Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef --Reposting

I have seen pictures of the wonders of scuba diving in places like the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reef areas. They are beautiful. But in reality, there is no way I will be doing any scuba diving; anywhere! My son has had the opportunity to become certified in scuba diving, but that's probably as close as I will get to actually doing it.

One of the reasons that people give for not doing crochet is that they don't know how to make it form the object they desire. Well, I suppose the INSTITUTE FOR FIGURING is taking that to a new level. They have created a CROCHETED display of a coral reef that is FANTASTIC! If I lived close to where it was being displayed, I would go.



It will be in Scottsdale, Arizona from April - July 2009!! And I get to help!!

When you look at the individual items that are in the display, each one will fascinate you! But to know how to put them together in a way that really looks like a part of nature is just astounding. I found myself just looking at the pictures over and over; wanting to touch them and see how they were made. WOW!!

Most people don’t understand that it takes math to create a pattern in yarn; crocheting or knitting! You need to be able to understand how many stitches it take to create the pattern and then decide how many times to repeat that pattern and how many stitches you need to add in order to work the first row as you create the stitch.

For instance, a pattern may say something like this; 3+2 (or) 12+3. You need to know what that means and how to use that information. Now I can tell people that I do higher math when I spend so much time on my crochet.

• Yarn is just my paper for doing calculations.
• I need more hooks so I never run out of “pencil leads”.
• Buying crochet magazines is just finding new calculations to practice.
• Crochet books are just my sources for answering questions and learning new stitches to work my calculations.
• The time I spend sitting and crocheting is just expanding my brainpower in mathematics.

I suppose there is a valid argument here for putting mathematical crochet in school curriculum! They already have orchestra and band – which both use math; and drama – which only uses math for creating the sets. So why not have a math/crochet class? They could make things for charity. Even better it could be used for helping the angry students learn to relax. Since it has been proven to help relieve stress, why not use it for those kids who are the difficult ones?

What about putting crochet into business? It could be a team builder. It could help to lessen the stress-related problems for almost all types of businesses. If your employees are going to take time to goof off, let crochet be an acceptable way to kick back for 30 minutes. I could continue to bore everyone that doesn’t crochet with all the ways it could be put into everyone’s life . . . but I won’t.

Just know that I will be happy to help anyone learn to crochet and if you stick with it, you will find that you have less stress in your life! That is worth working for!

MORE YARN NESTS

Stitching these little nests has really been fun! Last time I talked to Lisa, the rehabber, she said that the rabbits were really enjoying them. They are able to keep their feet in a more natural position than they can on the plastic or metal floor of the cages.















The rabbits are also showing signs of manipulating their environment by moving the nests and turning them upside down for little caves. This is a really good thing since the goal is to release them into the wild again.

The tiny nests are for baby sparrows and such that will be hatching here all through March & April. Lisa has these birds brought to her the same day they hatch and they need a very tiny little place to be for a while. (no they are not for hummingbirds)

If you are interested in making any, the pattern is located at:
http://vbspcawildlife.com/modules/wildlifesection/item.php?itemid=14
The pattern can be changed easily to make larger or smaller nests. I started with this basic pattern for all the nests I’ve made.

This on is a Finch Nest


















These are collars for her goat.


















Since I'm having so much fun, the yarn is just disappearing!

Little boys need toys

Yesterday at the doctor’s office, the waiting room was full, it was standing room only. There was a father with a little boy, about 2 years old or younger. I don’t know how long they had been there, but the little guy was definitely ready to leave. He was whining and Dad was doing his best to keep him occupied, but he hadn’t brought any toys or anything else to entertain the boy.

Being the dutiful crocheter that I am, I had taken a project with me. So an idea struck me. I would quickly make a little toy for him. My mind ran through all the options I could think of; I settled on a snake.

Quick Snake Pattern
I used yellow yarn. Chain the length, about 5 inches. Dc twice in each ch st. In the last ch, work 4 dc bobbles to create a head. Leave a long end to pull through the bobbles for a tongue. I used a red marker to draw eyes and to put red on the end of the long tongue.

The father and son had gone back to see the doctor before I finished, so I asked the nurses to give it to him. They said that the sweet little guy even smiled when he took it. That made it all worthwhile.

It was so funny how everyone in the waiting room watched as I crocheted as I worked on the snake. I had talked to the father from where I was sitting and asked if it was okay to make a little toy for him. So everyone knew what I was doing. All eyes were glued to my hands. It was a little intimidating to have others watching me make up a pattern as I worked. Luckily it turned out okay. I which I’d had a camera with me. It feels good to do something to brighten someone’s day.

Have you ever seen the TV commercial that starts with a delivery boy pulling a woman out of the street so he doesn’t get hit by a car? There is a man watching who later does something nice for another person, who in turn does a nice thing for someone else. It repeats about 6 or 7 times and ends with the woman pulling the delivery boy out of the street. What goes around, comes around. That’s what I’ve always been told and what I have tried to do. It seems to be the best way to live life.

I have never understood not helping when you can. That seems a closed way to live. Why not share a smile or a hand when you can? Just the act of doing so opens you up and it gives a warm feeling to someone else.

I remember a story about Spencer W. Kimball that shows this perfectly.

Stranded in an airport because of bad weather, a young mother and her two-year-old daughter had been waiting in long lines for hours trying to get a flight home. The child was tired and fussy, but the mother, who was pregnant and at risk of miscarriage, did not pick her up. A doctor had advised the mother to avoid lifting the two-year-old unless absolutely necessary. The woman overheard disapproving comments from people around her as she used her foot to slide her crying daughter along in the line. Nobody offered to help. But then, the woman later recalled, “someone came towards us and with a kindly smile said, ‘Is there something I could do to help you?’ With a grateful sigh I accepted his offer. He lifted my sobbing little daughter from the cold floor and lovingly held her to him while he patted her gently on the back. He asked if she could chew a piece of gum. When she was settled down, he carried her with him and said something kindly to the others in the line ahead of me, about how I needed their help. They seemed to agree and then he went up to the ticket counter [at the front of the line] and made arrangements with the clerk for me to be put on a flight leaving shortly. He walked with us to a bench, where we chatted a moment, until he was assured that I would be fine. He went on his way. About a week later I saw a picture of Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and recognized him as the stranger in the airport.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be the one person who helped when others wouldn’t? That is what Christ would do!