We went to the San Diego County Fair again today. This time it was for another of the Fair's "One Day Contests". It's pretty cool - if you bring the entry form (and your entry, of course) you can get into the Fair for free! Today (July 1st) the contest was "Recycled Wearable Art". When I saw "recycled", I immediately thought of my tote made from recycled plastic grocery bags. Since the contest was for "wearable", I decided to crochet a hat out of the PLARN (PLastic yARN! A plastic hat didn't sound great, so I also decided to make a sweat band out of cotton thread. The contest rules specified that 80% of the article must be made from recycled material, so making only the sweat band from new material seemed acceptable.
OK - I'm rambling...we got there, I entered, and won 2nd place!
First place in the same category (Hat) was more of a head decoration than a hat, but I don't want to sound like a sore looser. I'm very excited about my 2nd place ribbon. I don't have a picture of it yet, but I probably will get one up tomorrow! Come back and see!
The repetitive actions needed for knitting and crochet can bring the mind and body to a state called a "relaxation response" that is quite similar to what people experience with techniques such as repetitive prayer, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, and other relaxation disciplines. Research at the Harvard Medical School Mind/Body Institute has found that when an individual is crocheting (or knitting) his/her heart rate can drop 11 beats a minute and his/her blood pressure drops as well. These results can have significant health benefits for people who knit and crochet. Therefore, I am a man who crochets. I design my own crochet and sell patterns and finished projects.