Friday Focus - Crafts

Sock Thing

 I don't  consider myself a "crafty" sort of person  neither in the formal sense, clever in usually a deceptive or dishonest way, nor in the informal sense of being adept at the making of decorative objects and other things by hand. When I think of the former I think of sly espionage agents or crooked lawyers, when I think of the latter the marvelous Lucy at Attic 24, her crochet designs are gorgeous, or my friend Jenny, who can take a plain piece of fabric and make a window valence or pine-cones to make Christmas ornaments, come to mind.

I on the other hand don't even think of stuff like that, until last year I had never even used a hot glue gun! So the other day when I was in the doctors' office laboriously working on what my family has lovingly dubbed the "stress sock", when I heard a lady exclaim oh I wish I could do something like that! I'm just not a crafty person, I immediately looked up, narrowly avoiding poking myself in the eye with one of my knitting needles, wanting to see who this wonderfully crafty person was and if she/he could help me with this muddle of a project I am working on.

The lady gestured to the mass of yarn I had on my lap, "What are you making?"

"A sock," I told her, because that is what the pattern says it is supposed to be even though it more closely resembled a bloated boa constrictor.

She smiled at me, shook her head, "That is wonderful! I could never knit, I am no good at 'crafty' things."

Then she walked away leaving me dumbfounded, because the person she had been talking about was me!

Even though I  crochet, knit, and am learning to sew, it never occurred to me that any of these things counted as being crafty. I always thought a "crafty" person was one who made perfectly frosted cupcakes, and cute snowmen out of cotton balls, one who painted decorative frames to give out as party flavors, someone who does a myriad of things I am too scared to try because I fear I won't do it perfectly the first time. I love playing with yarn, it makes me happy and I love watching the things I make being worn, eaten, and read by others. Maybe being crafty has less to do with natural artistic ability and more to do with a willingness to try and fail and try again. What do you think?

With that in mind am going to keep slogging on the sock and cast on for the scarf Nana wants for Christmas.

Have a good weekend!
Kim
P.S.
I will be participating in Vegan MoFo (Month of Food) this year so starting Monday look for yummy eats and recipes.