Sundries and Whatnot
Love, love, love it! What an extraordinary idea. I love the simplicity. My husband spotted this on Pinterest, and knew I’d like it.
I had to explore further and found Susan’s lovely site at Juniper Moon Farm. This tutorial for recycling yarn scraps for nesting materials has been pinned and re-pinned. It was the first time I had seen it, however, and I’m so enthralled that I must share.
Here’s the thing, so much of my blog-reading experience began with my first tentative forays into the world of crochet. Odd, I know, but once it was on, it was on. I’ve always been a magazine junkie, so you can only imagine the bender I went on once I began to understand the scope and dimension of the blog world. There’s just so stinking much to choose from! Every subject, style, approach, whatever that you can imagine! Very quickly, my Google Reader was up to around 1500 new blog posts a day. Impossible, right? Right. Some had to go. I hadn’t limited myself to crochet. I had branched out into Finance, Environmentalism, Books, Cooking, Photography, DIY, Quotes, and on and on and on. Slowly, over time, my reading list morphed.
I thought I’d share the Crochet blogs that survived. There are several more on my list, but these are the ones that I actually open and read. I can’t really tell you why. I think it’s more about the feel and styling of them. The things they crochet are doable. Except for Doris Chan. Her stuff is comparatively complex (to me). She’s just funny. I like that someone that gifted is that down to earth and open with her thoughts.
In reality, you won’t always get your best information as far as “actual learning” from the blog world. What you get is perspective. Lots and lots of different perspective. All in the form of tutorials, patterns, examples…it helps you figure out what you do and don’t like.
And although my “Crochet” specific blog list may be shorter, the number of general “Craft” blogs that include crochet has gotten longer and longer. I gravitate toward Crafters that express themselves in an array of arts and media, like…
As far as sites that actually provide more resources than eye candy, you’ll want to look to ones like:
I’ve just skirted the crochet world with my list. What are some of your favorites?
Isn’t it amazing! If you’re reading this post, all the answers are at your fingertips.
Very, very cool.
Last week was Spring Break for my kiddos. We didn’t plan a trip or family vacation, but we did a little “stay-cationing”. We were looking for something to do on Friday and decided to check out the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Yes, I know, sexy right? Not so much, but it was actually pretty cool. I had expected a freshwater aquarium. I had heard that there was a pond where this kids could fish, but I didn’t realize that they had developed a small wetlands trail and preserve.
Or that they encourage wild life habitat as part of the preserve
It was beautiful and unexpected. And even though I did expect lots and lots of catfish. I don’t know that I was prepared for these guys!
or these
You could buy fish food from a small vending machine for a quarter and it created quite the frenzy. I had to coax the kids to go back over after they got splashed by some pretty fishy fish water. You actually did find yourself a little worried about the probability of fish obesity and the heart-health implications of the constant food….
But then when you get down to brass tacks, it’s really all about activities that, although not great for fish well-being, are all cosmic reminders of the interspecies food chain…Right?….Maybe not.
This was an awesome little “catch and release” pond situated in the middle of the center. Apparently, the fish were biting right up until we dropped our lines in the water… 🙂 Note to self: One has to catch in order to release.
Have a great weekend! Check out some of the natural beauty that may be around the corner in your neck of the woods.
It’s spring and my mind has turned to thoughts of….chickens? It’s my new learning frontier! This weekend, I am on a chicken mission.
We are go for chickens. I’m in search of three to four sweet dispositioned young ladies. I do not want babies. Baby chicks are high maintenance, and we’re all full up on high maintenance around my house. I do not want boys. They are noisy and I like my neighbor. He’s a very nice man who deserves peace and quiet in his own backyard. I just want fresh eggs. Glorious, tasty, healthy fresh eggs. Eggs from happy, healthy, wholesome chickens!
I’m an HR Manager by day…a mom/domestic at night. In reality, the two jobs actually utilize a lot of the same skill sets and mental muscle. Unfortunately, I pretty much use up all my emotional intelligence (not to mention tolerance for the human race) during the day. By night, I’m a conflict-hating introvert. I avoid interaction. Shamefully, that avoidance often includes my husband and children, and always includes any extracurricular interaction with friends or family.
Early on in my midlife crisis, I realized my crafting could be an unwitting accomplice to my extreme after-hours introversion. I have to be very careful to temper my selfish desire to pursue what can be a therapeutic and calming hobby. If I don’t, I ignore my kids, the house stays dirty, groceries go unpurchased, takeout reigns…This can be ok on occasion, but obviously, wouldn’t be tenable for the long haul. I’ll be honest, finding balance between what I want to do and what I need to do remains an opportunity for me. I know it’s a potential obstacle, however, so I keep my eyes peeled.
The lesson embedded here is that even with productive, creative pursuits, there can be pitfalls. The really cool thing is that the problem can also be the solution. It takes self-discipline to temper my after-hours metamorphosis into a hermit. It also takes self-discipline to learn a skill and use that skill to bring an item or project to completion. In essence, both require that I flex the same muscle. Now obviously, it’s easier to flex that muscle with the more selfishly pleasing task. That’s ok. At least I’m using the self-discipline muscle. The more I use it, the stronger it gets. Ultimately, the act of exerting self-discpline makes me more likely to do it in the future. Hence, my decision this evening to play angry birds and eat apple instead of beading or working on my afghan. Hold it…Yes, I know…that doesn’t sound like it required self-discipline does it?…oh well, take that example and you know…such the like.
After a lifetime of avoiding all things domestic, my late thirties saw me plunging headlong into the realm of craft. My mother tried to teach me how to do things. She had skill and experience in all things domestic. At her urging, I took a stab at sewing. It was miserable. My mom finished every garment I ever started. Cooking worked out a little better for me. I even considered being a chef. Keep in mind I was ten at the time. It quickly passed and my 20’s and 30’s saw me avoiding the kitchen and any other domestic pursuit like the plague. Before children, I focused on all things me. I read a lot. I hung out with friends a lot. Domesticity played no role. In my thirties, I worked. It was all about meeting my obligations. I focused on a demanding job in human resources and the activities of my children. The point is, I never had the time or the desire for domesticity. I didn’t have the patience. And I think that may actually be the key to what kicked it all off. Patience. Six or seven years into motherhood, the absence of patience was becoming a real problem. I craved patience. I prayed for patience. I prayed for peace and peace of mind and deliverance from the pressures of parenthood and my job. I prayed for some way to decompress just enough to be able to be a better wife and mother. (Don’t get excited, my prayers may have been answered, but if they have I don’t know it yet!) Simultaneously, I had realized that my daughter, my oldest, my heart, was destined to be a “crafter”. She loved everything about it. She delighted in spending time with her grandmother because during those trips to her “Meemaw’s”, she would get to craft. I found myself constantly telling her no when she would ask to do something crafty. Mostly because I didn’t know how to do anything she expressed an interest in. Not to mention the whole stressed, pressured, impatient thing I talked about previously. So I have to believe that somewhere between the quest for patience and my undying love for my daughter, the idea took root. I wanted to learn something. Something that had nothing to do with business or any of the other things I’d isolated myself to over the previous decade. I wanted to learn to do something new.
It was Thanksgiving 2008, and we were visiting my in-laws for the holiday. My mother-in-law (an angel on earth) is extremely crafty. Crafts, cooking, all the domestic arts…right there at my fingertips. I have no idea why on that trip, my fevered imagination landed on crochet as an objective. But at some point that weekend, I trecked to WalMart, bought an H hook and a skein of Simply Soft Eco in Turquoise (my daughter picked it), and plopped on the couch next to my mother-in-law ready to learn. She went to a trunk where she keeps materials, and brought out what looked to be a 1970-ish “learn to crochet” book. With her coaching I taught myself to single, double and triple crochet that weekend. By Christmas, I was making my first scarf. By New Years, I finished it, and it was awesome! And somewhere in there, I tapped a long hidden, long repressed desire to create. And it began. The most ridiculous, atypical “midlife crisis” ever.
And so here I am. February 2012. Three years after the fateful decision to pick up the crochet hook. In those three years, I’ve crocheted, embroidered, painted, beaded and made a valiant attempt to teach myself to sew. I’ve stockpiled yarn, fabric, equipment and every craft material you can imagine. True to my history, I’ve discovered that I’m a great “generalist”. I love to plan, but I’m slow to carry out those plans. Although I’ve made some cute things, I’ve mastered nothing. I have not reduced my stress. I don’t really think I increased my patience. I haven’t taught my daughter anything substantive. But I have learned some things about myself. I learned that I can finish what I start. In fact, I’m driven to finish. This sometimes undermines the enjoyment of the process, but it’s good to know that at 41, I have the persistence and self-discipline to actually finish a project now. I’ve learned that I love to learn. And I’m good at it! I may not be a “master” crafter. But I’m definitely a “crafter”. Some of my greatest pleasure has been immersing myself in the online world of Makers and learning about the ideas and subjects at the periphery. I’ve dabbled in thrifting, resale, DIY, gardening and frugality over the last three years. I’ve adopted some practices and activities that I think will enrich my life for years to come….and honestly, I feel pretty good about it.
So where does that leave me today? It leaves me convinced that there are a lot of people like me. People who just want to create or do…something. To tap that right brain in a way that’s completely removed from the reality of your day-to-day life. So I’m creating a place for us. There’s so much information out there. So much specialization. In the three years I’ve immersed myself in this online world of Makers and Crafters, I’ve devoted hours and hours of time to reading and synthesizing information I will never, ever use. I can spare you that. We’ll explore topics together in a way that gives you the essentials. If you want to know more, go farther, specialize, you’ll get links to help you begin your journey. Let’s be Generalists. Let’s explore and learn together. Let’s take a look at cooking, crafting, thrifting, gardening, and…such the like.
Such the Like... 