Crochet etc.

The fact is a week or so ago I had what they call a sort of medical crisis. I got through it fine, and the details are typical, but what matters here is that I have lost more than a little good sewing time in various doctor's offices. BTW specialists are great but a shout out to wonderful family doctors like mine who say things like we know what to do for your body, but tell me what you are doing to heal your spirit. Seems to me that seeing the whole person is a speciality of another kind.

One of the conclusions, since I had a serious clot that moved up too far, was that I definitely will be wearing those heavy duty support units (I refuse to write hose) the rest of my life.

This will be a fashion challenge and to make me feel better my means-well husband said "well I guess your vanity days are behind you."

I am pretty sure that the look on my face, or the pot flying across the room in the direction of his head, made it clear this was not the right thing to say.

I mean - ha. Like that's going to happen.

We are actually going to be retaliating by ramping up the style, in fact.

Watch this space.

Which does not bring me in any way to what I want to write about next, which is crochet.

A while ago I started to crochet. I really like to knit but in these hands it is too damn slow. All I can do is about a sweater a year, and I mean, really.

So far since I have been crocheting I have made a couple of sweaters, two for me and one for a grandchild, two sort of afghan things, a market bag for my new daughter-in-law and started on a new sweater - all over about the four months.

I rest my case, speedways.

I also find crochet pretty easy and more relaxing than knitting, and definitely easier to rip out which I have done a lot of.

However there are some real differences between the knitting and crochet cultures. For instance garment patterns are no where near as easy to find in crochet as they are in knitting (any leads on good women's sweater/cardigans would be much appreciated).

Also, somewhat weirdly, whereas knitting really is into the yarn, the crochet world seems to be pre-occupied by synthetic yarn. Red Heart super saver for example seems a real favourite. These yarns of course coupled with the stronger structure of crochet can make for some stiff old fabrics and maybe this has resulted in the poor reputation crochet clothes have in some places.

So the less elite standards of crochet, and the fact crochet is so much faster, seems to have produced a culture that does a lot of nutty stuff, at least if you look at Ravelry. 

I mean who has the time, or mind, to think up stuff like I see in crochet patterns and do it? Knitters would never in a million years go down these roads.

Which maybe might be one of the most interesting things about this craft.

Illustrations of my point:

Crocheted poop. Who sits down and says, I think I will crochet some poop with some of my precious time on this earth. I want to meet this person.

A Marg Simpson hair hat. Of course.

When this child grows up they will kill you.

A decorative crochet cactus, assuming a crochet cactus would be decorative. Not something you would give as a gift. Not even a teacher present.

This might be a good time to share any of your own crochet related thoughts and insights. And of course good patterns.