Ten years gone

[altariel]

Heya heya and Happy New Year! I spent the weekend engaging in one of my favourite activities: moving furniture around. Because I have a new bookcase to put up, oh yes. And then books will be shelved and entropy's efforts set back for a while longer. Bring it on, entropy! *brandishes puny fist*

Oh wise f'list, I need your NOLIJ. Are there any good sites you know of that can teach someone to crochet? And while you're at it, can anyone recommend a good introductory book about Roman religion?

Comments

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

Both wife and girlfriend have said that Ravelry (http://www.ravelry.com) is the site for knitting and crocheting. They should have something for beginners.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Aha, that website rings a bell. For some reason I thought it was invitation only, but that might have been some time ago. Thank you!

[executrix.livejournal.com]

It's a book rather than a site, but I derived much enlightenment from Debbie Stoller's "Stitch 'n' Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker," and the projects are very cool, including an Anarchy Irony Hat.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Man, that hat alone would make learning worthwhile.

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Seconded (or actually, I see, thirded) on the Stoller book.

Both executrix and altariel: Happy New Year!

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

Crochet is EASY. Make a loop with a slip knot. Stick your crochet hook through. Pull a loop through the first loop. Repeat ad nauseam. This is a chain, but it's really the only stitch you need because everything else is a chain anchored into different parts of itself in spirals or squares or shell-shapes or... well just get a ball of multi-coloured wool and a big hook and have fun with it.

I haven't done any crochet for years but it's so much easier than knitting and one of those things you can do while watching telly.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! You know, I'd posted the request for a friend of mine WINOLJ, but all this enthusiasm for crochet is making me want to try it. I used to knit a long time ago.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Not sure of sites for crocheting, but the knitting equivalent of this book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crochet-Answer-Book-Solutions-Question/dp/0715325744/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b) was recommended to me as being a very good book for sorting out knitting problems so the crochet one might be for crochet.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you, k, and sorry it took so long to comment back, norovirus ate my branez.

[thanatos-kalos.livejournal.com]

The standard book for Roman Religion is Dumezil's Archaic Roman Religion, though it's really terribly written (and connected everything to Vedic myth). What aspects of the religion are you specifically interested in? That'll help me suggest bibliography. :)

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm looking for a focus primarily 1st century BCE. The Beard, North, and Price book sounds like it's what I need.

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Beard, North and Price is a solid source-book.

[mraltariel.livejournal.com]

For crochet as well?

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Yup, I was about to recommend this, too. It's not just a source-book, either - there is one volume of ancient sources (with commentary), and another volume of history. It addresses the subject in a very intelligent and sensitive manner, and above all recognises that ancient religion was important and meaningful to the people practising it. All too many introductory books don't, e.g. by assuming that religion was merely a political tool, or simply cataloguing religious activity rather than analysing it.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Looks like the first chapter in particular is exactly what I need.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the recs at the back of Lavinia?: The Religious experience of the Roman people by W Warde Fowler, and Ancient Roman Religion by HJ Rose. Also 'Fly Fishing' by JR Hartley, but that may be out of print.

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

The Fowler book is in Project Gutenberg, and a free pdf e-book is available here:

Book Depository (http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781409933144/The-Religious-Experience-of-the-Roman-People-Dodo-Press)

It dates from 1910 and is rather heavy going...

[gair.livejournal.com]

I misread 'nolij' as 'nolj', as in 'WINOLJ'.

I THINK THIS IS SIGNIFICANT. But then we watched The Matrix last night, so I am in ecstasies of deepness over everything... (SO DEEP!!!)

[toft-froggy.livejournal.com]

Don't watch the second or third films, they'll ruin it for you forever.

[white_hart]

A friend of mine recently learnt to crochet using the Stoller book, so I can second the recommendation for that. If you're looking for something online this site has free video tutorials.

I can also recommend joining Ravelry - it's a social networking and project database site and doesn't have tutorials itself, but there are lots of forums where people are happy to answer your questions (including a Learn Crochet group which looks particularly helpful - I'm thinking of relearning myself this year so have just joined that one!).

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this (and sorry it took so long to comment back, norovirus ate my brane). I'd been asking on behalf of a friend of mine who had been struggling to find good resources, but I have to say that all this enthusiasm is making me want to try myself. (Plus the anarchy hat in the Stoller book is very tempting...) I knitted a lot as a teenager but for some reason never learned crochet.

Perhaps I should treat it as one of those "Never Seen Star Wars" things (like your comm!). I've already done one this year - been to a football match!

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

Um, no knowledge, I'm afraid (I've got a list of introductory works on classical religion, but they are all in German, alas), so just Happy New Year to you too!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

And to you!

[azalaisdep.livejournal.com]

Entirely unable to offer wisdom or indeed NOLIJ (yes, I read that as NOLJ too) but am very envious of extra bookshelf. Fortunately (from furnishing, if not reading point of view) this Christmas was a select one in terms of book-receipt - though bless her, my mother-in-law did get me The Never-ending Sacrifice! so I don't think a January weed will be necessary this year...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Hurray for your MiL!

[muninnhuginn]

I think I learned crochet from two different books simultaneously as neither was adequate on its own (and one used UK terminology and the other US). You're welcome to borrow them if on-line resources aren't adequate.

Ravelry's forums would certainly be useful for advice.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised I never learned to crochet as a kid, when I knitted a great deal. I'm primarily asking on behalf of a friend of mine, so I'll direct her to Ravelry. Thank you!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I taught myself to crochet as a teenager, and then didn't do it since then. I found a few searches on the three basic stitches (which sadly have different name in the US and UK*) turned up videos which ware easy to learn (again) from. Once you have the basic stitches, you can search for free patterns on Ravelry, or the US Lion Brand site, which is now all free.

* The terminology is here. I've never used more than a double treble (UK), but I'm sure YouTube would have videos for all of them. Most are US terminology, which admittedly seems more logical. YOu just have to make sure which the pattern is using.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this (and sorry it took so long to comment back, norovirus ate my brain). I didn't know there was different terminology for the UK and the US, very helpful to know. I'm surprised I never learned to crochet as a teenager, I used to knit a lot back then.

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

You can get the basics by just putting 'crochet how-to' on YouTube - or there's a nice very basic guide with pictures on Knitty (it's for knitters, but the basics are the same no matter what you want to do with it!) I taught myself about (gulp) 35 years ago from a book, but use it now just for borders for knitting. If you do want to get a good book I'd imagine Stitch 'n Bitch for crochet is as good as the knitting one. Also likely to be available in your library. But you might look out for Lily Chin's Crochet Tips & Tricks - I just got her Knitting Tips & Tricks and it's brilliant. She says in that that she's also a crocheter, and I saw during a quick googling, that she's the world's fastest crocheter!

Be warned - Ravelry is fantastic but you may lose your every waking minute to it - just one more look through the forums -- oh, and just a quick trawl through the hat patterns - and I should really look at all 3,783 projects made with this yarn I might want to buy...

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

Just reminded of another useful source for crochet (and knitting) info: Classic Elite Yarns. They send out free patterns every week, and this week's was a really nice crochet hat. You can see it here.)

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

The only problem with new bookcases is that they attract new books, so in the end you have as many unshelved ones as you had in the beginning. Still, a new bookcase is a nice start to the new year!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling that this shelf will just about accommodate the existing overspill... Never mind! It's a start!