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parallel universes

parallel universes

Herself and our Thirty something baby were talking about one of their passions, knitting (as opposed to crocheting).

Damn... It sounds like what we do in a physical as opposed ti a musical sense. Or are they one and the same? Our Baby is a musician. She was talking about the 8 thing patterns, repeat, do the second pattern, repeat.

Herself, an astute observer says..."Damned that's like the what you do at 5 AM...over and over and over..."

Are knitting and what we do parallel art forms? (I know that sounds pompous- but I am not wordsmith).

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by zippydw

Re: parallel universes

Everything is mathematics, patterns......

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by Bredna

Re: parallel universes

Would i be in revelance if i said that Dance, Visual Art, Music, and Poetry all seem to have like techniques, elements and methods? Like with all of them you have some type of pattern. Visual art with lines and colors(and many more) Music with rhythm and pitches, Dance with positions, and Poetry with stanzas? Like how all of them have ways of building and releasing tension? Like how when you add one Art form to another, they emphasis each other? Or that crocheting and nitting are crafts while Music is an Art?

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by fiddlelearner

Re: parallel universes

I don't know, but I've heard of a cotton reel.

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by gam

Re: parallel universes

Bum note = dropped stitch.

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

I'm a bit woolly on this one.

Then again, there's all those tunes that give the game away:

Jumper at the Sun
My Darling's a Sheep
The Cat the Knitted Jamie's Wig
Kitty Got a Tank Top coming from the Fair
The Britches Full of Stitches

... oh, and anything learned from (knit one) Pearl (one) O'Shaughnessy

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

It's all just a yarn.

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

What twill be the end, though?

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

Joking aside, I have clear memories of my mother sitting by the fire with her needles ticking out a very fast jig rhythm. Maybe she was knitting record sleeves? (That didn't last long...)

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by gam

Re: parallel universes

@ethical blend - you missed the best one which of course is that famous song Raglan Sleeve...as rendered by the Crew Necks.
(I really should know better, sorry)

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by john knoss

Re: parallel universes

How could I miss that? I should cuff myself for that ...

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

Ethical blend spins a darn good yarn,

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by leftynow

Re: parallel universes

This is a funny time for the topic to come up - tonight my wife was sitting on the couch crocheting (not knitting) and I said, for the first time, "can you teach me how to do that? I'd like to experiment with hemp guitar straps.... or a strap for my accordion. Something like what Willie Nelson uses, but in a neutral hemp color." She said, "okay, first you need to start with a row of knots - watch, it's easy." She hands me a hook and a ball of yarn and away I went. Next lesson is easier, she says. Same goes for the one after that, and the one after that, etc.

And I knew exactly what that meant. Because when people who don't play music ask me about playing a particular instrument, I always say, "sure it's easy, anyone can do it." They never believe me. But what I meant and what she meant is that with a little bit of concentration, the activity becomes something rewarding that always gives back for the effort.

So yes, parallel universes is a good description. (Although musicians have a higher overhead.)

I am exactly six knots into my first crochet project. I untied them, and tomorrow is a holiday.

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by gravelwalks

Re: parallel universes

@ leftynow: well, it's a wool blend

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

I thought about the rhythm aspect

I was watching the daughter and there was concentration and flow
She must have gotten that from her mother!

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by zippydw

Re: parallel universes

It's really more to do with Waterford crystal when you get down to it.

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by fedorastain

Re: parallel universes

My wife, who knits and fiddles says both music and knitting are based on patterns, repetive in nature, that creates something beautiful, so yeah, I think you have a point there, zipster!

# Posted on May 30th 2011 by AlBrown

Re: parallel universes

Indeed
But if you miss a few counts in a sweater one arm could be much shorter than the other

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by zippydw

Re: parallel universes

"But if you miss a few counts in a sweater one arm could be much shorter than the other"

Also true of halves to a tune....

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by Will Harmon

Re: parallel universes

It can all be done by machine.

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

Weejie- are you eferring to music, knitting or crotcheting? they can all be done by machine.

Which begs the fundamental question of why we do anything at all if we can just defer to a digital device adn everything is perfect (except when the machine f's up and then everything gets screwed up) and everything sounds and looks the same.

Isn't that what we see in the Ipod universe?

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by zippydw

Re: parallel universes

"Weejie- are you eferring to music, knitting or crotcheting? they can all be done by machine"

Yep, why are we here? Even Kevin Burke is a robot.

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

Clothing and music

Most people are happy to just buy, others take the time to learn to make their own.

Also, maybe Crochet is bluegrass while knitting is Trad. To the uninitiated, they seem the same but...

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by harmonic miner

Re: parallel universes

Well this thread really has taken on a new twist... :-P

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by ian stock

Re: parallel universes

I always reckon you should knit by ear. If you follow a knitting pattern, you lose the pulse and swing.

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

And anyway, isn't crocheting just playing music that's in quarter notes? A way of getting the biggest garment out of the minim-um of material. I wonder if you could crochet underwear? You know, like vests and breves? For half a nicker, you could get a semi-breve.

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

"For half a nicker, you could get a semi-breve."

I quaver at the thought.....

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by Weejie

Re: parallel universes

Dang! Missed that one ... :-D

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

And what if there are no quarter notes at all? Would that be crotch(et)less?

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by ethical blend

Re: parallel universes

"Would i be in revelance if i said that Dance, Visual Art, Music, and Poetry all seem to have like techniques, elements and methods? Like with all of them you have some type of pattern. Visual art with lines and colors(and many more) Music with rhythm and pitches, Dance with positions, and Poetry with stanzas? Like how all of them have ways of building and releasing tension? Like how when you add one Art form to another, they emphasis each other? Or that crocheting and nitting are crafts while Music is an Art?..")

(posted by fiddlelearner)

Fiddlelearner - I think you're spot on there. I certainly believe practising one of the arts or crafts you mention feeds one's feel or ability in practising or appreciating one or more of the others. (NB - I am not myself very fussed about distinctions between art and craft.)

Learning and practising tunes can be very like making oneself knit so many rows a day (I once knitted a hot water bottle cover...) I am currently trying to learn a tune called Troy's Wedding off the Mustard Board dots. It has a difficult third part. My attempts at it with the whistle sound so far like something horrible happening to a medium-sized bird. I'll get there, if I give it a few minutes a day for a bit.

Very domesticated; a long way from the impression given by The Dubliners that playing Irish music involved going through life like a Norse god on holiday 24/7.

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by nicholas

Re: parallel universes

Oh dear. I just realized that the tune I been working on is Tailor's Twist....I already know the Tailor's Thimble

Norse god on holiday 24/7? is that out of Valkyries? Or credit card advertisement?

# Posted on May 31st 2011 by zippydw

Re: parallel universes

Yer all a bunch of knit-wits! ;-)

# Posted on June 3rd 2011 by AlBrown

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