Thoughts on craftiness
Dec. 5th, 2012 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valarltdI am a crafter. I am a compulsive crafter.
If I am not writing, I am crafting because my hands can't stand being still. And because it's better than chewing my nails and cuticles or fidgiting.
I tend to assume everyone is quite capable of everything I do. It's only been recently that I've learned this assumption is because I grew up in a family of crafters much more skilled and polymathic than I.
My maternal great-grandmother was a quilter and embroiderer. She also played the organ.
My maternal grandmother sewed and painted. She taught painting for years and years. Decopauge, wood-carving, papier-mache crafts and some sculpting also came into it. Her sisters embroidered and did counted cross-stitch. (my aunts lived in CA, and we didn't see much of them)
My maternal grandfather was a leather worker, a carpenter, and toyed with glass art.
My paternal grandmother played piano, she taught piano, and was a quilter and crocheter.
My paternal grandfather was a carpenter, woodcarver and pyrographer.
My mother played piano and flute, sews, knits, paints, crochets, embroiders, cross-stitches, quilts, scrapbooks and makes porcelain dolls. I have never seen her fail at any craft.
My sister sews at a level I will never attain.
Me, I crochet. I have no musical skill. I knit slowly and badly. I do counted cross-stitch and embroider. I used to sew, when I had a machine. (In my heyday, I had an SCA garb shop) I do a little woodwork and pyrography, but the wood doesn't love me like it did my grandfathers. I've done some jewelry work and milinary. (considering taking it back up)
And I know that most people don't appreciate the time and effort crochet take, unless they're crocheters who can make it themselves.
And this is why I tend to be insecure about my handcrafts.
If I am not writing, I am crafting because my hands can't stand being still. And because it's better than chewing my nails and cuticles or fidgiting.
I tend to assume everyone is quite capable of everything I do. It's only been recently that I've learned this assumption is because I grew up in a family of crafters much more skilled and polymathic than I.
My maternal great-grandmother was a quilter and embroiderer. She also played the organ.
My maternal grandmother sewed and painted. She taught painting for years and years. Decopauge, wood-carving, papier-mache crafts and some sculpting also came into it. Her sisters embroidered and did counted cross-stitch. (my aunts lived in CA, and we didn't see much of them)
My maternal grandfather was a leather worker, a carpenter, and toyed with glass art.
My paternal grandmother played piano, she taught piano, and was a quilter and crocheter.
My paternal grandfather was a carpenter, woodcarver and pyrographer.
My mother played piano and flute, sews, knits, paints, crochets, embroiders, cross-stitches, quilts, scrapbooks and makes porcelain dolls. I have never seen her fail at any craft.
My sister sews at a level I will never attain.
Me, I crochet. I have no musical skill. I knit slowly and badly. I do counted cross-stitch and embroider. I used to sew, when I had a machine. (In my heyday, I had an SCA garb shop) I do a little woodwork and pyrography, but the wood doesn't love me like it did my grandfathers. I've done some jewelry work and milinary. (considering taking it back up)
And I know that most people don't appreciate the time and effort crochet take, unless they're crocheters who can make it themselves.
And this is why I tend to be insecure about my handcrafts.
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no subject
Date: 2012-12-27 04:48 am (UTC)To be fair, I didn't take craft seriously until fairly recently; in school I was all about the books and the words. I have had to accept the fact that while I may surround myself with multiskilled artists and crafters, I myself have to limit what crafts I pursue if I want to do any of them well. I don't have time or energy to perfect them all. Fabric and fiber do not love me; I will probably never sew a straight seam, and neither knitting nor crochet bring me joy. I'm sticking with jewelry and some of the paper arts. I haven't tried woodwork, but I've had some progress with carving lino for block prints (I consider it related to paper art and thus allowable).
So anyway, that's my story, for what it's worth.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-28 02:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-28 05:23 am (UTC)On the upside, this means I can clear out some clutter. 8-) Speaking of which, I've got six skeins of Lionheart Homespun yarn in various shades of purple -- you want?