Art Crochet

I confess that I have never really started a crochet project with the idea that it would be an artistic piece. Always, there was a practical goal such as to make a hat, or an afghan, or a trivet, or a rug, or a scarf...something that had a use. If in the process, that useful item became something colorful or beautiful, then all the better. Not that I ever intended for any creation to be ugly. Some just turned out to be somewhat plain.
However, recently, Chapelwood handed its members the challenge/opportunity to create a work of art to express their new mission statement. Mentioned in the list of possibilities for media was crochet, so last night, I sat down with a bag of scrap yarn, and fashioned something. It was late when I finished the stitching, so I left the finishing off for today,as I knew that I would have some time this afternoon while sitting in for the weekend cashier at Bayou Bend. It lay out on the desk while I helped customers, and many commented on it, saying that their mothers had crocheted, or how it seemed to be a fading art, or asking what it was, etc. Turned out to be quite a conversation piece - that, and the horrible heat outside.
I learned to crochet because my grandmother crocheted. I asked her to show me how once, but she was quite a character and informed me that I could learn from a book. She was not being mean. Her eyes were failing at the time, and I suspect that it would have been hard for her to show me how to make the stitches. There is a point at which you don't really think about what you are doing - you do it all by feel.
So, why would someone who plays musical instruments necessarily need yet another thing to do with her hands? Well, it's a totally different activity. There is something about feeling the texture of the yarn in one's fingers, the repetitive motions, the give and take, and the mindless motion creating something tangible that is uber-relaxing. While playing an instrument can be its own form of relaxation, it is also more of an athletic feat than it looks like, and the brain needs to be in gear for it to work well!
Clint has taken pictures of some of my crochet...I hope to post some to add color on board!