Jezebel: she's crafty

Regretsy Takes Aim At Crappy Crafters Everywhere

hortense — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:45:00 EDT

The crew at Regretsy is tired of seeing crappy crafts pop-up on the DIY crafting site: "While we have appreciation for people with real talent," they say, "we can't help laughing at the ones who don't have any."

Relying on user submissions and declining to link to the actual artist in question, as "that wouldn't be funny," the Regretsy crew wants to make it clear that they aren't out to "shame" anyone and that they site is simply a means of poking fun at those who aren't necessarily up to snuff. It's a bit like Cake Wrecks for the craft crowd, though some of the crafts featured don't seem all that bad, just a bit weird or a bit corny.

As for the "we don't link" policy, it doesn't really hold up, as I found these Twilight sneakers on Etsy in about 2.1 seconds. The seller has already sold several Twilight-related items, including a pair of sneakers to a customer who claims "i knew i would love these shoes, and they came so quickly after i ordered them! they are truly AMAZING!!! they are well done and are perfect!" Regretsy might think the shoes are "hideous," but the customer, it seems, has no regrets at all.

[Regretsy]

Knitters Take To The Streets

Intern Katy — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:40:00 EST

Knitted wool tubes in bright colors have started to appear on signposts and trees in Sydney, Australia, the work of street artist Denise Litchfield. It is part of a growing global movement of guerrilla knitters.

Guerrilla knits have been spotted in Scandinavia, the US, Japan and South Africa. Litchfield calls the movement “absurd and feminine and fun,” and part of an effort to “redefine street art.” Emily Howes, author of a PhD thesis on “indie craft,” explained the motivation behind guerrilla knitting: "they see craft as a subversive and politically motivated act — a way of jolting people out of their comfortable reverie." [Sydney Morning Herald]

She's Crafty

Dodai — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:45:00 EST

"I decided on making cozies for empowering objects which happened to be very hard, masculine, recognizable objects. The covers kind of softened them up and changed their determined roles," explains extreme knitter Teresa Honeywell. She was, of course, inspired by a toilet-paper cozy at a flea market. "It kind of made me a little sad to see someone's handmade craft discarded and being sold for pennies, but it mostly saddened me because it was such a bizarre and useless object. I pictured a sad housewife with nothing better to do then knit up a cozy for a roll of toilet paper. I knew then that I wanted to use that same lonely technique, and meaningless process, to cover up an object that I wouldn't ever need or have the opportunity to use again in my new role as a housewife." [Andew Sullivan]

KnitWit

Dodai — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Calling all knitters! Check out the ultimate in crafty chic: A Wonder Woman sweater. According to its creator, Kaby, it took "14 months to make, using 4ply wool, 3mm needles, a plain jumper pattern from the seventies, a ton of graph paper and pictures of Wonder Woman, and about a million bobbins for the intarsia." Raise your hand if you want one like, NOW. [BoingBoing]

Scrapbooking Rock Star Victim Of Scrappy Smackdown

dodai — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:40:00 EST

Some women are obsessed with scrapbooking, making the hobby a $2.6-billion industry. Built around, you know, cutting and pasting. But it's serious business, as you know if you've heard about the scrapbook smackdown. According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, it all started when 28-year-old "scrapbooking rock star" Kristina Contes won a contest sponsored by Creating Keepsakes (?!?) magazine. Ms. Contes' entry — pages featuring pictures of her feet and of her hairless terrier, Chloe — included a photo that — gasp! she didn't take herself. Ms. Contes actually called the magazine to request that her friend receive a photo credit. And when a "Hall Of Fame" book came out in October, with the photo credit, "disgruntled scrapbookers" caused an uproar, threatening to cancel subscriptions, boycott and sue. (On scrapbooking messageboards, a comment thread about "KC" reached 1,250 posts.) Because, you see, the rules stated that submissions had to be solely the contestant's work. Whoops!

As the positive attention turned negative, "I, seriously, was like the Lindsay Lohan of scrapbooking," Ms. Contes says. But she was in the new generation of scrapbookers: young women who used the books like diaries; to express their feelings and document their lives. Old-skool scrapbookers, who usually documented children's birthdays or weddings, found the new kids to be narcissistic and hi-falutin'. As one blogger says: "We didn't consider ourselves 'life artist[s]' or 'designers.' We were just plain ol' scrappers." In any case, eight months after she'd won, Ms. Coates was disqualified from the Creating Keepsakes Hall Of Fame. She got depressed and didn't feel like scrapping for a while, but she's back at it, phew.

But what is with these crazy scrapbookers? Isn't scrapbooking supposed to be, uh, fun? Something you turn to when you'd like to alleviate stress, relax, unwind, etc.? What's the point of having a hobby with rules and infuriating scandals? (And I'll admit, I've made a scrapbookish thingy or two in my day. And non-original material was the point! I saved postcards, ads from magazines, pictures from friends, funny quotes, fortune cookie slips. Pasting crap in a book gives you a bizarre sense of accomplishment; you feel you've captured and documented inspiration and a certain zeitgeist. Or maybe that's just me. Anyone? Anyone?)

A Scrapbook Career In Shreds [LA Times]
Woman Unveils Dark Side Of Scrapbooking [UPI]