How can you tell if someone's been crocheting too much?

...
When this happens:



Okay, so this particular hook has been under a lot of stress. I made three shrugs with it in the span of three weeks, with many in-between projects to boot. And it didn't help that I was carrying it around in my spacious bag without a cover or case. I shared this with Ms. Mimi (who created the shrug pattern I'm so addicted to making). She replied, "Anong klaseng hook ang nababali?!" Roughly translated, means, "What kind of hook gets broken in half?!"

Well, erm, this one. It sort of looks like Ron Weasley's spell-o-taped wand in The Chamber of Secrets. :|




Teeheehee. :)

I've been too lazy to write down separate entries for my recent FO's. It's so much easier on Ravelry. XD Here they are, in a wordless flurry and no particular order:

Red Rose SSS for Ms. Meikah

Green Lacey-the-not-so-lacy Headband for me

Anti-CarpalTunnelSyndrome Cuff (based on the pattern for Nancy's Wavy Scarf) for me

XL denim blue SSS (looks like this is going to my mom, or someone else)

Green necklace for me (polymer clay pendant not by me :D)

Green Archer shrug for me - SSS with clover edging

I've been knitting!

And it's been so fun! And cheap, too. I didn't even need to buy knitting needles and yarn.

Interested?

Head on over to Sue's Knitting game at gamesgames.com.


...
Teeheehee. :D

Outrageous Prices for Local Handicrafts

Yesterday, my mom and I went to the trade fair at SM Megamall. It was full of local handicrafts, delicacies, and other products. It was the last day, and all the merchants lowered their usual prices. Lots of steals, yay!

We found some pastillas (um, sort of, candies made with milk). Only 20 pesos (roughly 50¢) per pack. Very cheap, considering it's made from carabao's milk and not cow's milk. Yay!

We found a stall selling yummy-smelling coffee. There was even civet coffee available there, considered by connoisseurs to be one of the best in the world. We had a cup, only 15 pesos each! Yay!

And THEN we came across a stand full of crocheted items. Shrugs, pullovers, cardigans -- even a full-length dress! I almost peed my pants. I then asked how much a short-sleeved bolero-type shrug costs... And the woman answered, "100 pesos lang po (100 pesos only)," with a wide grin. That's like, less than 2 USD. I processed this information, while she waits on a woman slowly cleaning out the rest of the merchandise. I accosted her, asking, "Sino po ang gumagawa nito? (Who makes these?)" To which she replied, "Mga manggagawa po sa Tarlac (Workers from Tarlac)."

That did it.

My nostrils flared. I started hyperventilating. I fumed at no one in particular. I started thinking of those poor workers in the province, who had to slave away day after day, crocheting garments for less than half of the minimum wage requirement in the Philippines. At 100 pesos each, I shudder at the thought of how that could have accommodated the cost of materials, the cost of labor, and of course the store owners' income. I assume that they would pay a woman 50 pesos at most for making a piece like that. Okay, the bolero was made with simple stitches, and full of airy spaces, but still. How many pieces can one worker make in a day? :(

It's even sadder that the workers are from Tarlac, Pampanga. It's a province that was very much affected by the Pinatubo volcano eruption in the 90's. Whole towns were wiped out. It's been more than a decade now, but some towns are still covered in lahar (volcanic mudflow).

My mom had to drag me away from the stall. The whole day, I just get angry whenever I remember that crochet store.

Now I know what "outrageous prices" really mean. I never got outraged at prices before yesterday. :( Crafters and other skilled workers should be paid better. :(

Just gotta shrug it off...

So I've been pretty excited about working on shrugs -- the very talented Mimi Alelis' shrugs.

For the past weeks, the beautiful shrugs have occupied my brain and my hands. I've been crocheting away and I finally finished my first shrug last Sunday, on the last day of June. I had it washed, and I was planning on wearing it to work today:



But alas, the shrug is too tight! :( The shrug is forcing me in a perennial couture pose! You know, the shoulders-hunched-forward-with-slightly-pained-expression pose. And it's soooooooooo prettyyyyyyy tooooooooo =((

Anyway, I'm looking for someone to adopt it. My officemate says it looks nice on my anyway. But I am not one to suffer for fashion. I take being comfortable over looking great, any day.

I'm not giving up on this though. I'm working on a second one, with purple Anchor thread. I'm moving up a hook size, and hope that fixes things.

I'm also working on a new shrug: the Simply Striped Shrug, by Ms. Mimi, too. I love love love this one, because I can fit it as I go. I also moved up a hook size just to be sure. :D It's so easy, but the shrug looks fab-yuh-lous! Can't wait to finish this one.