When you are a human who is compelled to make stuff, you make things that you don't even need yourself, just cause you need to make stuff! Many of the people I know don't know what it is like to just HAVE to make things. Is it an addiction? I can't think of any other word that really applies to the need to be practicing my crafts all the time... I love to quilt, but I am just about as addicted to yarn as I am to fabric -- well, technically they are FIBRE RELATED aren't they??
For the past few weeks I have been working on a baby afghan. I started it because I found two balls of Bernat Softee Baby Yarn at Value Village for only $.99 each! The colour was a lovely blue and I was inclined to create something in blue -- When I went to pay the cashier for the two balls of yarn, I was desperately hoping that I would be able to find some more "Softee" in at least a complementary colour at one of the shops in town so that the two balls I was getting would not end up being not enough for anything! A stop at Wal-mart did not yield any Bernat yarns, so I headed over to Micheals and not only did they carry Bernat Softee Baby, but they actually had the same colour! So even though the new store price was $5.99 a ball, I was in possession of the weekly (or is it bi-weekly now? ) 40% off coupon. So two more balls of this same yarn cost me 9.59 plus taxes... For an afghan a total material cost of less than $12. is pretty good, and has kept me well occupied for about 3 weeks of evenings sitting in my chair crocheting while watching TV -- give or take a few evenings... (and I think there is enough of the last ball of yarn to crochet a matching baby toque or cap to go with the afghan)
Now I am thinking maybe I shouldn't have disclosed the price that I paid for this yarn, but I love a good deal and can't help telling others but, I am considering setting up an ETSY or ARTFIRE store because making stuff that I don't need may be useful to someone else...
This little afghan is, I think an original design, simple but original at least to me because I followed no published pattern - which is actually the way I tend to crochet, patterns drive me nuts with the counting of stitches and rows, so I just do something til I get bored with that stitch or than many rows and try to put in something else that seems to fit. The frilly fluffy border too, was an "invent as you go" set of rows and with a couple of tries and a bit of counting (sometimes counting is necessary) I managed to crochet around the centre area and make all four corners have the exact right treatment in order to keep the frilly border consistent. I am quite proud of that accomplishment, actually....
Now, because I just have to keep making things -- I have started a traditional type granny square afghan... In the last 2 days of 'sittin in my chair, crocheting while watching TV I have made about 100 first round of the grannies in three different colours - orange, purple, and white -- more colours and rounds to come -- more visits to Value Village and the other 2nd hand stores to look for bright colour yarns -- I'm thinkin' this will be a BIG one...
