Do you have a skill, can you make/build things?
By SplitZip
@SplitZip (1488)
Portugal
January 20, 2007 7:08pm CST
I wish I had some sort of skill. I mean, I have plenty of computer skills, I'm good with languages and I could paint fairly well with water colors and acrylics, but I haven't done anything like that in such a long time... I wish I could, I dunno, sew things and craft things. You know, be able to do more old fashioned things instead of being in front of this cursed computer all the time (not that I don't enjoy working on the computer, just that it gets tiring and dull at times).
I see these online communities of people who can do such things (make clothes, bags, jewelry, carpentry, dolls, etc.) and they trade these things between them... I wish I could trade something too. But I have no such skills.
Are you a crafty sort of person? Any Martha Stewart wannabes out there? BTW, Martha Stewart amuses me, she must be the "whitest" woman on the planet. Sometimes they show the audience on her show and there'll be like a hundred white folks and maybe 2 black folks, I can't help picturing thought bubbles over their heads, thinking "We thought this was the Oprah show!" -- don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are plenty of crafty people of ALL races out there, just that Martha Stewart's show is REALLY middle-class white (I live in a little melting pot, so it really sticks out). You have to love those magazines and all the ideas about gardening, cooking and making stuff with power tools. I'm so envious!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@eslproofreader (517)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I resent 'crafty' things for women. I don't want to design the perfect seating cards. I like music, reading, that sort of thing. I have no domestic inclination whatsoever. Gardening? Used to do it, before I got tired of trying to manipulate nature. You're quite versatile.
1 person likes this
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
26 Jan 07
Why, do you see them as a form of sexism or something? I think it's just about creating things, either for the sake of being creative or to improve your life in some way. Domestic things aren't necessarilly an "enslavement" or something for women. At least that's my take on it. I really do envy these crafty women (and men, mind you!). I think in a way, it's a lost art. Seating arrangements for instance, they were important to make sure people had good conversations with their seating partners, so they'd enjoy themselves. This kind of thing is a bit forgotten, these days. So even though Martha Stewart gives me the jeebies, I do like and appreciate what she does and the fact that she can do it. Of course, she has devoted her life to it, that probably makes it a little easier :)
Myself, I don't do gardening because a)I don't have a garden and b)I hate insects!
1 person likes this
@webduck (238)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I have some skills...I am a certified handwriting analyst, the family genealogist, and the most opinionated woman I know. I know how to crochet, but not how to knit. I have a great sense of humor, but I try not to exercise it at the expense of someone else. I can cook...when I am inspired. I don't want to be Martha, but I would love to live in a well-ordered home where there was tons of storage and labels on everything. But, that's just me: a Virgo.
I have to go line up my shoes now. LOL
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
26 Jan 07
Isn't crochet very similar to knitting? I look at people doing both and the needles just go zip-zip-zip, I don't know the difference! ;)
Do you do handwriting analysis professionally? Someone did that for me once. But not professionally. It was just for fun anyway.
I want to be Martha Stewart but just in the skills department. To tell you the truth, I find her just a little creepy. It might just be that she isn't such a good tv host. I wish I had utensils. I lack utensils. My father, he lacks tools and utensils too. He foolishly wants to make things and fix things without them. Then they always end up a little "half-assed" (LOL). I keep telling him, "you need the right tools/utensils!". He wants to bake something "different" but all he has are eggs, flour and sugar. At least I know a bit better, but I think this "all thumbs" syndrome might be genetic!
@Alexandria37 (5717)
• Ireland
21 Jan 07
I do all my own interior decorating. I do all the wallpapering, painting and tiling tiling. I often wished my husband would do it, but then I aways ended up having to do it again, after he had gone to work.
For years I used to design and knit Aran sweaters and sell them to the large stores in Dublin. Lately however, I am just knitting childrens sweaters as the adult sizes are too heavy for my aching arms. I have sold quite a few on auction sites but the shipping is very expensive, so I tend to either sell to the shops or family and friends.
1 person likes this
@JohnnyMurder (611)
• United States
21 Jan 07
Im what I consider, a skilled idealist. I can come up with really good ideas for inventions, or other things. but as far as building them, thats where im lacking. Like i can tell you how to make it work, but i can't make it work. Yah, it sucks. Its like being a great writer without pen and paper!
