Saturday 24 September 2011

Blog Two: Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of people's efficiency in their working environment (Thompson, 1995). It usually concerns things like how a chair should be made so that you sit in it the right way. . When it comes to crochet the definition from the Oxford Dictionary does not show the true spirit of doing the craft. This definition is more to do with something where production is the most important thing. For me, doing crochet is not so much about the finished product as it is about doing the craft. The only time when my crochet is about efficiency is when someone asks me to make them something, then I feel like I have to get it done by a certain time. I suppose that ergonomics is also about comfort, which ensures that the job gets done, and when you consider that then it has a lot to do with me doing my crochet. I always find a comfortable spot on the couch in my lounge which is optimal for me to do my crochet because it is close to where I keep all my wool and crochet hooks and knitting needles (down the side of the couch) and there is also good light from the large windows next to the couch. this is however not optimal when it starts to get dark because there is not very good lighting. I also, for some reason, have the television on while I am crocheting, this sometimes seem like a waste of time because I do not even watch it. The times when my crochet is compromised is when I have been doing it for a while and my fingers start to hurt. I also used to do a different technique and after a while my shoulder would start to hurt. I have now changed my technique so that I am more efficient and more comfortable.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

Blog One: Me and Crochet

My chosen activity for this class is crochet. I was taught to crochet by my Aunty Denise when I was 12. She started me on making a dark grey poncho. I never finished the poncho and did not crochet much after that until I was married. My grandmother had made me this cool orange hat and i wanted to make one but could not figure out how to knit a hat like she had, so i decided to try to crochet it. I taught myself how to do different stiches by reading them out of a book that I got from the library and I also remembered the general concept of how to do it from my aunty. I had done a couple of hats and showed my aunty what I had done and she said that I had not done any proper stitch but had made up my own stitch.
Crochet is now something that helps me to zone out from the rest of the world and because I am an active relaxer it is my way of relaxing. It is also my way of giving something of myself to other people by making them hats, with my own individual style.
Below are some example of the hats that I have made (nicely modeled by my sister, Julia and my mother:




So... Why did I choose crochet as my activity to analyse?
Keilhofner and Forsyth (2009) say that when doing an activity analysis for a specific client it is important to pick an occupation that represents the clients choices, habits and personal capacity. I think that crochet represents all of those things for me because it is my choice to do crochet, it is something that I try to build into my routine so that I have the right balance in my life and it is also something that I am very capable of doing. It is also something that I enjoy doing.