earlier entry.  I am including free shipping for this auction within the US.  If you are international, I’ll pay what it would have been for shipping in the US if you’ll pay the difference.  Payment accepted by Paypal.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Living On The Edge…

Home Front News?

We are ever closer to closing on the sale of our home, and we have found another house to put an offer on.  It’s exciting, and scary and ever more I begin to understand why selling/buying/moving is supposedly ranked up there in stress level to divorce and death of a loved one.  Though I still say the latter two trump since they tend to be rather permanent in nature.  I spent 7 hours on the phone Friday alone, just working on details and filling out virtual paperwork, asking questions, etc..  I wish I loved all this paperwork, legalities, accounting, making all the arrangements, etc., but I do not.  Still, I am the one most able to carry out all that needs be done for our family to make this move.

Additionally in news this week, our daughter was inducted into the Nation Honor Society at school.  Yay, applause for her, we’re so proud of her hard work to get here!

In spite of the crazy schedule, my blog has managed to stay fairly current lately due to the fact that I have spent a lot of time writing – ahead of time – working on posts and ideas to schedule for publishing later.  It’s the secret any good blogger knows – always be working on several things, so you always have something you can finish up and publish.  Though in my case, I don’t tend to plan too far out, unless working on one of my research pieces.  I’m not much for stale conversation and prefer to get most things I’m thinking about now, out sooner than later while it still seems relevant to me.  Only makes sense?

Anyway, the truth is even while some posts went to print this week, I haven’t had time to sit and write much at all.  And it really shows through my Crochet Hook Challenge.  After all, the last post has been a bit too long ago.  My Challenge is living up to its name!

But stay tuned, Mrs. Maplesworth is ready and coming up next!

What Gripes Me (Crochet Hook Shapes) – Crochet Ruminations

The inconsistency of the shaft and work space issue is exactly what gripes me about many hooks being sold on the market today, and it’s present in wood hooks as well a metal. When I give lectures/demos about hooks, I talk about this. That widening of the shaft causes a lack of consistency in the stitch loops, which besides causing strain on your hand, also causes changes to your stitch appearance.

I don’t know why this is happening in hook-making today, but I suspect it has to do with the time involved in making the hooks and in the case of metal hooks, strength. (And perhaps lack of knowledge?) So many of the older hooks I find are just better made. The quality of the metal is better. My favorites metal hooks have hand-machined and cut heads. The shafts are strong and they will flex, not snap or permanently bend like modern hooks will.

And you know what it reminds me of? How good knives and swords are made.  Good knives and swords are strong and will flex with pressure, but not break. And especially in miniature crochet, we put a lot of torque on those hooks.

Perhaps part of all this points to the possibility that metalsmithing and true metallurgical knowledge is not what really goes into our metal tools anymore?  

What about you?  I’m intrigued to know.  What quirks do you notice about crochet tools that get under your skin? And what can we do about it?

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“Mommy: Which Would You Rather Have To Fight In A Tank – A Tarantula Or A T-Rex?”

I take my head-phones off.  My son just came barreling into the kitchen.  “What?” I ask. 

It’s Sunday morning and I’m sipping coffee at the table, enjoying the quiet while typing.  I’m working on a blog post.  Well… I was.  Until now.

It’s another one of those convoluted questions he throws in my lap when my head is completely dedicated to something else already.  And I’m not even really awake yet. 

He repeats the question.

“Wait,” I ask. “So the tarantula and the T-Rex are in the tank?  And I’m outside the tank trying to fight them?” I’m trying to visualize a tarantula and mini t-rex in a tank.

“No!” He says.  “You’re in the tank! It’s for the game I’m programming.”

“Oh, so I’m in the tank with them, trying to fight them?”

“No! Only you are in the tank, they are outside.”

“Wait, so I’m in the tank and a giant tarantula or T-Rex is trying to attack me?” 

“Yes!”

Since my brain was literally torn from the job it was tasked with when he popped his question, I’m struggling harder than usual to visualize and a scene from Honey I Shrunk The Kids comes to mind.

“Why am I trapped in a tank trying to fight a giant Tarantula or T-Rex? Shouldn’t they be in the tank if there’s a tank at all? Am I miniature or something?”

I clearly do not understand.  I see no logic in this game scenario. 

“No Mommy! You are in a military tank – shooting at them!”

….Duh…. 

“Oh….“

New light is dawning on my morning coffee brain.

“I thought you meant something like a fish tank.”

Well… when you’re talking about a tarantula and a tank, of course I thought of pets!  And of course I was way off base.  No wonder it seemed so illogical to me as a game.

“No Mommy!” He puts his hands on his cheeks, staring at me incredulously.

Yeah, I don’t care for that look and my inner self pokes fun at me.

“Hehe.  That’s the look that says: ‘Am I really related to these people?‘  I thought you never wanted your kids to have that look.” 

You know what?  Shut up self!  I’m just tired, OK?  Now get on with answering your son!

“Oh.  OK, well I guess I’d rather fight the tarantula,” I say.  “I know more about them.”

“Too bad!” he quips.  “You’re fighting both!”

 

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My Surreal Life on Sunday morning: October 7, 2012

Untapped Marketing – Crochet Ruminations

If you were to divide crocheters into experience classes, when you think about it, the beginner class is rather small and short-lived.  The girth of our community is somewhere in the middle to the advanced side.

So much of advanced crochet skill is not necessarily governed by stitches and patterns, but in learning consistency and control (which can’t be taught as much as practiced), refining our methods and then there are advanced concepts like shaping.

And yet the type of instruction generally offered to the crochet community remains below the skill levels of the majority.  Resulting in crocheters being ignored and even written off as cheap and unwilling to spend $$.

The way I see it, our market has so long been poorly understood.  And there exists a whole frontier of creative marketing that just hasn’t been adequately explored.

What about you?  Do you feel the level of training offered in crochet adequately responds to your expertise?  And how do you feel about the way our market is approached?  Let us know the area you’re from when responding.   Maybe we’ll hash out some good stuff!

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The New Frontier – Crochet Ruminations

Crochet Ruminations – The Start Of  A New Thing

There are times when I have a series of thoughts and mini-conversations running through my head.  And when those “attacks” come, I don’t always have time to explore them.  But I’ll go ahead and draft the musings up in preparation for a deeper blog post to savor later when better time and exploration can be dedicated to them.

And sometimes they do turn into much more and get published.  And sometimes they don’t.  Sometimes they never evolve and really are just shorter capsules of ideas in the moment – tasty tidbits of ponderings and half-eaten conversations that honestly don’t have anything more to do, or become, right now.

In looking over my list of possible blog posts, I’ve realized that sometimes one of those posts is only supposed to be just a few “deep thoughts.” Just some occurrences of ideas to fling out there for consideration and/or discuss amongst peers, if anyone wants to engage.  And that’s just that.

So in that spirit, instead of saving a zillion drafts every time something crosses my brain (my list of drafts is getting too long to manage!), I’m launching a series on my blog simply tagged Crochet Ruminations.

With that intro, here’s the latest….

The New Frontier…

Technology has brought us to the beginning of a new frontier in the world and we’re the pioneers laying the groundwork for what is to come, for ourselves and for future generations. History is literally being made.

How this new frontier works for crochet is being driven by the people actively in it. People like us, anyone who is willing to move to uncharted territory and figure it out.

The same is happening in other fields too. The internet is the “new land” to settle.  There’s no reason why anyone who has the will can’t figure it out and benefit.

The thing I find extremely important to register in our heads though, as Laurie points out (a.k.a. Fearless Leader from the Crochet Liberation Front), it takes working with others, not shouldering the responsibilities of the world alone, or shoving everyone else out of the way. That is not to invalidate the need for personal hard work and responsibility.  However, it is said that successful business people know at heart what school doesn’t teach us. That life is not a closed book test, that we don’t succeed by cutting others off, that the only way to succeed is to do it with the help of others.  And that often a sign of a successful person is one who continues to train and learn and someone who recognizes and values the expertise of others. 

We walk a fine balance of working hard on our own, but also benefiting from the help and insight from others.  Whether we hire them, or we accept help from a friend.   Trying to go it completely alone, making sure everyone knows we did it by ourselves and without help, does not work outside the classroom.  It is not a place of balance, nor a sign of success (and neither is the opposite).  In reality, no one expects you to perform alone in adulthood – only on standardized tests.  And those who believe they do not need advice, training or learning, who only boast on “did it myself” laurels, surely exhibit signs of impending implosion.

Coaching, master minds, discussions, hiring experts, studying, training, practicing, learning new tools and technologies, comparing notes with peers, understanding that old ways don’t always work today and that some old things never lose their effectiveness and sometimes what works for someone else is not right for you – all these things are important.  Settling the West was not born on the shoulders of one person.  In fact, to try to do such, was almost certain death.  People had to come together with their varying talents and work ethics to form the foundation for something great.

In thinking about this, what things do you see as it affects the crochet world that we should be mindful of?

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Meet Mrs. Maplesworth! – Crochet Hook Challenge

Meet Mrs. Maplesworth - aka A Technical Discussion About Using Dowels To Make Crochet Hooks

“You know Mommy? I wonder what would happen if all the magic in the world made all the water bottles in the world appear inside a car? The car would probably explode.”

Ya think?

Random thoughts in the car after school from dear son, September 30, 2010…..

O_o

And The Winning Bid On The Grandmother Tree Crochet Hook Is….?

Doug has the winning bid for the Grandmother Tree’s crochet hook silent auction at $45!  I’ll be getting with him to get it shipped off to its new home!

In the mean time, thanks everyone for all the support, comments, RTs and shares!  Y’all are awesome!  It was really helpful to get me off to a good start!

Stay tuned for a blog post about my next hook project!  We’re going to look at a very different crochet hook shape!

Crochet Hook Engineering – Types of Tools – Crochet Hook Challenge

The first silent auction for Grandmother Tree’s crochet hook (the first of my challenge series) is already underway.  You can check out the final photos and view the bidding here.

I’ve been working on a new hook this week to be released for next, but I haven’t had a lot of time to take photos and blog about it.  I’ve found myself calling her “Mrs. Mapleworths.”   I’ll let you guess on the reason.  Stay tuned for her story coming soon!

But since we’ve talked a bit about crochet shape and anatomy, I thought I’d show you a video I made about one of the features I like to engineer into my hooks sometimes.  It’s a smooth slanted end that makes a great tool for picking out stitches that I want to work with.  Sometimes I find that the actual hook of a crochet tool is itself not always conducive to isolating a part of a completed crochet stitch I want to put another stitch into.  Hooks are great for creating stitches, but not always the best tool for isolating loops after the stitch/fabric has been created.  Sometimes I don’t want to use a whole “bar” to put a stitch into, I want to use only part of that bar.  (It does create a different look.)  For that reason, I sometimes use this slanted end feature to help isolate a loop I want to use without distorting the rest of the crochet fabric around it.  It’s an easier way to do what I want, without disturbing the structure I’ve already created.

So check it out and see what you think!  If you find it interesting – please share!

Are you aware of other discussions about crochet hook engineering or do you personally have comments on designs you wish you had in a tool?  Please let me know!

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