Quickie Question: What Was Your Best Crafting Moment of 2010?
By Twistie
via Tree Hugger.com
I know, I know, the Quickie Question is usually a monday thing. But as the year winds to its close, I like to reflect on the year we’re about to leave behind. I think it’s useful every now and again to sit down and think about what we’ve learned and what we’ve discovered, and somehow the turning of the calendar page makes a nice reminder to do just that.
What was my crafts highlight of the past year? Definitely getting the opportunity to start this blog. Not only do I get to sound off here about Stuff I Know and Care About, but I’m learning a lot, too. What’s more, I love the responses you leave, getting to know more details, seeing other points of view.
Another was sitting in a hospital waiting room. Mr. Twistie was having a couple stents put in because of his ongoing heart ills. I was too nervous to do much of anything, even though I knew he was in good hands. But my friend who came along and did the driving sat there quietly crocheting as she sat next to me waiting to hear how things went. I got a bit misty when she finished making that cute beret and just handed it to me. Little things like that can help.
Oh, and everything went just fine. Mr. Twistie came home the next day looking better than he had in months. He’s doing great. But every time I put on that hat, it reminds me both of how lucky I am that he’s doing so well, and how lucky I am to have a good friend who took time out to hold my hand on a rough day.
So what about the rest of you? What were your big craft moments this year?
December 30th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Probably the most recent thing I did: knit a Roman helmet, complete with fuzzy I-cord “horsehair” crest. My oldest (a senior at University of Oregon) is taking Roman History next term and wanted to surprise his professor. I started with a basic earflap hat pattern and made up the rest as I went. You can see it on my ravelry page, where I’m gelasticjew.
December 30th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
For me, it was creating and publishing, albeit via Ravelry, my first pattern. It’s a triangular scarf meant to use 4 oz of handspun or handpainted yarn.
You can see the scarf on Ravelry via my project page (cthulhulovesme). Look for Esker Scarves v.1 and 2.
December 30th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Two things for me. First of all, I made a piece of fabric intended to be a child’s cloth book into a baby quilt for my new niece. It is based on the story of the 5 monkeys who jump on the bed, and turned out to be quite adorable on a quilt.
Secondly, I completed 2 of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Baby Surprise jackets. This was a huge undertaking that took literally 2 years to finish. Apparently, this is a pattern that I require adult supervision to knit, because I had to rip each sweater out several times (and finally ended up taking them to a yarn store and getting expert help with) before they were finally completed in May.
December 30th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
I started a fleece plush elephant toy for a friend’s baby…no, it’s not done yet (neither is the baby!), but I’ve been in a complete creative drought for most of the past year. I just haven’t had the energy or time or desire to make anything.
The very act of buying this pattern, cursing at it because it did not have a complete supplies list or things like seam allowances, then pulling out my rusty skills and making it happen (well, start to happen) was a huge step forward for me.
I am going to finish it after the holidays. And probably make another one or two if it comes out at all well now that I’ve bludgeoned the pattern and instructions into something usable for me.
December 30th, 2010 at 8:23 pm
My best moment(s) was seeing the reactions from my family to the handmade gifts I gave them this year. My mom just *gushed* over the shawl I made for her (my first big knitting project!) and each family adored the felt ornaments that I made, continuing my late-grandmother’s yearly tradition. 🙂
December 30th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
For Christmas this year, I finally took two Irish sweaters my mother (gone for 28 years now) and made them into four pillows for my sisters and niece. It was an awful process, because, although I lined them, they stretched somewhat unpredictably, since they were, you know, sweaters. Seeing their reactions on Christmas make the gifts totally worth the blood and sweat (no tears! I knew if I started crying I wouldn’t be able to stop). But I am profoundly glad they are done, done, DONE!!!!!!!