Day 7 - 4/2/15

Today I needed to get a copy of my Social Security card because someone tried to submit a tax statement as me!  In the SS office in Santa Ana I didn't bring anything to do except crochet, which is kind of subtly telling my busy-mind that it's doing crochet whether it wants to or not.

My busy mind will do almost anything - as long as its busy.  But busy-mind does get bored, so it has to be something that doesn't repetitious or old (like every video game I've ever played).

I'm having sort of a reckoning lately about video games.  I've always played video games, I got my first Nintendo Entertainment System when it first came out.  I played my friend's Atari.  Bottom line is I've been a video game freak for a very long time.

I've never been particularly skilled at video games.  I can't play hard games and strategy games are impossible.  Platformers always get too hard.  RPGs always get too hard.  The only game I really excelled at was Fantasy Life, which is an easy game with some depth.

So, when I think about "creativity" and "making things" I don't think of video games.  I will admit that video games are a step up from watching television, which is completely passive.  With video games there is an interactive hand-eye type of activity going on.

But nothing is being made.  I'm achieving levels in the video game - I'm getting higher and higher - but, what in my life is reflective of the fact that I'm a level 20 palladin in this silly game I play.

Which is partly why I'm really getting back into yarn crafts.   I hold something in my hand that "I MADE!"  There's something to be said for that - I made it - it's mine.  Even if I'm following a pattern, I'm putting my own spin on it.  I like to add hair and stuff to monsters, you know, make it your own.

So, I crocheted for an hour at the social security office, just working this swatch back and forth trying to get familiar with the routine of knitting.

I rather enjoyed seeing the stitches getting neater and neater as I continued along.  these photos are of the final stages of this swatch/practice piece. This is a setup for a scarf I want to work on in crochet.  It's amazing!  It's going... well I'll show it to you when I get there.

I did a tiny bit of work on my circle practice in green.  I'll post photos of that one tomorrow.

It's getting to the point where it's not what am I going to make today but what am I not going to make today?