Process crafting

Wow, intersting comments on my last post about process/product crafting! It seems as though most people consider themselves to be firmly one or the other. Personally, I think I’m a bit of both, although more in the product camp. I certainly have, and will continue to craft things for the process. I also definitely agree with some people who said that they find they’re different depending on which craft they are doing. Here I’m talking a bit more about process knitting (product knitting will be next week!)

 

So, as I mentioned before, my double knit scarf falls firmly into process knitting. I didn’t know double knitting before starting the scarf (I had to cast on 3 times before I got the hang of it), and I don’t get to keep the scarf at the end, so I’m not motivated to finish it because I want the finished object.

I enjoy process knitting because I like learning new things (or do I like learning new things because I’m a process knitter???), and if I’m not fussed about the finished object, I don’t need to worry about it all going wrong on a deadline! After all, failing is an integral part of learning, and if we never failed at anything, no-one would appreciate learning as much.

A similar thing to learning new things, is learning new ways of doing things. There is no difference morally speaking between SSK and SKPSSO (SSK is neater, but that’s another blog post). There are several ways you can include beads in your work (crochet hook, pre threading, sew them on afterwards), depending on personal preference and other factors. If you only know how to cross stitch with paring threads, you’re going to struggle with small charts.

Anything I cross stitch has to be process. I learnt this the long way, as well as ways to best motivate myself to work on things. I’ve finally learnt that I need to stitch modular things. So the stockings I’m currently stitching get done one at a time, and I can’t start the next one until a set date. Every month I get the next stocking to stitch, no matter how fast I stitched the last one. This stops me from going gung-ho at a project an getting discouraged at how slowly it goes.

On the other hand, don’t choose a large project to learn a new process. I’m 10 hours into my dad’s scarf, and have about another 30 left, and now I really know the double knitting technique. The pattern is interesting, and calls for my full attention, which is definitely a good thing, otherwise I’d be bored of it by now!

Process crafting is the reason why I have a lacy beaded shawl rolled up hiding at the bottom of my winter weather clothes. I made it because it was interesting, and I hadn’t made anything before which called for including beads using the crochet hook method (I used needle and thread, as I didn’t have a small enough crochet hook). It was great fun to make (I think I finished it in about a week, not including the holiday I took in the middle where it got left at home). I’m never going to wear it, but I made it anyway…

Has anyone started a project for process knitting, and then it gradually morphed into product knitting, so by the end you were really excited to finish it, even if at the start you weren’t necessarily so excited? That seems like a great way to fall in love with a project, although it hasn’t ever happened to me.

I wonder if process crafters are more likely to gift hand-made goods? Certainly, I love giving hand-made, especially when it gives me the excuse to do something new (I’ve done this with lots of things). Or perhaps they’re more likely to choose something interesting to work on to gift to people. What do you all think?