I know the previous post says I’ll be using Tumblr but I think I’ll keep Tumblr as more of a moblog and keep my blogging to, well, my blog!
I was just reading some posts over at happythings and remembering one of the very first knitting patterns I ever found online, for a super easy hat made with giant needles. I can’t knit anymore because it hurts my hands but I got to thinking about how I went crazy finding knitting patterns online. I do the same now, with sewing patterns. The amount of free patterns that are available is pretty mind blowing. What’s even more mind blowing is how many people don’t seem to know this! Maybe it’s because I spend far too much time online (something I’m vowing to change, for sanity’s sake) but one of the very first thoughts I have when starting a new craft is “What can I find for free online?”
Typing in “Free knitting patterns” (or crochet, or sewing, or whatever you do) brings up so many hits that even when you think you’ve found everything you could possibly find, more turn up! At this point, I have somewhere around 10 binders (some very large ones too) full of sewing patterns/tutorials and nearly all of them were free.
I don’t think it’s some well kept secret of the Illuminati that you can find free patterns and tutorials online, so why aren’t more people looking? And I don’t mean your grandma who isn’t quite sure how you can talk to someone in China on the internet and not rack up long distance charges. Young people. Younger than me, even! And they don’t seem to realize just how much FREE stuff there is. Crazy…
I’ve started taking a quilting class with my mom. I like that we’re doing this together. Without incriminating myself, should anyone stumble onto this, I’ll simply say that there have been some instances where comments that I find quite offensive have been made. Frankly, I was raised to understand the difference between polite conversation and the topics you discuss with close friends and family. Apparently, not everyone understands what constitutes polite conversation and what constitutes inflammatory topics. So, while I love the lady who is giving the class, I’m not so thrilled with everyone in it. It did get me thinking though, about how much fun it would be to get together with a more like minded group to work on projects and chat.
I’ve been invited to a stitch and bitch group by someone I know. I’ve actually been invited several times. I’m sure sooner or later she’ll give up asking. The reason I haven’t gone is two-fold. The first is that I sew and I’m not entirely sure what I could do at a stitch and bitch. I can’t lug my machine and ironing board there (or can I? ha). So that conundrum is the main reason why I have yet to accept this invitation. The second is far more silly and that is that I’m shy. I have had some bad experiences (things I won’t bother talking about here) where I’ve not really felt accepted or welcome around people I don’t know. It’s easy for me to say this online but believe me it’s true, I’m a nice person! I get along really well with people and I’m actually very friendly. That sounds like a contradiction to the shyness but it’s not. The shyness is left over from when I was younger and the only thing that makes me apprehensive now is that feeling like maybe I’ll get a cold shoulder when I go into a situation where I actually only know one person there. I’ve got no problem with meeting new people and talking to strangers but that feeling of being unwelcome nags the bag of mind and keeps me from going into social situations where I know only one or two people. And while the rational part of my mind is quite certain that I’d have a fantastic time with these particular stitch and bitch girls, the irrational part of my mind is just screaming, run, run as fast as you can! If I ever figure out what, exactly, I could do while I was there, I’d kick that irrational voice right to curb and join the group. I don’t sew by hand though, so I’m just really not sure what I could bring to work on!
I’m still on the fence about the whole quilting thing but I’ve always wanted to learn so here I am, learning. I’ll post a photo when it’s all done. I think more than anything, I love that I’m doing this with my mom. There is another mother and daughter in the group and I also kind of love that as well. It just seems so old fashioned and funny in a way. It’s nice.
I like to think that somewhere in this universe, my grandmother and her sisters are smiling as they watch me take up these things that they once did. I wish they were alive so that I could show them. I hope they can see from where they are.
