The Naming of Things

As you may know (or not), I am a yarn crafter - that means I do knitting and crocheting and other crafty things.

When we knitters/crocheters set about picking a project, we carefully select the recipient, the pattern and yarn. For example, I recently knit my mom a pair of socks because I really wanted to try the intricate lace pattern. Pattern designers often give their patterns unique names so that we don't have to deal with 7 hundred billion patterns called "scarf". The socks I knit were named "Hedera" and I referred to them as such the whole time I was knitting them .

You see, we are a different breed - by just mentioning the name, the pattern, yarn details and other memories return to me. Just say "Monkey" or "Jaywalker" to a sock knitter and many would be able to tell you in great detail all about the socks. Some knitters even say that their thoughts get knitted into the fabric and when they look at a project, they can recall the parts they knit when they were angry, or who they had a conversation with or even what they were watching when they made certain project. We have formed a relationship with this project and truly know every inch of it, as we've made every stitch along the way.

And when I give my project away, I still think of the name. But the non-knitting recipient has no idea about these details. They just know they like the blue/green socks or the pretty purple lacy ones. And that's okay, as long as my work is being enjoyed.

I'm curious, do you feel the same way about your hobby, craft or art? How much of a relationship do you have with all the little parts of your project?