Crochety or crotchety?

[altivo]

Actually, both are the same word. A croche and a crotchet and a crook are all the same thing: a hook or fork.

Our advanced spinning study group is meeting Thursday after taking December off for the holidays. The informal assignment (which essentially was made by me and therefore I at least should come with it done, no?) was to present something we had made from one of the fibers we spun as exercises over the past year. The best yarns I produced were cottons and linens, and one very nice skein of ramie. I want to do something quick with the ramie, since it was already judged and received a ribbon placing in last fall's show.

There's not a lot of it, but should be enough to make a lace headcovering or mantilla such as women used to wear to church in past years. I've hunted and hunted for a formal pattern for something like that but found nothing. So... time to do it on my own. It can actually be any shape that works, I believe. Some were large rounds, like doilies, while others were more like long narrow rectangular scarves, and a few were shaped more elaborately. I've found two lace designs I like that are very open and airy. I may just make a triangle shape in one of them if I can figure out the stitch. It's a crochet technique called "knot stitch" but the description is pretty ambiguous. I'm now hunting for a better explanation...

Snow today, but warmer. It got up into the 20s (F) but is going to get cold again tomorrow night. Snowing now, we had several bursts this afternoon that were heavy enough to obstruct visibility. Depending on the model that turns out to be correct, we could wake up tomorrow to anything from two to six inches of new white stuff. Because of the low temperature, it is dry and fluffy, and is going to drift like crazy.

Comments

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Where did the expression crotchety old man come from, then?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Old man carries a cane, right? And threatens to smack you with it?

That's my guess. The cane and the shepherd's crook are both hook shaped.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

On crochety vs crotchety, I pronounce it with both Ts, so that's how I write it. *chuckles* Because in this case my phonics are affected by both having studied French and knowing it's a French word, such that I'd pronounce crochety "croshity"... or crochet-y.

But "crooky" would be even more fun to say. "A crooky young man". Hmm.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, we pronounce them all differently, but I think they clearly come from the same root somewhere in the deep past.

On the other hoof, I don't think I want to try to crochet with my shepherd's crook. That is, unless I'm using rope to make a lace collar for a whale.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Note too (pun intended) that the quarter note in written music is called a "crotchet." Undoubtedly because when written hurriedly with a quill pen it looks like a hook...

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I am only semi-brave when faced with music theory and quaver in fear from notation -- but yep, I had noted that one.

Whales in lace collars, incidentally, sound like the sort of thing Ursula Vernon would draw fabulously well. Her polar bear queen stuck in my memory.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

You're right, though I think generally Ursula tends to do smaller critters, such as weasels and rodents. Or eggs.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I'm not allowed in any knitting and crochet clubs anymore...not after the incidents with the materials.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Tsk. Why am I not surprised?

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

You go mad in a bundle of yarn balls and they never let you forget it *humph*