When did knitting become to fiber craft as a Frisbee is to flying disks, or Kleenex is to tissues? No one says, “Hey, let’s go throw our flying disk around the park!” But knitting, and knitting terms, seems to have become the generic standard for any article made with yarn.

The most common conversation I have when someone sees one of my projects (mind you, this is after they get shocked look off their face like they just saw Susan Boyle sing for the first time):

Them: That is so cool. I didn’t know you could knit.

Me: I can’t knit. I crochet.

Them: I never could get the hang on those needles.

Me: Neither could I. That’s why I don’t use needles. I use hooks. I crochet.

Them: I would love you to knit me something.

Me: No.

This hibernating thought process of mine was awakened this morning when I read an article about a very loving and patient mother that is crocheting a giant structure for her son’s exhibit in an art gallery (someone else can borrow my soapbox for sons taking advantage of mothers) and the first sentence of the article reads, “What do you do with a broken crochet needle and a manic mother?” Well, first you need to FIND a crochet needle. It’s a hook. A crochet HOOK! By the by, you never do find out a) why it was broken and 2) what to do with one. You can find the two-sentence article here.

My beanie goes off to people like Sharon Devol who took the time to write The Signal of Santa Clarita Valley and correct them when their investigative reporter forgot to investigate. She writes:

            “I enjoyed reading the article in The Signal’s Senor Living section…’Knit together with love.’ While the title emphasis of the article focused on ladies who knit…both photos and the story were of ladies who were crocheting.” (full article)

I think we crocheters developed our militant nature by situations like these, and is one of the main reasons why Crochet Propaganda was born.

In the half-caffeinated state I normally am in upon sitting at the computer, it’s always nice to find an article that I can say, “Here, read this. You’ll thank me.” And then continue on my java way.

Today’s article comes to us from our can’t-have-enough-wool-items neighbor to the north, Alaska. In the article Undoing mistakes and the Zen of tinking, Tanna Peters explains the deeper meaning behind f-ing up your project. “This process of raveling…is where the Zen of the craft is found.” I personally feel it’s where the gin is found. You can read the entire article here.

Another jewel that is tucked in the article is CraftFail.com. It’s a site dedicated to those crafters that are finding a whole lotta Zen.

Rebranding is typically done to a product when a company’s spreadsheets show that a product is failing in sales or market share. The company will try to jazz it up, jazz it down and try to give the old the look of something new and improved to spark interest in the masses. I can normally spot a rebranded product a mile off and feel that if I didn’t buy it before, there’s no reason to buy it now.

So imagine my surprise at my own reaction while browsing a local Michael’s at lunch yesterday. Aimlessly, I was going up and down the aisles of jelly bean colored yarn when my eyes were immediately drawn to a particular vertical row of yarn. The natural hues of the yarn were so warm and inviting. The label, with its hand-crafted paper feel and subtle tones gentle screamed old-world integrity and hand-made care. The label actually said “for knitting & crocheting.” A yarn company thought of the crocheters! And to seal the deal, there was French writing on the label. Well, that was it. French writing can only mean one thing…good quality.

I had to have this yarn. I needed to find a project fast so I could justify buying every color of this $8.99 wonder. It could be $9.99, I didn’t care. As soon as I could I browsed the patterns on Ravelry looking for just the right garment or accessory. I did a search for Fisherman’s Wool to see what other crocheters had made with this luscious yarn, and then it hit me. Before me were pictures and pictures of Fisherman’s Wool wrapped in a semi-gloss black and gold wrapper with a full-color picture of some model smiling to hide the pain of being a yarn model instead of America’s next top model. I had been caught in the rebranding net.

Typical when I discover that I have fallen for a marketing tactic I come to my senses and the need to purchase diminishes. But even while writing this post and looking at the pictures, I know I’m going to end up with that yarn. I like looking at that label. It makes me feel like I’m part of a craft and not a mass production. Félicitations, Lion Brand, vous avez gagné.

If, like me, you enjoy seeing how companies rebrand products (even places), I suggest visiting one of my daily stops Brand New. You’ll get to see everything from the rebranding of Jack-in-the-Box to the identity change of Blackwater., and typically all before the general public sees it.

Free Photo Gallery by Picturesurf

What I love about fiber art is that, for the most part, we don’t take our craft too seriously. Oh, sure there are a few out there that get their hanks in a twist over their projects (you know who you are), but in general, we are a pretty easy going bunch.

And then there is Howie Woo (WooWork.com). He’s the ultimate at having fun with his art. I’ve never smiled so much browsing blog. A recent Amigurimi artist from British Columbia (that’s in Canada), Howie not only crochets fun object reminiscent of his childhood, but does a wonderful job of capturing them in whimsical photographs and videos.

Some must see things from Howie:

Green ‘round Grenades video

Bubble Gun video

A lovely tribute to his grandma, a truly remarkable crafter herself.

Ever since I was introduced to the Crochet Liberation Front I was drawn to their style. There’s something about militant hookers that just makes me…happy.

So, for this Memorial Day weekend, I came up with a few graphic designs for the militant hooker in all of us. All four designs are based on vintage propaganda posters from the Second World War.

As a little extra bonus for iPhone users, I also created backgrounds for the iPhone based on all four designs that are free for you to download.

And, if that wasn’t enough, all four designs are available for purchase as coffee mugs, tote bags or posters through the newly created Double Treble Zazzle store.

AND it keeps getting better! Zazzle is having a Memorial Day weekend sale on posters. All posters are 70% off through Monday. Just enter MEMORIALSALE as the promo code at checkout and a $9.95 poster will only be $2.74!

Enjoy expressing your militant-hooker spirit!

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Free Photo Gallery by Picturesurf

This year I was able to go to the Knit & Crochet show in Portland, Oregon. To be perfectly honest, I would go to a paper clip show if it meant a trip to Portland (love that city).

The trip itself was fantastic, but I’ll get more into that in the next posting. I had two crochet goals on this trip…shop and shop. I met those goals. I didn’t go to any of the classes while I was there, but I did make it to the Market Place, or should I say Fiber Wonderland. If I wasn’t careful I was going to need a government bail out before the day was done.

As I walked into the exhibit hall I was presented with my free goodie bag.  I’ve had co-workers shorter than this goodie bag. It was tall! This could only mean one thing…there was some serious shopping ahead and they knew it.

I managed to make it past two booths before my first purchase (a great crochet scarf kit from Foxyknits) and then made it two more booths and ended up with a beautiful mahogany crochet hook (resisting serious urges to buy an entire set…in every wood type they had). I had four more rows of booths to go and at the rate I was going, I was going to need four more goodie bags.

The hardest part was resisting the try-something-new urges. Drop spindles, spinning wheels, roving…argh! Heck, forget the bag, I needed a goodie bus!

In the end, I made it out with my wallet still in the green. But that was going to be short lived since the next stop was Yarnia!

Here are a few of my favorite booths at the Market:

Foxyknits  www.foxyknits.com

(check out the scarf kit here)

The Nantucket Bagg  www.nantucketbagg.com

(see photos of this great craft bag below)

RedFish Dye Works  www.RedFishDyeWorks.com

Free Photo Gallery by Picturesurf

I always love it when someone shines a nice light on crochet. And Natalie over at Black Book isn’t letting me down with her brief article regarding sexy crochet. Would I wear it? No. I’m a hairy forty-year-old man. I would have to wax first. But a certain sister-in-law could pull it off flawlessly.

Favorite lines from the article:

“It’s not just a grandmother’s hobby anymore.”

“Keep it subtle…or else you’ll end up looking like a runaway doily.”

Biggest surprise of the article:

A simple large-net filet beaded top (Sass & Bide In Other Words top) runs for $418!

Read the entire article: What’s Next: Risqué Crochet

As you know, my slick iPhone made contact with my slick granite bathroom counter and did a luge jump into the toilet. I’ve made peace with that.

What I’m having a harder time making peace with is Ma Bell (that’s what us older folks use to call AT&T) and Apple. To replace my original $500 iPhone it cost me $650.

Here’s how it works:

Scenario One: To win you over from a competitor, AT&T will let you have an iPhone for $299 with a two-year contract.

This was the original iPhone purchased as a birthday gift for one of the two phones on the account with AT&T in April of 2007.

Scenario Two: To penalize you for upgrading your old RAZR phone to a iPhone 3G 16 gig in the middle of your contract, you’ll pay $500 and start your two-years all over again.

This was the second iPhone purchased as a gift for the second-line of the account with AT&T in September of 2007. “We’re glad you enjoyed the first iPhone so much that you wanted your whole household to have iPhones, but you’ll pay through the nose because you are purchasing it at a really inconvenient time for us in your contract.”

Scenario Three: To punish you for having a bad day and not treating your iPhone with more respect, to replace your water damaged iPhone (considered now a second mid-contract upgrade) you’ll pay $600 for an 8 gig iPhone or $700 for a 16 gig iPhone ($200 more than the original 16 gig I purchased).

Someone out there (AT&T or Apple, I don’t know which) has decided that for people that have “abused their iPhone more than once” the price is going to be $200 more to replace it. I told them I didn’t abuse my iPhone more than once. I’m replacing my first ever iPhone.

Apple dude: Oh, then it will be the $500 for the 16 gig then.

Me: Fine. As long as am paying what I originally paid.

Apple dude: Oh sorry, AT&T says that since this is your third phone within a contract period you have to pay the $700 price for the 16 gig.

Me: You’re kidding right? I’m being charged $200 dollars more for being a loyal customer that had an accident.

And like a techno meth addict, I ended up with the $600 8 gig version. Half the gigabytes for $100 more than I originally paid.

Does anyone else see the horror in this? When did the philosophy of American corporations become, “Love them ‘till we have them, then suck ‘em dry”?

An Apple iPhone 3G costs $100 to manufacture.  I’ve purchased two now for a total of $1,100. Let’s give them a 50% markup ($200 each phone). So, I was charged $300 for them to activate my first iPhone, and $400 for them to push a button and activate my replacement iPhone.

Hey guys at AT&T and Apple, maybe if you showed some love for others instead of yourself, your stocks would go up.

Some weeks are better than others. Then there are weeks that didn’t get the hint that they have over extended their stay and should have pack up their things long ago and moved out quietly in the middle of the night…without leaving a note.

Colonoscopy, funeral and layoffs were just some of the things the week packed for its visit. And instead of leaving quietly, it directed my iPhone into the closest body of water (that being a toilet) in which it quietly passed into iHeaven with a flicker. Nope. This week is not invited back…ever.

But as I sit here, Perspective has joined me for my cup of coffee, put his arm around me and gently reminded me that this was nothing. All that happened to me this week was a blog post, a Tweet, a Facebook status, nothing more. My colonoscopy, however scary, went fine. Clean as a whistle, and I got to experience great anesthesia. The funeral*, however sad, made me realize how incredibly blessed I am and could only dream to have touched as many lives such as the ones who came to show their respect. And the layoffs, however much deemed necessary and however painful it is to watch, were not for members of my household. And the iPhone…it’s a technological extension of my life, not life itself.

Will Perspective and I join hands and try to change the world today? Probably not.

Will I shut-up about the next time I have a zit of a week? Indeed.

*It occurred to me, based on the subject of a recent post, that you may think my friend did not make it through her surgery. It is not that friend. No connection.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one with a soundtrack,

And that has made all the difference.

 (crank up the sound)

Thank you Karrol