NATIONAL CRAFTING MONTH MEET AND GREET

[nsfwords]

Welcome! Here is our space to squee about the current theme and tell others a bit about our crafting interests.

Below are the thematic questions for this months fest. Fill in as much or as little of it as you wish, depending on your interests as they relate to National Crafting Month.

 

My Name (how I wish to be known):
Type(s) of Crafting that I’ve tried:
I consider myself a Beginner, Intermediate, Master, or Other:
Crafting I’ve loved and/or loathed:
Project I’m particularly proud of:
Something I learned the hard way:
Something I haven't done yet, but I'd like to try:
Biggest crafting frustration(s):
Something else I'd like to share:

Feel free to copy this Meet and Greet into your blog as well as filling it out here.
<strong> My Name (how I wish to be known):</strong><br /><br /><strong>Type(s) of Crafting that I’ve tried:</strong><br /><br /><strong>I consider myself a Beginner, Intermediate, Master, or Other:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Crafting I’ve loved and/or loathed:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Project I’m particularly proud of: </strong><br /><br /><strong>Something I learned the hard way:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Something I haven't done yet, but I'd like to try:</strong><br /><br /><strong>Biggest crafting frustration(s):</strong><br /><br /><strong>Something else I'd like to share:</strong>

Comments

[meridian_rose]

My Name :
meridian_rose, Lisa

Type(s) of Crafting that I’ve tried:
outside of virtual things like writing and graphics/photography I've dabbled in sketching, knitting, needle felting, scrapbooking, resin, baking, latchhook and I've got a punch needle kit to try. Also diamond art/crystal art which is less 'creative' but very mindful. I also made some Christmas gonks and walnut dioramas amongst other Christmas crafting (this post has some photos)

I consider myself a Beginner, Intermediate, Master, or Other:
Mostly a beginner. I dabble a lot and am pleased when I actually complete a project.

Crafting I’ve loved and/or loathed:
needle felt projects! A mindful craft when you're not stabbing your fingers and it can be as basic/creative as you wish. My knitting is amateur hour but I've made some gift projects.

Project I’m particularly proud of:
I've got 3 things in this post with needle felt cat, latchhook cat cushion cover, and a diamond art robin

Something I learned the hard way:
felting needles are sharp. The warning culture has made me more sceptical of just how dangerous things actually are but these needles are SHARP for real.

Something I haven't done yet, but I'd like to try:
so many; leather, metalwork, stained glass, mosaics. I'd love to try resin again as it didn't go well last time I made paperweights.

Biggest crafting frustration(s):
expense. That's the major factor for not trying more things. Also crochet; I did it in the past but every time I try now I cannot get the tension right so I go back to knitting! No matter how much I try to always knit/purl and end on a purl row in a project (so I always begin with a knit row) I often mid-project get it muddled/twisted and end up with a 'wrong' row in my otherwise flat piece /sigh/

strong>Something else I'd like to share: I've been making craft posts at my journal usually tagged #crafts: other to distinguish from crafts: cooking but at some point I may have to add more specific tags. Also ysabetwordsmith rec'd the craft community get_knitted which hosts discussions and provides encouragement for all kinds of crafts and I've been very much enjoying that one

[nsfwords]

I really like your diamond art Robin card - that turned out fantastic! Also, here here! on the expense of crafting. When did making it yourself turn into a luxury, and buying it cheap from the bigbox store the more economical option!?

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> When did making it yourself turn into a luxury, and buying it cheap from the bigbox store the more economical option!? <<

When automation and economy of scale made it cheap to produce sort-of-okay things, and later, as companies outsourced manufacture to places with cheap labor.

Another factor is stagnating or falling wages while cost of living skyrockets, certain things like food and housing rise even faster, and new demands like internet and paid TV get added to monthly bills. The result is people trying to do more with less, so they often can't afford to buy what they want or need.

However, folks with a homestead or even just a yard may be able to produce some of their own craft materials. If you're into flower arranging, you can grow your own. If you want to grow dye plants, it's no harder than gardening anything else. If you want to tie flies, you can fit chickens in a small space and use their feathers. Willows and dogwoods can be small bushes and make great craft materials for wreaths, basketmaking, etc.

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :)
I'm in agreement; making something or even baking something, is now far more expensive than buying something.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

While that can be true, it isn't always. Some things are way cheaper to make than to buy. Other things are more trouble than it's worth to make. People spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on fancy cakes, but if you're good at that, you can just make your own. It also matters how much you're making. If you're going to use up the whole bag of flour, sugar, etc. baking cookies then each one will probably be a lot cheaper than if you bought them. But if you only make one batch, then it's more expensive.

There are other considerations too.

* Can you even find the thing to buy it? Much of what I make isn't actually available for sale, partly because my tastes differ from the Standard American Diet and partly because I like to devise my own recipes. I had to start making my own sloppy joe sandwich filling because it became impossible to find a canned version that wasn't lightly flavored high-fructose corn syrup. :P My version consists of a grocery bag of assorted produce cooked down in a crockpot with ground meat added.

* Can you make something as good as or better than the storebought version? I'm not going to bother making madras lentils because we can buy great ones in packets. But no restaurant has come close to my partner's lentil dal or my ginger ice cream.

[smallhobbit]

I'm with you in reverting to knitting over crotchet!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I also made some Christmas gonks and walnut dioramas amongst other Christmas crafting (this post has some photos)<<

Wow, those are awesome.

>> expense. That's the major factor for not trying more things.<<

Yeah, that's a huge limiting factor for some crafts like painting or handspinning. Some are more variable. You can start crochet with one hook and a cheap skein of yarn, but the moment you want to work in wool or something else nice, the price skyrockets. :/ Sketching is cheap but paint is expensive.

I wish there were more places that had lots of equipment and supplies, with classes or workshops for different crafts, so people could pay an affordable monthly fee and get to dabble with lots of different things to see what they like -- or enjoy a craft like handspinning where the hardware is super expensive.

I'm happy I could tip you to a good community!

Re: Thoughts

[meridian_rose]

Thank you :) I might make more walnut dioramas this year.
More affordable classes/workshops would be amazing. They can bulk buy and you can try out different crafts without the expensive materials. I'd love to try out a Cricut machine and as I said, maybe try some metalwork or glasswork.

[shaddyr]

Also crochet; I did it in the past but every time I try now I cannot get the tension right so I go back to knitting!

I am the opposite. I am no good at knitting, I find crochet so much easier. I only ever have to worry about one live stitch instead of a needle full of them.

[meridian_rose]

There are people who do both but there a lot of people who prefer knitting or crochet and can't get the hang of the other so we're in good company :)