Sunday 29 April 2012

Crafting Balance - 3KCBWDAY7

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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 favouring one over the other? How did you come to learn and love your craft(s)?
You would never know it from my blog or my Ravelry Projects Page, but I actually learnt how to crochet before I learnt to knit.  I taught myself from a book, The Encyclopedia of Crochet Techniques. I really enjoyed learning to crochet and loved the sturdy 3D forms I could make and the lacy blankets that I was having fun with.

Early Crochet
Early Crochet

Then as I was looking at the more advanced crochet patterns I found myself wanting to create smooth fabric.  I liked the idea of learning to knit so I could create smooth fabrics and then apply lacy crochet to embellish them.  I tried to find a book to teach me to knit and found I got the basics but when I tried to understand knitting patterns I struggled.  So I took a class to learn how to knit and was taught how to read patterns.  And I'm afraid that was it, I was addicted to the needle as opposed to the hook.  I left the hook stranded as I explored my passion.

Early Knitting
Early Knitting

It is only recently, nearly 4 years later, that I find myself wanting to crochet more.  I think Marie at Underground Crafter was the instigator, when she sent me the Tunisian Crochet Hook and instructions how to use it.  That made me start looking at how interesting crochet could be, and it didn't all have to be bags and toys.

Tunisian Crochet Scarf 01

Also looking at modern crochet magazines has inspired me to start improving my skills, in particular patterns such as; Infinity Wrap, Rosemary Sweater, Rapunzel and Boteh Scarf.

There have recently been members of my knitting group who have brought crochet projects that have really interested me.  I want to move past the small scale projects and start moving up.  I really want to increase my crochet skills so that I can chose the best craft for each design idea I have.

It will be quite a long road to learning how to crochet as well as I can, but I spent 4 years getting to the stage I am with knitting, so why not spend the same amount of effort of learning to crochet too?

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