Corn, Beans, and Squash

Corn Fields in Minnesota

Last night was craft night at the Crochet Cafe and I had a blast. I managed to turn the heel on my Cherry Tree Hill Socks but was easily distracted by some of the new items that showed up when I was on vacation.


I am easily entertained but when I saw these I could hardly contain my glee! Square knitting needles! Who would have thought! Now I love all things knitting and I have more than my fair share of knitting needles but I never thought I would see square knitting needles! They are so gorgeous I can hardly wait to try them out. I was instantly trying to sort out what I wanted to knit on them when oops my brain was distracted by the discovery of yarn made out of corn!!! Yes, CORN!!!! At this point I didn't know what to do with myself, the colors, the textures, heck the fact that it was made of corn was enough of a reason for me to want to try them!


In college I took an introductory anthropology class which discussed in great detail the importance of agriculture and cultures; more specifically the main staples of early agriculture "corns, beans and squash." Instead of Anthro 101 the class should have been "Corns, beans, and squash 101." Everything centered around "corn, beans and squash" growing it, trading it, preparing it, when certain cultures had it, how it affected trade, you name it somehow, someway it seemed like everything had to deal with corn, beans, and squash. Corn especially was very important to numerous cultures and now, in the form of yarn it enters the realm of crafting culture. Who'd a thunk it?


While I gazed in amazement in the assortment of corn yarn I struggled with the idea of what I would make out of it and then I saw it......a glorious sock pattern utilizing corn yarn! Even cuter is the name of the pattern Pop!Corn


After the discovery of the square knitting needles and corn yarn it became apparent that progress was going to be halted on the Cherry Tree Hill socks. Who can blame me though??? It's yarn made out of corn!


I started on the socks this morning and so far I love the yarn, its soft, it doesn't split, and the color is so vibrant and cheery! I love discovering new things that are unexpected and delightful!

Aloha

The DH and I just got back from a week in Maui and we had a blast. It is so peaceful and beautiful, not to mention it gave me loads of ideas for sock color combinations. I managed to make some progress on my Cherry Tree Hill "super" socks using Colinette Jitterbug yarn in Mardi Gras. I absolutely love the way the colors change, they are very bright and it was the perfect yarn to knit with while in Maui surrounded by all of the tropical plants and flowers. I also was lucky enough to meet Vladimir Kush in person, which absolutely blew my mind. I have been an admirer of his work for quite sometime and it was amazing to meet him at his gallery. We stopped in to look at his work and I was quite excited to see that he has a few books out, as I was picking up one of the books one of the employees informed me that he was in the studio and asked if I wanted to meet him. I tried not to make a totally nerd of myself (I'm not sure how successful I was) but it was one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Now that I'm back at home I'm looking forward to teaching a sock class later this week at the Crochet Cafe where I'm a regular Craft Store Groupie. It should be fun, I love knitting socks and I look forward to sharing my excitement with other people. For so long I was so afraid of knitting socks and once I finally conquered my fear of turning a heel (I had to put my first sock down for about 6 months before I got up the courage) I realized how fun they are.

I'm also looking forward to taking some new classes at the Stampin Post, my original Craft Store Groupie hangout. I love the selection of stamps and techniques offered in the classes there, not to mention Deborah (yes another Deb! they are everywhere!) carries the cutest monkey and penguin stamps. I'm always getting inspired every time I stop by.

That is what I love about crafts, I get inspiration from everything that surrounds me from the colors on my vacation, the artists that I admire, and the fabulous places that I hang out. I love being crafty!!!