Art vs. Craft

I think about this a lot.  A lot.

I’m never quite sure where I stand, except that I know that I don’t have a problem with the word ‘craft’.  I mean, obviously.  For one thing, “I don’t think that word means what you think it means” (bonus points for movie identification). 

OK, so, I am a  word nazi, which is highly anti-social and also annoying for everyone else who is just trying to get along.  For example, last night, a very nice man tried to be jovial about a bunch of us sitting in the pub and knitting.  He said ‘I’ve never seen a bunch of people just sitting and knitting in a pub.  It’s very homely’.  I, irritatingly, pointed out that he had just called us all ugly, and that, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I think that he meant to say ‘homey’.  Homely means ’she has a nice personality’.  It’s what you say about the serious sister, when you’re trying to be nice.  The poor man protested nobly for a minute, and then beat a hasty retreat.  Are we surprised that I am single?

ANYWAY.  So, Craft.  Etym online tells me that it is from the old English, and meant ‘power, strength, might’.  I guess, as in wizards?  Then it changed, to mean ’skill or art, via a notion of ‘mental power’.  Melvyn Bragg tells me that it changed a little when the Netherlands invaded Englad, since ’skill’ is a Dutch word, like most ‘-ill’ words in English.  And just like ’sick’ changed when ‘ill’ came in, ‘craft’ changed when ’skill’ came in.

Then it started to mean ‘trade’.  You know, like an artist does art.  An artisan, well, (s)he has a craft.  What’s wrong with that?

The other day I was sitting in the lunch room with a bunch of people.  One was A, a worker who is running an art therapy/community discussion programme.  He had an ‘actual, real’ artist with him – some guy who had been doing community plays to discuss issues like suicide with youth.  A also crochets, along with other things, and we have discussions quite regularly about hand-work.  A introduced me as ‘an artist’.

And I knew, right then, where I came down.  I am not an artist.  I could be.  I know knitters who are.  But I am not.

Knitting someone else’s pattern is not art.  There is art in choosing colours and patterns, but it is not Art, in and of itself.  It’s just not.

I have technical skill.  And I hope to have more.  But I feel that I’m more comparable to an apprentice who is learning to mix chemicals to make paints, than to the artist who uses them.

Which is fine.  Why is that a problem?  Every artist needs craft, too.  It’s the basis of their art!  Technical skill, plus talent.  And I’m not saying I couldn’t one day make that leap.  Because it’s not really a leap.  It’s a continuum.

Why does every expression of self need to be recognised as High Art to be valid? (she asks, ironically, on her blog).  I was listening to an episode of Y knit where they talked about this.  It was really interesting.  At the end of it, they had a few snippets form all different people.  One of them put it something like this:  Why does it have to be like what men do (art) to be worthwhile?  Why can’t it just be what it is.  Sometimes useful.  Sometimes beautiful.  Sometimes art.  Sometimes craft.  What is the big deal?

Then I was reading this post by Audrey.  She was talking about art.  What is it for?  What makes it art?  Who gets to say?

I so often find that what people think is art doesn’t seem anything like art, to me.  It’s not beautiful of itself.  It’s not thought provoking, or even, for post-post-modern little old me, shocking.  It does not start a conversation or continue it.  It doesn’t speak to soemthing deep within me.  I can’t see a message or a symbol, or read a story into it.  Often art, high or low, seems dead and flat and… boring.  Maybe it expresses something within the artist that needed to get out.  I wouldn’t know.  But so often, what I am presented with as ‘Art’ seems to be to be the real-world manifestation of blogging.  Just to say ‘here I am!  I am important!! Listen to meeeeeee because I am IMPORTANT!!!!’

Is that what I should want to be?

All I know is that my jumper is warm and snuggly and in no way a comment on the society I live in.  It is useful in a way totally divorced from what art is.  And I don’t want it to be associated with ArtwithacapitalA.  That is for something else.  And often, I find, irrelevant to my life.

And essentially, that’s why I keep knitting.  Because it’s relevant to my life.

Is that a euphamism?

OK.  So, I was googling around a bit, because every time I read Angry Chicken, I want paper dolls.  (curse you!!)  And I was thinking about these paper dolls we had when I was a kid, of these Victorian  women, and all their dresses had a write up on the back.  Like ‘Morning Dress: Morning Dresses were worn when….’ etc.

And they had backdrops – a garden, a sitting room, a dressing room.  So I was wondering if I could find pictures of the same ones.  And I came across this site, with all these pictures.  And these Victorian ones.  And I was looking through.  Until I came to the wedding dress.  I looked at it, I moved on.  Then, I came back.

The groom.  Is attached.  to the dress.  He’s an accessory.  Does anyone else think that this is weird/funny?

I used to have dreams like that.  Where I would be freaking out about getting married, and then it would turn out I wasn’t really getting married, I just got to have a party and a cool dress.  One time the groom was actually a cardboard cutout.

Frued would be rolling in his grave.

I know you’ll all be shocked…

 

you are mediumauqamarine #66CDAA

Your dominant hues are cyan and green. Although you definately strive to be logical you care about people and know there’s a time and place for thinking emotionally. Your head rules most things but your heart rules others, and getting them to meet in the middle takes a lot of your energy some days.Your saturation level is medium – You’re not the most decisive go-getter, but you can get a job done when it’s required of you. You probably don’t think the world can change for you and don’t want to spend too much effort trying to force it. Your outlook on life is brighter than most people’s. You like the idea of influencing things for the better and find hope in situations where others might give up. You’re not exactly a bouncy sunshine but things in your world generally look up.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

 

Oh, look. Greeny blue. How did that happen?

Urge to knit…. rising…

OMG do I want to knit right now.

However, knitting at work is frowned on, if not downright forbidden.

But, I have nothing on this weekend. I tell a lie. I have things on in the evening. But the days – the days are mine, all mine ahahahahahahahahah!11!!!!!!1!

Ahem. Excuse my excitement. But you see, this means:

• I can sleep in both days
• I can clean and tidy my aparment.  Ok, so maybe you think I’m bonkers that this is second on my list of exciting things I can do with my free weekend.  But you should see my flat!  It looke like a boy lives there!  There’s technology all over the couch, books and paper all over the table, wet washing still in the machine (gross), the bathroom hasn’t been cleaned in two weeks (ok, so only one person has been using it, and I’ve lived with much worse, but stil: gross), craft stuff on the floor, the kitchen is trashed, and the rabbits, although clean enough, need a thorough clean out of their cage.  It’s driving me crazy.  My little haven of a flat is no longer havenly.  (It’s a word.  Now.)
• I CAN KNIT.  And I don’t mean tink a bit.  I mean KNIT.  Sit down with my ipod (or my brand new speakers – w00t) and listen to some great friends, and KNIT.  For hours.  And hours.  And possibly some more hours after that.  Bliss!

And I am having serious sock urges.  This is weird, for me.  I gues I’ve experienced it before, though.  Every time I get halfway through a first sock, I think ‘wow.  This is fast!  And look!  Pretty sock!’ and I then think I am going to knit myself a million socks in a week.  When actually, if I could just sit down and freaking knit them, it is faster to knit jumpers.  For me, anyway.  I like jumpers.

However, I do have all this sock yarn… (don’tknowhowthathappenediswear).  Also, I have some knittery yarn (this one) that I’ve been hoarding, that really needs to be socks.  And they’re so portable! (say this like no one has ever noticed that before.  I’m such a maverick.)

It’s still only Thursday, right?  Curses.

Impulse control

I am poor.  I am cash poor.  But I am rich in yarn! 

Now, bear in mind that I had already had a vodka, there was literally* a table full of yarn in front of me, and I have a soft spot for semi-solids.  Quite a large one.  Now you understand why I bought four skeins.  Of sock yarn.  AND I DON’T REGRET IT, YA HEAR?!  Not one teeny bit.

Although a friend visiting did comment with some alarm on the fact that my dining table was literally* piled with knitting patterns and yarn. 

Then, on Sunday, we went to visit Mel at her stall at the Port Adelaide markets.  I didn’t buy any yarn.  Although there is some cashmere with my name on it.  But it was a very close thing, people.

I might need to work on my restraint.  Or, alternatively, I could find some moderately-legal way of boosting my income.

But then that would cut into my knitting time.  Of which I don’t seem to get much these days.

See, for years, I had a very minimal (some might say nigh-on non-existent) social life.  And I liked it that way.  I truly, truly did.  I mean, everyone needs human contact.  But I need less than most people.  And I need a lot (a LOT) of alone/quiet time.  Just to let my brain tick over.  Maybe I’m slow, or something.  But that’s one of the reasons that knitting works for me.  Because it makes me be still, but still mentally available, if that makes sense.  Enough of my attention is engaged that I am not bored, but there are spare cycles for digesting things.

If I don’t do this, I get cranky and irritable (well, more so).  And I start having weird dreams.  So I developed multiple ways to politely say ‘no’ to invitations to places I didn’t want to be, to people I didn’t want to be with.

But lately people I like and are fun and interesting have been inviting me to things.  Makes it very hard to say ‘no’.  And I’m glad when I say ‘yes’.  But it does cut into the knitting time a fair bit.

I finally have a free evening tonight.  So now – what do I work on?  I’m currently addicted to knitting my first Monkey sock, in a looovely shade of green tofutsies.  Then there’s my CPH, which needs it’s sides and sleeves, and is a fun knit.  Or cobblestone the second, which is halfway up one sleeve, and the rush of completion is tantalisingly close.  Or maybe the Henley I guiltily cast on in alpaca.  Or there’s a vest I want to knit that I have half the yarn for….. and my mystery alpaca jumper that is awaiting sleeve calculations…

Or, on the other hand, I need to cook.  And my busy weekend meant that I didn’t get my week’s housework in, so that could stand doing.  Also, I have these shelves that I bough at IKEA, that are destined to hold crafty stuff.  I moved my crafty stuff all out of the drawers that it was in, so that they could go into the kitchen.  So now I need to finish staining the shelves so I can put them together so I can GET THAT STUFF OFF OF THE FLOOR.  It’s driving me mental.  If I’m lucky, by the time I get home, I’ll have 5 minutes of daylight left to do that in.

OR I could spend the evening watching Daily Show and Tripod clips on You Tube.  I think we all know what is most likely…

Here’s my favourite one, since I’ve been having fun with embedding, lately.  (Actually, I lie.  My favourite one is Sweet Caroline, but there’s no clip on YouTube.  Web 2.0 fails me!)

*I mean that literally.  I know what it means, and I intend to use it only where it is appropriate.  I mean, it literally kills me when people misuse that.  Oh.  Whoops.

My hat is awesoooooooooome

It’s true. It is.

But I don’t have a photo of it yet. This working full time thing, I dunno. Leave before good photo light. Get home just as good photo light is fading. Live in an apartment where the only place with good light (the balcony) is both grotty and exactly opposite the evening light.

Also, while this weather is great fo knitting – or staring out of the window wishing I had a job where I could knit – it does not make for great photography. I might just have to become that crazy lady who takes wool out onto the common lawn and photographs it.

In the meantime, here is the video of where the quote came from. Trust me, it is worth watching. All the way through.

The New Rick

This is for you, Vellan

 

I may or may not have had this stuck in my head ALL FREAKING WEEK. It resists all the usually successful de-earwormers. Even Rick Astley himself is powerless!

d00m. d00m.

Pain and then death…

My friend just updated her facebook status message.  It said this: Blankety Blank is wonderin wat to du this wkend…

Nooooooooooooooooooooo.

Why, why must I live in this illiterate world of pain?  That message actually caused me physical pain.  I had to then share it, by going down to the front desk and taunting her.  She cleared the message, and I started to feel bad for making her feel dumb.  Then I got back to my desk, and facebook told me that “Blankety Blank is wonderin wat to du this wkend…”

And the rage rose again.

People.  Ignorance is NOT CUTE.  Learn how to spell.  Learn where to put “quotes” (for instance, notin a sign saying “real” meat) learn how to use apostraphe’s.  And sure, forget all that if you’re IMing or texting or emailing.  Fine.  You don’t speak formally to your friends, why should you write formally?  But time and place, people.  Time and place. 

In other weirdness, I was asked to submit this photo:

 

To this story.

 

wtf?

WIP roundup

Those of you playing along at home might remember November.  That was NaKniSweMo.  I failed.  Christmas, heat, all that.  Instead, I told myself, I’d knit a jumper entirely in the month of May.  I chose the jumper – the Cinnibar pullover from my favourite ever issue of IK.  I ordered the yarn – redcurrant Rustic from Bendigo.  It’s May.

FAIL.

Look.  Turns out, May is not the flip side of November.  It’s June.  So, technically, technically, I have not failed.  I have merely readjusted.

Look!  A cute bunny!

So, I’m currently tossing up whether I want to keep on with that plan.  I thought, in the interest of clarity, I’d look at what was on my needles at the moment.

1) Cobblestone the Second.  Boring.  Same colour as last time.  3 inches until I can start the sleeves and the yoke.  Slog.  But must finish for father before it gets really cold, otherwise what is the point?  It’s great bus knitting, and will be even better for this once I am doing the sleeves, since they are more portable.  But I only have a 15 minute bus trip.  So, not much progress getting made.

2) Central Park hoodie.  Interesting, but requires a flat surface to be able to mark off rows.  Not very portable, especially at the moment, as I am near to finishing the back.  Need an hour or so to sit down and concentrate on decreases.  Want to finish it soon (ish) before we get into deep winter.  My one snugly cardi is getting a lot of use, and I need another one.

3) Baby Surprise Jacket.  Finished, but needs seaming.  Must do soon, as recipient was actually born on Saturday.

4) Saartje’s Booties.  One finished and requiring seaming and a mate.  Took about 2 hours.  Wierd mental block about these.  See above, re deadline.

5) Molly Ringwald.  Haven’t worked on it since it got cold.  Not enchanted.  Think I will frog it.  Maybe use the yarn for a Shedir?  Like the pattern still, but not sure how useful it will be.  Maybe someday I’ll do it in the correct yarn.

6) Lucky.  Halfway up the back.  Forgotten where I am up to in the pattern.  Need to sit down and see what I am doing, but I am happy to leave this until the weather looks like warming up soon.  Who needs a cotton jumper this time of year?

7) Mystery alpaca jumper.  Needs arms calculated and knit.  Can’t think about it.  Painful and nauseating.

Foliage.  Hat from Mel’s handpainted mohair.  Delicious.  Am finished the lace repeats and need to find the other size needle attachments to do the ribbing.  This will be done by the end of the week.

9) Henley perfected.  Guiltily swatched for this one last night.  Am resisting it’s siren call.  Mmmmmmmmm pistachio alpaca…..  I want to wear this jumper, badly.

10) Cinnibar pullover.  FAIL

 

Look!  Bunnies!

Ha.  Knew they were good for something.  I bonded them, and they are sooooooooooo cute.  Check her out, grooming him.  She grooms me, too.  She’ll lick my clothes or bag, or even:

 

Naaaaaaaaaaw.

 

So, what was I saying?  Oh, right.  Ten WIPS.  I know that that’s not a big deal for some people, but it is for me.  OK, so some of those don’t really count.  Cinnibar and Henley aren’t cast on yet.  Foliage will be done soon.  Lucky is hibernating happily and Molly is scheduled for frogging.

But this is weighing me down.  I think maybe I’ll set a few goals for May: finish cobblestone, Booties and BSJ.  If I was doing the NaKniSweMo challenge, I’d be knitting something like ten rows a day to make target.  I can totally do that, now.

Then, before the end of the month, I’ll take stock.  Do I want to keep knitting what’s on my needles, and push for a new goal, or do I want to knit Cinnibar.  I guess it depends how close I am on the CPH.

Thanks, guys.  You make everything make so much sense.  What would I do without you?

Dear facebook

Alright.  I am kind of dealing with how much you suck.  I mean, sure, your interface is terrible, you cater to the lowest common denominator, and you’re ugly.  But you’re useful!  You’re the only way to keep up with my bff in China with any kind of consistency.  Your update messages are handy – if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know that Ben moved, for example.  You make inviting and being invited to random peoples event easy.  And there is no better way to stalk people you barely know (who are all these fools with open profiles, anyway?!)

However.  Could you quit it with this:

Looking For a Boyfriend?

Want to find a boyfriend that is right for you? Why not try SinglesNet where you can meet thousands of guys with similar interests.

And this:

Sick of Being Single?

Interested in meeting a cool guy and date him? If you do, join up with Singlesnet now and search through thousands of local guys.

Oh, and this:

Single Guys on RSVP

Take your pick of over 1 million singles on RSVP. Free to join – send a kiss to your next partner now. Find love today!

  

The answer is no, no, and don’t care.

  

KTHNXBAI!!!

  

Kate

  

(PS, those guys are mostly gross.  Although the last one is kind of cute.  Some oily guy with his shirt of just somehow doesn’t do it for me. I wonder if that makes me repressed?  I don’t care.)

  

(PPS, I feel really sorry for those models.  I hope they’re not on facebook for reals.)