Knit & Crochet Blog Week: BONUS :)

Wildcard – Embellish the story
Embellishments come in all types and forms. Some are more than purely decorative and form a practical function – pretty buttons are as much part of holding a garment together as mere decoration, and some are just there to give a piece an extra ‘something’. Blog about an embellishment, be it a zipper, amigurumi eyes or applique patch which you are either saving to use or have in the past used to decorate a project with. Write about whether you are a very  minimalist kind of knitter with classic lines and timeless plain knits or whether you love all the bells and whistles or sticking sewing and otherwise attaching decoration to your pieces.

For those of you keeping up at home, we came home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon. Little Man isn't 100% but if he keeps eating, we'll be okay and won't have to go back. I suspect that we may be called in for a quick visit with his geneticist/metabolic doctor sometime this week, just to make sure he's doing okay being at home.

Anyway, I decided that the "Wildcard" topic for Knit & Crochet Blog Week 2011 was somewhat intriguing for me so I decided to use it as a "bonus" blog topic, rather than a replacement :)

Embellishments entertain me...I mean, buttons are buttons but they can really make or break an item. I have only knit one item that requires buttons. Admittedly, I haven't put them on yet...and I can't post pictures of the item in question because it's for the Madison Knitters' Guild Brown Bag Exchange. Let's just say that I made a baby sweater and it requires three little buttons. I have plenty of buttons...but I think this may require something more, if you know what I mean.

Another embellishment, of sorts, is fringe. I'm sorry, I know fringe is supposed to be "in" for certain items...but I can't love it. I find it annoying and just something for me to fray apart. Yes, even on scarves that "require" it...like the fabled Harry Potter scarf. I just cannot fathom putting fringe on the end of a scarf. I don't know why, I just hate how it looks. Okay, so I'm probably in the minority but I don't really care.

Hmmm...embellishments...buttons...fringe...zippers. Zippers? Do zippers count as embellishments? Again, not something I aspire to put on my knitting unless it's supposed to be a zip-up hoodie or a bag whose contents may spill out at any given moment. I can't think of where else you'd want to put a zipper. And I'm always afraid that if I get a zipper, I'm going to wind up getting a cheap one that looks like crap and works like crap. Hrm.

I don't know. I guess I'm not really about "embellishing" my knitting. I figure that the piece should be pretty enough without it. Now, that's not always true as a button-up cardigan or a zip-up hoodie aren't really those things without embellishments (buttons or zippers) but I'm not about adding on to things.

I guess I'm a plain Jane when it comes to my knitting. Oh well. Maybe that's why I have such trouble with lace......

Anyway, the 2011 Knit & Crochet Blog Week was fantastic. I just wish I hadn't had to spend half of it in the hospital with Little Man...oh well, I don't think that will happen next year :)