3KCBWDAY7: Crafting Balance

Crafting Balance

 Are you a knitter or a crocheter, or are you a bit of both ? If you are monogamous in your yarn-based crafting, is it because you do not enjoy the other craft or have you simply never given yourself the push to learn it ? Is it because the items that you best enjoy crafting are more suited to the needles or the hook ? Do you plan on ever trying to take up and fully learn the other craft ? If you are equally comfortable knitting as you are crocheting, how do you balance both crafts ? Do you always have projects of each on the go, or do you go through periods of favoring one over the other ? How did you come to learn and love your crafts ?

Well, I can crochet, and it is something I definitely wanted to do more of this year; but you know how it is, other stuff gets in the way. I also patchwork and embroider on an irregular basis. In comparison, knitting and crochet are 'quick' hobbies - if you only have a few minutes, you can pick it up and do a few rows/rounds (depending on the complexity of your pattern) in whatever time you have available; embroidery and patchwork, for me, are pastimes where I need to be able to devote a chunk of time to it so that I can focus and get into the 'flow' of what I'm doing.Sewing is also where my cursing is at its most inventive - I very rarely feel the need to swear when I'm knitting.

In addition, all the detritus equipment and other bits and bobs that are needed are not the kind of things where you can simply whip them in and out of whatever storage you have them in - they kind of have to be a semi-permanent fixture, or else you spend more time setting up and then packing up than you do crafting. Unless you are one of those very fortunate people with a dedicated craft room and a child  who is named something other than 'Destructo Boy' ....

My most recent crochet was the edgings and cuffs on this jacket for Milly; I find it much easier to improvise without a pattern in crochet, for some reason:

Oh, this is Milly:

 

And the patchwork I've done since the last KCBW (here and here), Mini Diva's pinker than pink cushion with appliqued hearts:

Which I didn't know she was so over pink until after I'd made it. Of course.

But actually, where I really need to find balance is between the internet and crafting. Because I am so nosy, and never want to miss out on anything, it is easy for me to get sucked into surfing for hours on the things I am interested in; the forums which cover my interests are, I guess, the biggest time-suck. But then, if I didn't surf, I would never find out about the latest patterns, soaps, decks, fabrics, yarns, techniques ....if you are reading this, then I know you totally get where I'm coming from with this.

So I'm off to Google 3KCBWDAY7 and lose yet more crafting time in the abyss of other crafting blogs ....