21 Comments

You ask the longest time crafting....8 hours warping a loom. I was afraid to stop and lose my place! My back was not happy with me after that day.

As for your short rows, have you considered making a test piece to learn the process? I've done that with unfamiliar stitches so I didn't mess up the main piece.

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Wow! That's a long stint and I can imagine your back was feeling it :) That's a great tip to test new techniques on a test piece and I'm certainly going to do that. I've been enjoying a fairly easy time of knitting the Flow Tee and don't want to start making problems for myself now! :)

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When I was knitting Christmas presents I would knit with any free time (and make free time by avoiding chores!). This probably works out to 3-4 stretches a day or at least 2 hours a stretch. My hands and wrist certainly let me know I needed to stop. Two pairs of socks got to the recipients after Christmas, but they didn’t care.

I’m so glad you had a quote from Austen and Persuasion in particular--one of my favorites.

I have no guesses for the quote this week except the use of the word “faculty” makes it seem last century or 19th.

The wedding ring shawl is either Shetland or Russian (Orenburg??).

Thanks for the questions. I love them!

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That's lovely that you gift knit and your socks were well received. Knitting is so much more fun than chores :) Our hands and wrists certainly know when we've reached our limits. I adore Jane Austen novels. I'm so glad to know you enjoy the questions and I love that you have a go at answering them. Thank you Jane.

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Very beautiful heirloom also!

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The longest I’ve spent crafting is around 8hours. With sewing it’s really easy to get caught up in the process and forget about time. Knitting is less so because my hands give immediate feedback when I’ve been at it too long.

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Thanks so much for sharing Tashay. I can imagine you lose track of time when sewing. Our hands certainly let us know about long sessions! :)

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What a unique and lovely heirloom from your mom, Jodie! Your tee is coming out beautifully and I am so glad you'll be knitting and listening to a Richard Osman book while finishing out the rest of it. It is in my queue as well.

Last week I finished Lessons in Chemistry. Since you had asked , I just wanted to share my thoughts on that one. Yes, I enjoyed it a lot and heartily recommend the book.

However, just a few chapters into the story, for a while, I felt the characters were too much black and white. But I am glad I stuck with it till the end. The writing was quite remarkable in a lot of places and the characters grew on me slowly. :)

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Thank you Kavitha, I'd love to know more about the heirloom piece. The Last Devil To Die was excellent and I know you'll love it too! It's wonderful to read your thoughts about Lessons in Chemistry. Funnily enough my Mum is reading it at the moment and is thoroughly enjoying the book. I'm looking forward to reading it and will have your thoughts on it in the back of my mind. :)

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Moms would LOVE it for sure. Sorry I might accidentally spoil something for you if I talk more. :))))))

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My longest streak is 6 hours. I am in a group that started as a KAL/cancer treatment support group. We all made Journey Shawls and are continuing to meet because we just have too much fun!

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That's a long time! How wonderful that you all still meet up and have so much fun together. I'd love to see a pic of your Journey Shawl. :)

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I have it in Google photos, but can't figure out how to post it here!

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Unfortunately you can't add a photo to a comment. A couple of options I know about is replying to my Fiber Friday email and attach the photo or post a Note in the Substack app and tag me :) I'd love to see your Journey Shawl.

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The crocheted watch fob is a treasure! Is that a little pocket behind the flower where the watch would be placed? It reminds me of the watches that were designed to be pinned to the breast of nurses' uniforms rather than on the wrist where they might get dirty. The watch faces were up-side-down so they could be easily read.

I have made a few fine crochet pieces and edgings. I also have many pattern leaflets that used to be free or very low cost which were produced by the cotton thread manufacturers. I once made a small set of filet crochet curtains for a kitchen window. Surprising how fast this type of crocheting can go even with very small crochet hooks.

As to your quote with regard to the benefits of using our hands, I do not know who said that, but that was the reason for some of the things that were taught in school when I was young. And I have read more recently that skills that use our fingers are very good for our brains. Even such things as typing and playing a musical instrument stimulate parts of our brains in ways that are just know being appreciated and benefit us in old age.

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Yes indeed ithe pocket is behind the flower Sandy. That's interesting about the Nurses' watches, makes perfect sense to not have them on their wrists. So would you describe this as filet crochet? I'm amazed that you crocheted curtains with such a fine hook! What an effort that would have been and beautiful too. To keep our fine motor skills going throughout life as you say benefits us. Both in physical capacity and our neural pathways.

I type regularly and now have an ergomic keyboard that took a bit of getting used to but I really appreciate how much more comfortable it is.

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Your piece is more like crocheting a doily to me. A very fancy doily to be sure! 😃 Filet crochet is done more like knitting in that you start at the bottom and work up in rows by row of crochet. Here is a uTube video that shows the basics in regular yarn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbI9e53n-Rw

I know 2 people who also love their ergomic keyboards! One switched because she worried she was starting to get carpal tunnel syndrome. So far she has had no problems and is very happy using her ergomic keyboard.

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Thanks very much Sandy for sharing about Filet crochet. Great to hear of others who benefit from ergonomic products. Which brings me to asking you, do you prefer ergonomic crochet hooks?

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When I crochet which is rare these days, I still use regular old crochet hooks. I find them perfectly comfortable. I do have an ergomic designed rake that I have almost worn out after 15 years of use it in raking up the leaves of 2 huge chestnut trees each fall, and I am a little worried that I may not be able to find a replacement.

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Thank you for sharing Sandy :) I hope that your ergonomic rake lasts a while longer. That sounds like a big job in the fall.

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I spent most afternoons over the summer crocheting, spending probably an average of 6-8 hours a day with a hook in my hand. I made some baby clothes and a toy for a friend and then got started on Christmas projects. It was very relaxing to be able to sit and focus on my work without the television being on (at least for most of the time). As a Catholic, I appreciate such quiet times as an opportunity to try to pray!

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