Think About It

On this morning's Oprah show, a dancer named Dwana Smallwood said "Dancing is my oxygen." I like that expression, and change it to "Crocheting is my Oxygen." Think about it. WOW!

CROCHET CONNECTION

Crocheting Connects Me. Like each chain, each yarn over, each pull thru connects the last with the present, and prepares for the future. Each moment connects, depends upon the one before, and prepares the way for the next one. Growing, growing into a beautiful piece of timeless work, to endure beyond the moment, beyond the creator.

Crocheting has enriched my life a thousand fold. Crocheting has connected me with a world full of creative people, a room or two or three full of bright colorful yarn, several sacks of hooks, gadgets galore, bags beyond belief (the non-human kind), shelves and shelves of pattern books, myself, and you.

Cuddling Your Crochet Hook

Do you use your hooks for activities other than crocheting? I've found a couple of alternative uses for them, plus imagined a few more possibilities. The most frequent use is to scratch my back! Tunisian hooks are the best for this because they are longer. Hey, don't knock it. It works!
I've also fished an earring out of my bathroom sink drain with a hook. Hmm-mm...speaking of fishing...wonder if it could be used to catch fish! What do you think? Then, of course, reaching under the couch to snag that tiney spool of thread, requires a hook - or a cat, but hooks' upkeep is easier than the Meower's, tho you can't cuddle a hook- no matter what I can't imagine cuddling a crochet hook!! We could also use a thinner hook to clean out the dust between the keys on our keyboard.
If you ride the CTA buses or trains, and crochet as you go, the hook might just serve as a protective device. Once a guy sitting next to me on a crowded train got a bit cozy with his leg pressing against mine -- a carefully placed hook would have quickly alleviated that uncomfortable position -- I could have crocheted him....u get the picture. If you don't, then get a life!!! Pul-ease!
If you have any more ideas for using crochet hooks, please email your ideas to me. To Be continued....

Crochet and creating

I was standing in the backyard; a green dollar bill in one hand, and a lighted match in the other. I lit the bill and watched the green change to orange. When the fire reached my fingers and I felt the heat, I dropped the remains. Because the dollar was mine, I could do anything I wanted with it because I have freedom of choice. I am free to do whatever I want with my dollar bill - I could make a stupid, bad, intriguing, fascinating, wise, creative, imaginative or even useful choice (like spending it for more yarn). I could even crochet with it... If Pauline could crochet with ice cream, then I surely could crochet with a dollar bill!

This is how I feel about a ball of yarn -- it is an inanimate object but I can put life into it --crocheting booties and putting them on 5 day old Mikala's tiny feet - really puts life into them! I wonder if this is how God sees her very animated creations. The most like-God act of creation is to create a baby like tiny Mikala. And following this line of thought, giving birth to our yarn creation is starting the process of crocheting strands of yarn - one little slip stitch is all it takes to create something like this:

Crocheting lessons

To crochet is to create! I take a skein or two of yarn and manipulate it to create a new item. I have complete control (w-e-l-l, most of the time anyway) over the yarn and what it will look like when I create a new something. I can do with it what I want. Is this maybe something like the relationship of the Creator to the creature?

I am grateful for my hands and their ability to shape yarn into a new creation. I am grateful for my imagination which enables me to add a bit of "whimsy" and a crazy combination of colors to my creations. I can think out of the box -even tho my box is circular like a hat box, not square to begin with. I am grateful than I enjoy the journey of creation more than the creation. (The journey is always fun and fascinating and full of satisfcation - the creation may end up being imperfect or exquisite but it matters not because of the enjoyable trek getting there).

Crochet Chapter Challenge

During the January meeting of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, the theme for the 2008 Chapter Challenge will be decided. My nominee for this theme is WATER. There are a number of reasons why I think this would be an appropriate theme.
1) It does not have a specific form -- water takes the shape of its container usually - so this be a greater challenge to the creativity and imagination of our super creative crocheters. At first I couldn't think of any "shape" to crochet for WATER - but ideas started popping up after I let my imagine run wild.
2) WATER supports the cause of a cleaner environment. I read recently that 50% of all the patients in the WORLD's hospitals are there because of water contamination. As I sit here next to a clean glass of water which promotes my health - it is astounding to realize that this fact makes me one of the world's privileged inhabitants. Our choice of this theme would help raise awareness of the need for a cleaner environment.
3) WATER supports the cause of conserving out natural resources. We, especially those of us who live near Lake Michigan, are more worried about flooding than where the water for tomorrow's shower will come from. Last year I heard a moving talk from Dr. Jane Goodall at Northeastern IL University. I expected her to talk about gorillas - but that was only a fraction of her awesome and intriguing speech. It was mostly about water conservation -- drink the whole glass of water, don't pour it needlessly down the drain -- turn off the faucet when you aren't actually using the water like when you are brushing your teeth or rinsing dishes. WATER is precious. Like most issues and the way the human mind works -- we only miss something when we DON'T have it, like the use of our thumb when it's in a cast -- like a flushing toilet when our plumbing breaks or when we are camping in the wilderness.
If you can think of any other reasons for choosing WATER as a theme for the Chapter Challenge please let me know.
And NO, I'm not sharing my ideas for crocheted objects representing this theme - that's what we have imagination for, that's why we are creative crocheters -- if you don't use those little cells in your brain they will atrophy -- so here's a perfect opportunity to delay senility....

Cardinal and Berries

Merry Christmas. May all your Christmas' be filled with yarn, beauty and crocheting. This photo was taken on my way to work one very cold Chicago morning. I heard the Cardinal singing, and looked up to see this tree which was winter-cold barren except for this bright crimson cardinal breakfasting on the tree's only attachment - bright crimson berries. He stayed there long enuf for me to pull out my little camera and get several photos of feasting on the berries against this perfectly blue sky.

I haven't blogged recently, my apologies. Life has a way of taking on its own momentum. I created a new pattern which I have crocheted for Christmas presents for my friends. Now that Christmas is upon us, and they have opened their gifts, I can talk about it without spoiling the surprise. I've designed a cover from my steering wheel. It took several drafts before I got it right - so I have lots of too large and too small steering wheel covers around the house! Here is a foto of one of them which actually fits... if you want the pattern please e-mail a request for it to calumet133@yahoo.com. Put Steering Wheel Cover in the Subject line. The one in my car is bright red and white variegated -is that how you spell variegated?- cotton yarn, with a matching head rest cover, and antenna topper in the form of a boot - which is really really cute.

New Afghan pattern. Dr. B.Otto showed me an afghan that one of her students made for her - it was so unique. I had never seen that pattern before - even tho it consisted of double shells, it looked as if two afghans were made separately and then somehow attached -- then I thought maybe it was done as an overlay or maybe an extended stitch of some sort. I contacted the crochter - who gave me a copy of her 30 year old pattern - and I was wrong on all counts. I invited her to the NIC of the CGOA, and asked her to bring some of her work - which is totally exquisite and breathtaking. I hope she comes. She is obviously passionate about crocheting.