Courageous Crafting

Festive spinning project

Conversation heard at my house last night:

Me: (click, scroll, click) Ooh. (click, scroll, double click) Wow.
Hubby: What are you doing?
Me: (looks up from laptop) It's true.
Hubby: What is?
Me: Yarn really is the gateway drug
Hubby (rolls eyes and shakes head sadly)

And it really is true. I've been knitting since pre-teenage years and recently have accelerated due to all this fun online stuff. In the last year, I've tried weaving, dyeing, spinning and needle felting. Next, I'd like to try nuno felting and drum carding. Is there any end to the madness?

Happily, no.

Once upon a time I was afraid to branch out beyond knitting. My excuses were futile; not enough time, don't need to add another addiction, it'll cost more money. But in the end, I'm glad that I've become more of a fiber addict and enjoy the variety of the crafts more and more.

However. My kitchen has a small side table with yarns that are ready to dye and a basket of fiber that keeps coming in the mail. There's also a couple bags of various yarns and things hanging off the backs of chairs. Oh, and there's a shelf in the china cupboard filled with my etsy shop inventory.

Then, the living room has a little corner (okay, not so little) area that has a spinning wheel, fiber, and some other things on an end table. There's a basket of fiber related magazines and a few stray skeins of yarn that seem to wander around.

Finally, there's the craft room itself. Put on your biohazard suit and take your life in your feet, all ye who dare enter. Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to get to cleaning that out as a March project.

Do I really need all these things? Do I really need all these craft? Do I really need to look at trying more? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. These fiber crafts are pure joy (except for certain stupid fiber moments) and therapy. They are an expression of myself and keeps my creative current electrified. And looking at the other people around the fiber craft circles, I am not alone. In fact, it looks like I'm positively sane compared to many.

So, what is the point in this rambling? It is a resounding YES to you - who have held back at starting a new craft, the next step in your current one and the encouragement to get out there and just try something new and different. For everyone who goes forward in their arts and crafts, it causes ripples that affect us all. Picture us all as a long strand of split spliced fiber wound up into one lovely skein.

A couple years back, Interweave's Knitting Daily said to make this the year of Knitting Dangerously. My word to you - is to make this your time of Crafting Courageously.

Excuse me a moment while I go look up those classes on numo felting.

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Next Sunday, I'll be featuring Jamie and her daughter who started their business selling Zippy Pins. They have plenty of fiber related pins to needle you with as well. Find out the wonderful story on how they started and what they are doing next. Plus, they'll be giving away some pins to some lucky readers!

Speaking of giveaways, I promised one for this week.

This week's giveaway
Reply to this post and tell me what you'd like to craft courageously or are already crafting courageously. One entry per person. If you want to include more stories, that's great! But the first one will be the one that I count.

You have until Saturday, February 27th midnight CST to post. After that time, I will use a random number generater to pick one person at random to win the prize.

The prize will be a needle felted egg made by me.


Happy crafting to you all.

Needles Norman