BlogHer - crafts - Comments

Grumperina...

debra roby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:29:49 -0500

For me, crochet is new and complicated, and I could not crochet a stitch without total silence and three reference books nearby :).

Grumperina, I remember the days (weeks) of you obsessing over which pattern to use. I'm certain that you would need the same level of concentration to produce these. These swap items were all works of art, though.

I'm sure I could find a simple pattern and just have fun with it for a couple hours. And I've been crocheting since 4th grade...so a long, long time ago.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

Potholders' portability: user-dependent

grumperina — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:05:32 -0500

Thanks for mentioning the potholder swap! It was a lot of fun, and some truly amazing projects came about as a result. But I think the portability for crocheted potholders is a very user-dependent thing. For me, crochet is new and complicated, and I could not crochet a stitch without total silence and three reference books nearby :). I imagine a seasoned crocheter would agree with you that they are a fabulous take-along project, though.

OK, we'll plan for a craft-in some time...

debra roby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:35:13 -0500

I think there are going to be "birds of a feather" lunch tables.. we can plan a craft-in at lunch time. Let's say on Friday??

Are you working on completing these projects as part of the '09 Stash Busting?

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

fun stuff!

debra roby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:31:11 -0500

I like the idea of soap puffs and scarves.. but I want to be assured that I have enough stuff to keep me busy on a whole trip (including delayed flights. They seem to be the norm, now).

I knit socks using the magic loop (one large circular needle) so there are never too many needles for me. As long they are begun -the first 5 rows are a challenge - it's fairly easy from there.

If I decide to do a scarf or something, I may just rely on the fact that there must be a yarn shop somewhere in Chicago I can visit if I need to, right?

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

Crochet Soap Puff

alovelything — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 11:42:42 -0500

I crocheted a soap puff on a road trip with my husband ... to a bowling tournament of his.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long enough to make forcing me to watch middle aged men bowl. :)

On another road trip, I knit several scarves for holiday gifts.

A granny afghan was started on another trip. Since I didn't want to carry all the colors with me, I just did the first row on 20 something motives.

Socks involve too many needles not to mention that I need complete silence and concentration to turn the heel.

Love to see what you decide!

www.alovelything.com

one of the first things i think about when planning a trip

laurie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:25:08 -0500

I knit a log cabin blanket all the way to florida and back, a couple
of years ago. By the time we got back from our road trip, it was almost
queen-sized. And reeked of potato chips.

I still love it though: http://notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com/2007/04/ending-better-than-it-started.html

Usually, I travel with socks but this year, I'm bringing a scarf to BlogHer (http://brooklyntweed.blogspot.com/2007/04/noro-scarf.html), although I am working in another blanket (http://www.woollythoughts.com/afghans/pursuit.html)

Unfortunately, I am much better at starting things than finishing
them. It worked out well, though, when it came time to take photos for
the book cover. "Not Done Yet" appears to be my motto in more than one
aspect of my life.

And I love the idea of a "craft-in."

Laurie

The blog is Not Just About Cancer and the book is Not Done Yet.

Afghans! Baby blankets? Craft in?

debra roby — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:58:56 -0500

Baby blankets. That's one I forgot. With friends becoming grandmothers left and right (seriously, three grandkids born within 6 months), crocheted or knitted baby blankets would work too. They don't get too large, I think...

We should have a craft in some time during BlogHer so everyone can show the stuff they brought to work on during odd moments.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

I'll be doing socks I think

sassymonkey — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:06:59 -0500

We're not flying but we're driving and according to google maps it's close to a 13 hours drive (and they don't count rest, refueling and eating stops). Socks are good because they fit in my small travel bag. I just need to have gotten a good cast on first.

I once took a crocheted afghan on a plane. I wasn't very far into it so it wasn't too big to travel with yet. And one of my friends used to have a two day drive to visit her in-laws and that was pretty much the only time all year she'd work on her afghan. (It took her six years to finish it I think.)

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

The Sewing Machine Meme

debra roby — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:03:16 -0500

1. What brand and model sewing machine do you have?
I own a Pfaff 7550

2. How long have you had it? Purchased in 1998?

3. How much did it cost (approximately)$2000

4. What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, crafts, home dec.?)Everything. I've done piecing and machine quilting, simple clothes, crafts and home dec.

5. How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? Not as much as I used to. First 10 years, I used it almost every day.

6. Do you live/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does it have a name?
I knew how to operate this machine intuitively when I tried it out. That's why I bought it. Knew it would likely be the last machine I ever purchased. But I never named it.

7. What features does your machine have that work well for you? I love the built-in even feed feature.

8. Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? Yes. The thread has to catch at a place before the take-up lever; it's behind the cover and not easy to insure that it does. For me, it often fails to stay there. When it doesn't catch, the tension is thrown off and the thread shreds and breaks. One small bad design feature.

9. Is there a great story to share about your machine? Not this one.

10. Would you recommend the machine to others? You can't buy it new anymore. But if you see a used one for sale, it's one of the best Pfaff machines ever made.

11. What factors are important to consider when looking for a new machine? For me, intuitively being able to figure out how to make it do things. Because I don't read manuals.

12. Do you have a dream machine? No.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

The crux of the argument

debra roby — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:38:33 -0500

Sandra,

The crux of the argument was that many conservatives and middle-of-the-roaders do care about the the ideals of craftivism - and may believe in the ideas of protesting against big corporate interests, or perhaps considering people instead of profits.

However, when Stephanie formed the Etsy group, her first intent was to form a politically liberal group. The blow-up occurred because those who joined did not understand this intent when they became part of the group.

Miscommunication and misunderstanding were at the heart of this break, not the attribution of characteristics to one political leaning or another.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

Enjoyed your Take, Elisa

debra roby — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:27:58 -0500

I was surprised when I found the link to your blog today. I enjoyed your take.

And, I, too hope for a day when equality and justice are as naturally part of our lives as breathing.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Weight for Deb

Good overview. Maybe I'm

sandragrasty — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:44:13 -0500

Good overview. Maybe I'm just blinded by my own perspective. But to say that the words and phrases "progressive, protest, act of resistance, pervasive corporate culture, profits over people" have a liberal bent doesn't seem accurate to me. These are things that many crafters and many people care about, whatever their political persuasion. A lot of liberals paint conservatives with such broad strokes, and vice versa, and I honestly think there are a lot of conservatives who say they believe in those things.

I agree with karikari, that rom a historical and cultural perspective, there have been protests and acts of resistance born out of every sort of political perspective. To me, resistance isn't about a specific ideology. There are just certain kinds of people who fight the system, and fight for what they think is right, regardless of their political stripes.

To look at these qualities, which we call "good", and say that those who differ from us politically couldn't possibly possess or value those qualities...doesn't seem to promote understanding. You can hardly blame someone for not seeing past their own mindset. The Craftivism leadership evidently didn't realize that those qualities could be realized outside of a liberal worldview.

Just for the record, I used to be a conservative. Some would call me liberal now. But people are becoming less satisfied with such black and white labels. And the terms seem to fit fewer and fewer people.

Thanks for the link...you intrigued me with this story

Elisa Camahort — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:06:04 -0500

When you talked about this weekend at WoolfCamp.

When I was at Fem 2.0 in February I preched it a bit about having a big tent that acknowledges that there may be people who share feminist principles who may not share political ideologies.

And certainly I hope some day that equality and justice, too, becomes natural and instinctive, and not aligned with any specific political agenda!

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

I remember those as a kid

moonfever0 — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:56:26 -0500

My daughter is too young to knit at 5, but I bet she can do some loom knitting. She is always trying to "help" when I'm knitting. I remember doing them as a kid, but all I made were silly sock pets.

Angela at mommy bytes
BlogHer Contributing Editor in Mommy & Family Cribsheet

Ruffles and ribs scarf

Orkidgrl — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:18:51 -0500

Actually, the ruffles and ribs pattern is versatile enough that it can be made multiple times and won't even look like the same scarf. I've used Misti Alpaca but I've also knitted it with a strand of metallic/mohair yarn combined with a strand of worsted weight wool for a completely different look. Also, if you use lighter weight yarn on smaller needles (just cast on more stitches) you will achieve a lacier look. The pattern really works for all kinds of yarn and needle sizes, so in reference to the comment above, it can be done over and over, achieving a different effect each time.