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Fannish Knitting and Other Ephemera
Feb. 27th, 2020 12:25 pmOne of the chief joys of fandom is creating. I write fanfic (which most of you know). I wrote fanfic before I even knew what it was. Some day, I will tell you all about the epistolary Tortall self-insert fanfic my best friend R and I wrote one summer, when we were 14 and bored (pre internet days, we actually sent things to one another in the mail). I started posting fics in 2016. But sometimes, stories aren’t enough.
I’m not particularly good at drawing, not enough to create fan art I’d feel comfortable sharing. I did draw the image in my profile pic, but I’m not nearly skilled enough to draw much else. And that’s cool! I am so stoked when I see good fan art, but I’m also content not to contribute to that. Same with edits and videos. I had to make some videos when I was in grad school, as part of a digital rhetoric class, and while I enjoyed it and want to learn more as an educational tool to include in my teaching, it’s not right for me as a way to engage in fandom. Writing is, and will always be, my primary method for creating and communicating.
But, as I said, sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes, I want to make things.
My mom taught me to embroider and cross stitch when I was about 7, and my loves, cross stitch is one of THE most satisfying ways of creating fanworks that I have ever found. I have cross stitched TARDIS samplers. I embroidered a Maurader’s Map coffee cup sleeve for one of my friends’ birthdays. I have an Unbeatable Squirrel Girl cross stitch that says “Eat Nuts Kick Butts” and it is glorious. I don’t have pics to share of my past work readily accessible, but if you ever want to scroll through my instagram (trixietricoter), there’s stuff there.
Recently, I’ve dived into c-dramas, particularly Guardian and The Untamed. I have found a wonderful little pool to splash around, with a ship I never expected to board (and isn’t that just the way?), and I’m writing like crazy! But I’m also boooooooooooored, being stuck at home. Online teaching is getting to me, friends. THREE of my kiddos — just THREE — have been submitting work regularly, so I have been spinning my wheels. I’ve been writing every day, between 1000-2000 words, which is GREAT. But it takes a lot out of me while still barely scratching the itch. And so, I turn to my old friend, the fiber arts. I went to Michael’s earlier this week (oh, craft stores, how I have missed you!) and bought yarn in the color of the Jiang and Lan sects and started knitting a scarf. I do not need scarves, so I will probably pass these along when I’m done. But I get a lot of joy out of making them.
I also love things like jewelry that give a subtle nod to whatever fandom obsession I currently have while not being so obvious as to tip off the uninitiated. Thanks to Taobao, I have some Lan/Jiang/Wei inspired bunny bracelets. I need a Nie bracelet for sure. I started with a Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji pair and gave one to my work bestie (she chose Lan Zhan) because we spend a lot of time shouting about this show with each other — in between classes, of course. I bought myself a Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen set because that’s my OTP from the show. And I’ve recently tripped into a JC/LX/Nie Mingjue OT3 situation, so I have to add a NMJ bracelet to my collection. I like them because they remind me of this ridiculous show and the lovely friends and creativity I get to experience. But only those In The Know get to really understand.
I know I’m not the only one who fills out their fanlife with beautiful and fun objects. What do you create? What do you collect? Would you like a scarf? ;-)
I’m not particularly good at drawing, not enough to create fan art I’d feel comfortable sharing. I did draw the image in my profile pic, but I’m not nearly skilled enough to draw much else. And that’s cool! I am so stoked when I see good fan art, but I’m also content not to contribute to that. Same with edits and videos. I had to make some videos when I was in grad school, as part of a digital rhetoric class, and while I enjoyed it and want to learn more as an educational tool to include in my teaching, it’s not right for me as a way to engage in fandom. Writing is, and will always be, my primary method for creating and communicating.
But, as I said, sometimes it’s not enough. Sometimes, I want to make things.
My mom taught me to embroider and cross stitch when I was about 7, and my loves, cross stitch is one of THE most satisfying ways of creating fanworks that I have ever found. I have cross stitched TARDIS samplers. I embroidered a Maurader’s Map coffee cup sleeve for one of my friends’ birthdays. I have an Unbeatable Squirrel Girl cross stitch that says “Eat Nuts Kick Butts” and it is glorious. I don’t have pics to share of my past work readily accessible, but if you ever want to scroll through my instagram (trixietricoter), there’s stuff there.
Recently, I’ve dived into c-dramas, particularly Guardian and The Untamed. I have found a wonderful little pool to splash around, with a ship I never expected to board (and isn’t that just the way?), and I’m writing like crazy! But I’m also boooooooooooored, being stuck at home. Online teaching is getting to me, friends. THREE of my kiddos — just THREE — have been submitting work regularly, so I have been spinning my wheels. I’ve been writing every day, between 1000-2000 words, which is GREAT. But it takes a lot out of me while still barely scratching the itch. And so, I turn to my old friend, the fiber arts. I went to Michael’s earlier this week (oh, craft stores, how I have missed you!) and bought yarn in the color of the Jiang and Lan sects and started knitting a scarf. I do not need scarves, so I will probably pass these along when I’m done. But I get a lot of joy out of making them.
I also love things like jewelry that give a subtle nod to whatever fandom obsession I currently have while not being so obvious as to tip off the uninitiated. Thanks to Taobao, I have some Lan/Jiang/Wei inspired bunny bracelets. I need a Nie bracelet for sure. I started with a Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji pair and gave one to my work bestie (she chose Lan Zhan) because we spend a lot of time shouting about this show with each other — in between classes, of course. I bought myself a Jiang Cheng/Lan Xichen set because that’s my OTP from the show. And I’ve recently tripped into a JC/LX/Nie Mingjue OT3 situation, so I have to add a NMJ bracelet to my collection. I like them because they remind me of this ridiculous show and the lovely friends and creativity I get to experience. But only those In The Know get to really understand.
I know I’m not the only one who fills out their fanlife with beautiful and fun objects. What do you create? What do you collect? Would you like a scarf? ;-)
