Being Boring

I think this might have been among the greater amounts of time between posts since I began the blog, so I apologise; I just don’t seem to have done very much so far this week! (Well I have, but not the things I blog about.)

98. The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort by EllynAnne Geisel

I finished this book yesterday (by which I mean Tuesday), and found it a bit overdone. The author is very enthusiastic about her subject, and has some great photographs, nice patterns and interesting anecdotes, but I amn’t convinced aprons make for a philosophy of life or history, the way she promotes them. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy reading the book, just that I wasn’t swept along by it.

I didn’t crochet at all last night, for no good reason, but I did get a good bit further on with the Seraphina this evening at the knit (etc.) group, although it’s still not finished. I really must end it off in the next few days, however, as I really want to wear it on Pesach.

I made a little knitting spool today, from bits and pieces lying around at work (so no photo, I’m afraid). I used the tube from a roll of address labels as the spool, six of the large, strong paperclips (which I bent the smaller end of slightly, by hand against the table, to hold the yarn better), and cloth tape to hold it all together. The whole thing is really very strong, as I tested it with a whole series of elastic bands as the ‘yarn’. I amn’t sure what to usefully make with a spool that size, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something, and if nothing else it’ll show some possibilities to one of my potential crochet students who preferred to learn this craft instead, and is using the Klutz Spool Knitting book/kit. It’s a very good kit, and has some great ideas and equipment for making necklaces and bracelets with or without beads, but I want to show her that there are things even beyond that (like making patterns with more than one colour of yarn, for instance).

Hm, perhaps I should photograph some of my home made spools, and the scarves I’ve made with them. Not now, but hopefully soon…

Tags: aprons, blogging, books, costume history, crochet, EllynAnne Geisel, Seraphina's Shawl, spool knitting, The Apron Book