You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘crochet corner’ tag.
Tag Archive
Abominations in Clown Barf
November 14, 2015 in Arts, Cute, personal | Tags: caturday, clown-barf, crochet corner, why my cat is going to kill me, yarn snobbery | by The Intransigent One | 4 comments
Almost every knitter or crocheter’s taste in yarn goes through a similar evolution as their skill progresses. When you’re just starting, everything takes forever, so thick yarns seem like a good idea – yay, fewer stitches makes more fabric! And you buy yarn based on how pretty the ball looks, without much concept of what it might look like once it’s worked up. Low-end yarn manufacturers, I’m sure, are aware of n00b yarn buyers’ purchasing habits, and pander accordingly. Which is why the yarn aisle at Michael’s is full of stuff like this:

What on earth could go wrong? I mean, it’s so cheerful, right? Unfortunately, the length of each coloured segment is such that when you knit or crochet it, you don’t get a pretty rainbow, you get a wild splatter effect that looks like a clown exploded. Hence the term, in the crafty circles in which I travel (not the mild-mannered granny circle!), “clown barf”. And here’s the thing: I have a tendency to buy yarn faster than I crochet it, so when I was a n00b and had not yet become a yarn snob, I unknowingly bought a lot of clown barf, before I had a chance to learn my lesson. And now that clown barf is languishing in a box in the basement, because I can’t possibly throw it out, but why would I want to work with it, when I also have Icelandic wool brought home from Iceland, and cashmere and silk blends?
Fortunately for the size of my stash, the Arbourist occasionally asks me to make something where fancee yarn would be inappropriate. Like this tea cozy (we recently Got Civilization and started using a teapot!). As you can see, cute on the ball (above); garish and splattery when made up. Read the rest of this entry »




Your opinions…