The little dog learns a new trick
Em picked up crochet and knitting in her teens, when China was in the dawn of an opening era. Living in the age when supply and materials were in great scarcity and large-scaled machine production was still remote, people were subject to hand-make almost everything, from food to clothes, from furniture to toys. But decades later, when machine making trumps in the world, when machine learning is what people are fascinated with, when a robot can do most of jobs, able to even write a poet, we would think that handmaking would retreat and one day go non-existent. Fortunately this is not the case. It still holds its distinctive place in the evolving world.
J was never taught how to do knitting or crochet. When she, in her twenties, asked her mom Em to teach her, Em gave it a shrug, telling her disparagingly that it would be a waste of time to learn. Industrialization saves labor and time and solves every of our need, efficiently. Why bother and revert to time-consuming manual work?
Em was proved wrong this time. J came home this winter and showed her the fad on Tiktok, along with her self-taught skill: crocheting. One night, Em found back her old-style crochet needle, sat by J, and primed for any question. Under the lamplight, J leaned against the bed rail, her nimble fingers crisscrossing the yarns adeptly, her face glowing with confidence and gratification. When a single straight thread turned to be interlocked with beautiful flowery patterns, Em knows that her girl, who did not even know how to sew a button, surpasses her, blossoming into a handy person who has learned a new trick without her presence.
Em concludes that the world is not just progressing linearly forward but sometimes regressing a bit. People are nostalgic, and come back to hold on to things that are dear to their ancestors. Good things are never to be forgotten, Em thought to herself.
In a sense, crochet is like an artwork, an expression of identity. Girls would delight in putting on what they create by their own hands -- a scarf, a bag, a toy or a sweater, to declare to the world that they are what they wear, and that their life could be dyed just as colorful as yarns.
暖冬女儿中文厉害啊,可以和你文字交流!我家孩子和我面对谈话时,我可以要求他们说中文,但他们不会书写不会阅读。
你女儿巧手而且有恒心,第一次钩针作品就是一件漂亮的背包,大赞!我是太放任孩子了,他们也学过不少东西,但经常是雷声大雨点小,没啥成样的。
一直有印象暖冬对女儿的母爱之深,孩子大了,我们都得学会放手了!说起来容易,做起来还是难的。我家老二今天晚上开车去纽约,这是他第一次自己开长途,还带了三个同学,纽约今天又下大雨,我这心也是一直悬着。我们一起继续学习放手吧!
I recently came across the word "chic" again, but I never saw its comparative form "chicer". My first impression is it is a typo of "choicer".
Thanks for your input and insight. I agree that AI won't take over everything:)
Humans need to use their body and create meaning. The progress that holds them back won't scratch the need. No one would race trains like the Superman, but meanwhile running has never been chicer. My high-schooler enjoys gardening and is learning ceramics.
AI's not taking over everything. I'm almost sure :-) Cheers!
这些摊上卖的小玩意真是cute,人见人爱的。不过我走过去没见人买,倒是有小姑娘问衣服的价钱。谢谢沈香临帖留言!
暖冬拍的市场的钩针编织作品都好漂亮,好喜欢,如果遇上,我一定要买一些。赞暖冬温馨好文!顺祝暖冬周中愉快!春安!
谢谢你又特意来夸女儿的中文,其实还是很有限,比较读得太少,不过我们一直鼓励她。谢谢你啊,甫田,祝你钩针愉快,乐在其中!
你说的是啊,燕儿,不能再以长者自居了,做朋友,让她愿意跟我们说话,这才是最重要的。谢谢燕儿!(你怎么又关门了:))
当然不是自己去手工编织赚钱,这种太费时间了,可以考虑在抖音上放视频赚钱:)靠流量,但是我知道要做的好做的有特色也不容易。我自己连怎么样拍视频都不懂的。
女儿的中文也是很有限的,以前的一点点基础,工作后碰到一些中国同事,觉得有用,加上我们不停地夸她中文好,所以她也愿意用中文跟我们交流。谢谢七月啊!
多年前看见镇上手工艺术店里有卖带钩织图样并配好线和填充棉的编制小动物材料包,非常喜欢,买回家后却一直没时间研究和制作,现在已经找不到了。谢谢你拍下的那些编织动物,收了那片有兔子的,太可爱了~~。
说起孩子的教育,有不少时候,是孩子教育了我们。:)回过头来看,和孩子尽量沟通好,和孩子的关系融洽,让孩子把我们当知心朋友,远比费尽心思指点孩子“走正路”重要。:)
靠手工创收太难了,几乎不可能:) 本来我的花苗可以创收的,嘻嘻。 最近不少朋友和同事喜欢,那就改主意送礼了。 刚刚了解到,送朋友花, 最好用稍微漂亮点的花盆,presentation比较好。 同胞朋友不在乎,说自己会找喜欢的花盆。 我在买花盆的网页上看到好多老美都说,要送人,或者要义卖,需要物美价廉的花盆。 我三天前买了一套12个盆,换了新盆,显得整齐漂亮,比原来的育苗盆好太多了。今天又下单了好几套。创收的项目变成超支的了,哈哈。 不过,摆弄花盆的过程带来的快乐,千金难买。
谢谢你喜欢这个颜色搭配,我也很喜欢这个搭配出来的效果。她这个心织的应该是对的,因为挤着一起,加上缝合时的有紧有松,导致有点out of shape,另外也需要用熨斗烫一下才更平整美观。也希望她能找到她的Mr. Right! 谢谢唐西留言!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/572852029/turkey-hat-with-drumstick-ear-flaps
七月说的是,我们做家长的不就是把自己认为最好的推给孩子,但是孩子不一定这么认为的。Happy如果有一天做妈妈了,会体会到你的良苦用心。
关于钩针,是我自己老土,从小学的就是有舌的钩针,我知道大多数人用的都是没有舌头的,但是我就是不会,有舌的不用扭一下,直接拉起来就好了,无舌的穿越时要稍微扭一下方向的:))
谢谢七月啊,你是编织老手,你看看我照片后面的,好可爱的,据说抖音上钩针很popular的,所以你除了蟹爪兰可以创收,钩针也可以的:))祝七月养花编织快乐!
颜色的搭配,超级捧。料不说,颜色就能吸引人。
糟糕!估计小Mr.Right 来了。
心图没有钩好,但有心就行。
南方人就是心灵手巧,
哈哈,算了,技术问题,不重要。
我非常理解你早期push女儿把精力花在“正事”上的心思。 我也会那么做的。 只是我女儿到现在都没有摸过毛衣针。 她倒是简单,凡是妈妈做的,她都不做,连大学选专业也一定要跟我不一样的。
另外,你说的有舌的钩针和无舌的钩针,我也第一次听说呢。 回头也得搜搜。 自以为是老钩针用户了,稍不留神,就被时代甩后边了。
土鸡帽子是啥样啊? 我去搜了,还是没有搜到确切的答案。 暖冬跟女儿提过想要土鸡帽?
赞同暖冬的许多感悟,“学会放手,学会赞美,学会做一个听众,学会做知己”,
我也是,与女儿做朋友,放手让她飞,社会和生活会教育她们,让她们自己去历练:))
暖冬的女儿真是贴心的小棉袄,不仅聪明能干,还心灵手巧,这件手工编织品很棒,钩织的漂亮又匀称,,很可爱!
暖冬嗓音这么好,女儿一定也是,还要鼓励女儿唱歌,业余生活更丰富多彩:))
暖冬的小棉袄手太巧了,好漂亮别致的手工品!修身养性真好!我也有很多要向暖冬学的,学赞美,学英文!:)
爱子女,同时也要爱自己,自己生活的阳光温暖了,才会让孩子感受到榜样的力量和希望。
暖冬教育孩子已经很成功了。小孩成年了,就让她们自己去判断和行动。当父母的就不要添乱了。:-)