I Got Distracted Yet Again

I'm back. I got a little distracted. In my post dated April 11 entitled, "Where Are The Projects", I talk about one of my favorite words - variety. Yes I am a person that loves variety. That's why I have such a passion for the needlearts because there is such a variety. It's like a travel map. You look at either a world map or a US map and you might start thinking of a vacation in New York and end up planning a trip to Europe. It depends upon what you like to do. Maybe you are a hiker, you love museums, tours of ancient cities, beaches (no walking just relaxing), culture, it is a list of endless ideas of pure fun. You do research on the Internet or go to your library for travel books to pick out what you want to do when you get there. You're on an adventure of the unknown that gets you all excited to get there and explore.

That's the way I feel about my needlearts. It is an unknown adventure. You see the picture of the project you want to make, but how is it really going to look when you do it. In many of our cases we see many pictures of wanna be's that can call out to us, the same as a world map can call out at us to want to travel to those places. Of course, reality sets in and the two things that might balance your thinking is time and money.

With me, I get distracted and I see a pattern that I just must do - now. That was the case with the chrysanthemum tea shawl in the Amazing Crochet Lace book by Doris Chan. I just had to make that shawl on the cover - start it in the moment. So I did and I love it. There are at least three more patterns in that book that I want to make. I borrowed the book from the library.

The concept is a big doily and the patterns have been created to modernize them into something you can wear. Now you might be saying, "I don't want to walk around with a big doily on." You don't want to say that about these. They are fashion forward and beautifully constructed. It was really fun to make because you build on it and you don't have to worry about that very small steel hook that makes very small stitches. These patterns are worked with a big hook and big stitches. So it works up fast and you get to see the result fast.

If you want a bit of a new challenge (depending upon your skill level) and something that looks beautiful on, then I would recommend doing one of these projects in this book. See if your local library has the book or if they can get it from another library. I'm sure you will love the book so much that you will want to add it to your personal library.

I posted my finished shawl on flikr.

Getting back to traveling and having fun, I hope that if you are one of those, like myself, that the money is short because of the economy and/or you got displaced from your job, that you do research on free events in your area. For example, there is music in the park, a free day at a museum or a local festival. There are free events in a lot of places. You can do things on the cheap and still have fun.

"Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you"
Aldous Huxley