Last week I attended a mandatory parent meeting for my children’s school drama club. I sat in the back, quietly listening as I worked on a crochet project. The school has decided that the 7th & 8th graders will put on the play “Fiddler on the Roof” …As I listened to the long list of wardrobe needs I looked up for a brief moment. Maybe I looked up a bit longer than that. I dunno. All I remember is hearing the teacher in charge say, ”…and Mrs. Stanziano, I put you down for 30 crocheted shawls.”
It was like one of those surreal moments where the room suddenly goes long while all faces turn to look at me, many, I suspect, echoing the same shock & fear that must have been on my face upon hearing this.“Oh, don’t worry about it,” she continued on, “Mrs. Stanziano does that stuff in her sleep!”
Still in a state of shell-shock, two parents came to me after the meeting and volunteered to help make 1 or 2 of the shawls. That still meant I’d need to make some 26-28 shawls by the end of March.
Doing some quick math, if each shawl took 4 to 5 hours to crochet, that would equate to three weeks of full-time work! YIKES!!!
When I got home I decided to ask my CGOA Chapter for help. I designed a shawl, crocheted it up that night, and then sent it into the school to have it approved. While waiting for the approval I wrote up the pattern. And, to my delight -- and relief -- 8 of my Chapter members volunteered to help me!
What does this mean?
1. No, I will not need to crochet in my sleep. (thank goodness!)
2. CGOA Chapters ROCK!!
3. This will be our participation in the CGOA’s CAL in honor of NATIONAL CROCHET MONTH
6 comments:
Eek! But it's a beautiful shawl. And I stage managed Fiddler my junior year of high school. I LOVED it. Such a great musical. We had our "ghost" on roller skates on the stage & used dry ice for the smoke. It was awesome.
Uhhhhhhhh..... You were very generous to not just give a flat out "No."
It seems to me that that teacher has NO idea how much time it takes to crochet. Or appreciate the work of handmade objects. I'd be very tempted to just thrift shop a bunch.
You have the patience of a saint. Or you're crazy. Whichever. :)
Love the shawl! And EEK on that lady doing that to you. You are a good mom to problem solve it and figure out a way to make it happen. I worry that this day will happen to me when my children start going through school.
What happens to the 30 shawls after the show is done?
Blimey you're one lucky lady to have gotten so much help.
Wow! Do you have to pay for the materials, too? I'm in shock that she didn't at least ask you beforehand...
yikes! ... that is where you should have gone to the teacher and given her a copy of the pattern and asked how many she would be doing for you - and if (or most likely when ;-) she said "but I can't crochet" - that is when you say "oh - no wonder you didn't realise just how much work is involved in making a shawl" and offer to teach her so that she can make some as well - and then that will give you the perfect chance to explain to her just how long it does take to make something like that.
I hope you kept a record of how much time you spent on the crocheting (including the designing of the pattern and the organising helpers etc), and how much time others who helped you spent on it ... I am sure it would be a real eye-opener for that teacher (and a few others involved) to see just how much effort went in to them and just where you got help from! LOL
btw - I hope the play went well.
... and I guess now you have to decide what to DO with 30 crocheted shawls! (sell them to those who want to buy them maybe? ...
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