looming

Not referring to impending deadlines. Those are just breathing down my neck, though I did make some serious progress the last couple of days.

Instead I am referring to these bracelets. If you are wearing one on your wrist, chances are you are well loved by an elementary school-aged child. The one I am sporting in the picture was made especially for Primo, because they are his school colors, but I borrowed it for good luck today to cheer him and Secondo on in their first cross country meet.

Completely gratuitious picture, but I am a proud mama and this is my blog

It is amazing how the popularity of these bracelets, made using a device called a Rainbow Loom, has exploded seemingly overnight, in a way that leaves one wishing she had come up with the idea herself, and dreaming of how the real innovator must be taking baths in money at this point. The little bands are reminiscent of those colored rubber bands that orthodontists use to make braces more appealing to the wearer. Come to think of it, that's probably where the idea originated.

What is fascinating is how it has been embraced by boys as well as girls, unusual for a crafting craze. (I have yet to know a boy who likes to make duct tape wallets, for example.) Terzo attending a slumber party two weeks ago and the boys were asked to "bring their looms"—necessitating an emergency trip to the local craft store to buy a loom, since we were unaware of the craze up until that point. What can I say, school hadn't started yet and we live on a farm-shaped island. Luckily, they were in stock.

To be fair, he hasn't stopped making bracelets since.

He asked me to help him figure out the instructions for a "starburst" pattern yesterday, and I quickly grew frustrated with the giant plastic crochet-like hook that comes with the kit. I grabbed a No. 5 metal crochet hook, which made it much easier for me to grab those little bands from one plastic peg and loop them around another peg as directed by the impossibly perky woman in the "how-to" video posted on, you guessed it, youtube.

"Wow!" exclaimed Terzo. "It's a good thing you have professional tools!"

Words cannot explain how thrilled I am that someone considers a hand-me-down crochet hook from my mother a professional tool. Now, back to the work for those deadlines, because I am a professional, dang it.