Yarn Crafting
This past week I learned how to crochet. My mom sat down with me and showed me the basic double stitch and I got started on a scarf. Several mistakes were made, and I have had to start over, and pull stitches out to fix the fact that I missed a loop earlier in the project. Overall though, I have found it to be an interesting challenge.
Growing up my grandma tried to teach me to crochet and it never stuck. I could create several very long chains but never got beyond that skill. Patience is not my strong suit and because of that, I would give up before really giving it a shot. At the time my ADHD was undiagnosed, so I was unaware of the reason why I didn’t have a very long attention span for things that frustrated me. Crocheting was just challenging enough at the time that I just gave up and tried other crafts.
When my mom sat down with me, she showed me one stitch, which happened to be the double stitch, and then let me move at my own pace. I know that I have other options for stiches, but at the time she only gave me the one. (Fun fact: When my mom taught my sister, she showed her the single stitch. When I asked why she showed me the double instead, she just said that it was the one that came to mind when she sat down with me.)
Almost every day I have sat down with my scarf project and completed a row or two. It has been nice to have something to do with my hands while I watch tv or listen to music. The yarn has become a fidget to keep my hands busy that isn’t electronic. Normally I would be scrolling through things on my phone while watching YouTube or streaming a tv show. Learning to at least do a simple stitch of crotchet has given me something else to keep that over active brain of mine busy, so I can simply enjoy being in the moment.
With all the benefits that I have found, I am still not positive that this new hobby will stick. Only time will tell…
Chalkfest: 2023
Today I went to see all the incredible artists at Chalkfest with my friend B. For those of you who have never heard of this festival, let me explain. The local college, that I also graduated from, University of Wisconsin: Eau Claire hosts a day long event that invites local artists to come and decorate a square of the sidewalk along the central area of the academic buildings on campus. Each artist pays a small fee and they get several hours to create these incredible works of art. They use art chalks to cover the pavement in vibrant hues that quite a bit of the community comes to see.
Chalkfest has become a family event, with area set aside for the kids under twelve to also get involved in sharing their creative spirits. Food stands were also up and running, several local favorites setting up booths. A crowd favorite was the cotton candy booth that was spinning the sugar fresh for each order. Of course the BluGolds (UWEC Mascot/Student name) had to get in on the action and set up several stands to serve up grilled food and fresh coffee. (Although the heat of the day made the coffee stand a lonely place to be.)
B. and I did two laps of the art while it was in the process of being created. On the second one I broke out my camera and took several photos of my favorite works. The detail and vibrant colors that the artist were able to create blew my mind and I was so glad I remembered to bring my DSLR so I could capture even just a bit of their beauty. (Hopefully I can get those photos up on my portfolio soon! Please check back) Also on the second lap B. was enjoying a small cupcake sized cheesecake from one of the food vendors. She said that the raspberry lemon flavor was very refreshing and helped cool her down.
Back when I would return to campus each fall, I would make guesses in my head about which square would last the longest. The colors are so rich that many of the works of art will only slightly fade with each rain instead of washing completely away like the sidewalk hopscotch we used to draw as kids. Since this was my first time seeing the art the day it was created, I welcomed the different perspective on something that I hold fond memories of from back in college.
B. and I finished out our adventure with a stop at Culver’s for lunch and a nice long chat. I am still thrilled that she decided to move back to the area after getting her advanced degree in Minnesota. My day was filled with warm sun, laughter, good music, and great food. The best part of going to see such incredible art, was sharing it with B. and getting her take on each one. Discussing art has always been fun form me, so I am happy to have another person to share it with. Thank you B. for a lovely day!