It's funny-ironic, not funny-haha, how much tension I see in a group of people that came their craft is so relaxing (1).
Squabbles that have me about ready to scream:
(2) man-made fibers are evil, they're the ultimate downfall needle crafters, especially knitters
(3) socks on circular needles versus double-pointed needles
(4) hats on double-pointed needles versus straight needles
(5) knitter A's method and/or hand position is faster then knitter B's ever will be
(6) charity crafts are a waste of time as you will never know if the receiver will use or appreciate your time and money in the project
(7) adding crochet to a knit project will "dumb it down" or "make it tacky"
And so the rants begin:
(1) Why is it only knitting is denoted as being so damn relaxing? Crochet which is much more like knitting then many knitters seem to want to admit is just as relaxing. And to be honest with less tools, jargon, and hype, crochet is actually a LOT more relaxing for me, personally.
Every week there seems to be a new book on how good knitting is for our imperiled souls... It'll fix all your ills; bratty kids, failing marriage, shitty boss? End it all now with knitting! I mean really, are women now ditching their therapists and Zoloft for 2-5 sticks and some string like it's a miracle cure?
Any day now I'm waiting for the news report or book review that states "Knitting will help you achieve orgasms that'll have you screaming like Mariah Carey sings!"
(2) Just because its acrylic doesn't mean its Red Heart... and just because it's Red Heart doesn't mean it doesn't have its uses.
A selfish want of all things natural is what has lead to extinct creatures, plants, and resources all over the world. If we have the technology to recreate a lot of these fibers and not hurt the environment and save money, why not recreate them?
I spent 3 hours at my LYS (The Yarn Shop) this past weekend and to be honest I wasn't impressed with much there. From a distance everything looked like something I could get at Joann's and when touched it a lot of it felt down right creepy.
Alpaca was tacky/sticky, wool is wool is wool which is all good, rayon was too slick almost slimy, cashmere smelled funny (like a very musty slightly wet dog) and mohair felt the same fake or otherwise.
*shrug* But then that's just one Anti-Snobs' opinion. I don't care what you use as long as you don't give me shit about what I choose to use.
(3) & (4) Who the fuck cares as long as the finished project looks the way YOU want?! 'Nuff said.
(5) You know what I hate about competition? It always comes down to two things: Someone rules and someone sucks. I hate that. I'd go so far as to say I abhor it.
And making a competition out of a "relaxing" craft just defeats the point of it being relaxing. So just fucking stop it already.
(6) You're sick and selfish and I hope wolves eat your children.
(7) Snobbery at it's finest, eh? I happen to think some of the most beautiful designs I've ever seen have been a mix of two marvelous crafts.
Maybe if Julia Roberts added a crocheted lace trim to something you'd think it was less "tacky". Until then STFU.
/end Rant
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8 comments:
Hee. And this is why I try really hard to stop reading message boards/blog posts when people start being snotty (not talking about you here :). It's just knotting up yarn - who the hell cares how you do it?
[shrug]
I think a lot of people need to get over themselves. :)
Oh puhleeze, I am so sick of "knitting is better, knitters have class". Whatever. Frankly, I like using wool and mohair, but also like Caron Simply Soft (okay, I draw the line at Redheart, sorry dear). As for crochet being relaxing, it is very relaxing for me. Also, I make charity baby ghans and such. I somethimes thing someone won't appreciate it, but it doesn't stop me. If it makes one mom happy and one little baby cozy, that's all that counts.
Hee, this made me giggle.
couldn't have said it better.
use what you have, learn what's easiest to do. i found some hemp string at the 99cent store and i was thinking about making a bag from that....
i love redheart because it's cheap. for practice stitches, scarves, quick blankets, and the like i think it works just fine. natural fibers i stay away from since my hubby's a vegan. unless i'm right there with the sheep to make sure it hasn't been hurt or mistreated, i normally won't use any wool.
let's hear it for the rants!
jessica,
"its just knotting up yarn", lol soooo true. and i completely agree, someone people need to get over it, heh.
deneen,
my point about the acrylics is that someone people don't care how soft a hand it may have, such as simply soft, just because the label reads acrylic they won't use it. i know a lady that won't use wool-ease, one of my faves, because its 80% acrylic, but yet she doesn't have a problem using novelty yarns that are definately man-made.
sure RH isn't your best choice for a sexy lil' bikini or a thick ol' turtleneck but what's wrong with using it for rugs, bags/totes, and similar items where something that's tuff is a good thing? (i'm not really directing this at you, more the people that rag on and on about RH, heh)
pam,
i'm glad you found it funny. i try to make my rants at least a lil' amusing, hehe.
lady wyntir (have i mentioned just how neat ur name is, especially the spelling?),
heck yea hit up ur "dollar" stores and the like, ive found great prices on hemp, jute, and cotton yarn before.
ive helped a couple other people learn to crochet and i gave them "starter kits" that included amoung other things a nice big skien of RH for them to pratice and swatch their hearts out on.
all yarn, no matter who makes it, or what it's made of, has it's use. =) nobody says the only thing to crochet/knit is clothing that needs to be baby soft, heh.
I so agree!!! Half the blogs out there make me feel like a second-class citizen because I crochet with acrylics (gasp!). As long as I enjoy it, who cares?
My sentiments exactly...you go girl!
Oh, I forgot to say, crocheting and knitting are essentially the same type of knot. You just work on one loop at a time with a hook or several at a time with a needle. I have to say that all of the perpetrators of this insane fiber feud tend to be nouveau fiber enthusiasts. And that's way cool that they learned how to knit or whatever, but many of us have been knotting yarn for decades. Back in the day this feud was non-existent and it should have, imho, stayed that way.
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