Should There Be War In Crafting?

So I haven't blogged much lately, or done a whole lot of anything else either.  I've been a little under the weather and seem to conserve all of my energy for work.  As a result, when I get home I'm pretty much useless.   But a tiny bit of stitching has been accomplished in Red White & Bloom. 

Reading is also something I can do that doesn't take much physical effort.  And as an added bonus, I can fall asleep while reading and nothing bad will happen, like stabbing myself with a needle or a cat stealing 16 feet of floss and swallowing it. 

I've also been able to catch up on tv, some good and some bad.  TLC's new show, Craft Wars, is one that I've been curious about, so with the magic of my cable company's on demand service, I watched the first three episodes pretty close together.  And let me tell you, a little Craft Wars goes a long way.  Host Tori Spelling is apparently an avid crafter and has her own line of craft supplies.  Huh.  Didn't know that.  Anyway, the show begins with three contestants who have to "war" in a pop craft, which is a clever name for a quick craft.  They get an hour and have to create a specified project in an hour, featuring theme items given to them.  I don't know about you, but it would take me a lot longer than an hour to put together a sport duffel bag or a toy box.  So there is a a bit of messiness in their hurried work.  At this point the three judges eliminate one of the contestants and the remaining two go on to produce a bigger crafty endeavor in just 5 hours.  This is where "craft wars" morphs into "building wars", in my opinion.  Constructing a play house, pet house or patio furniture requires skills that go way beyond crafting.  The contestants are supplied with helpers and the Michael's craft wall (which I would like to have in my craft room, please).  The winner gets $10,000.

I will say that this show is a little nerve-wracking.  Crafting is supposed to be a creative outlet, something that relaxes you and enables you to produce a little work of art.  But I guess when you have strict time limits, it results in frenzied and sometimes sloppy work.  There's a lot of yelling, running around, and stuff gets spilled.  Add to that Tori coming around asking questions and gently scolding the contestants about their technique.  Will I continue to watch?  Maybe.  The three judges seem to know what they're talking about and occasionally give out helpful tips.  So possibly I can learn something.  We'll see.