Thursday, June 18, 2009

Crafts on the Internet: the dark side of hobbies

Clicking around on the internet (I don't think anyone says "surfing the web" anymore) can lead to the occasional treasure trove, some subset of the internet of like-minded people who record their experiences in such a funny and fresh way that you keep returning to their website. http://www.craftfail.com/ is a blog where crafters congregate to celebrate and commiserate about their failed efforts and the writing can be hilarious. The sidebar lists links to other craft blogs which are also very funny. Be careful to set aside some time for these (mostly) ladies. There are lots of humorists on the homefront, raising children, crafting and blogging about it on the side. Some of my favorite posts:
"Horton Doesn't Hear a Darn Thing" in which LovingMom describes her efforts to create a cute Horton the Elephant that sadly has only one ear. Sympathetic readers commented that Horton is a cute alien though.
Notagirlymom writes How Not to Knit a Stuffed Toy complete with photo of a very bedraggled toy mouse.
The Felted Frankenstein Bear could befriend the toy mouse maybe: toyland outcasts.
It's not that these crafters don't follow directions, although sometimes that is optional when the creative juices and available materials just call out to start a project now, but sometimes directions just aren't that good. In any case, if you have ever had a craft failure, take a look at this blog.
If you do want directions or craft books, go to the 745's which are shelved behind the circulation desk at BHPL. Wherever your local library is, the Dewey number will be the same.

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