Crafty

When my grandma was up visiting during Easter she showed me again how to crochet. My mom had been trying to teach me for quite some time.

I understood how to chain and doing a single crochet stitch made sense to me, sort of. I could never check my work because my brain wasn't comprehending what the stitch looked like. I could never count my stitches. Basically, crocheting never clicked.

In my defense I will say I think it's because I am left-handed and I was learning to crochet right-handed. This wouldn't really make a big deal ordinarily since I do many things right-handed, as most lefties can attest. This is a right-handed world and I'd say most left-handed folks are rather ambidextrous. For some reason, however, my brain just couldn't figure it all out. I was frustrated because I could see it wasn't all that difficult yet I was unable to "get it".

As I said, I asked Grandma to show me yet again. I thought maybe with the background I had with my mom and having Grandma show me again between the two of them it may click. It did! It may have had something to do with doing just a single crochet stitch in the past. The item Grandma was making required a double-crochet stitch. I'm sure my advanced brain waves just needed something more complex to focus on....hahhahahahah. Yeah, right.

At any rate I wanted to keep up the long awaited skill I'd finally figured out and try a new project. The other item I had trouble with regarding crocheting is the patterns. Oh my, it's a completely different language. The abbreviations and parentheses are sort of overwhelming. I was determined to get the whole kit-and-caboodle so I found a really neat beginners book at Wal-mart. The photo above shows an older version of the same booklet I purchased. There are very easy to figure out diagrams and directions for different stitches. The booklet features 63 different patterns that when put together make a nice-sized afghan.

What's nice about the book is that it starts with the easier patterns and works you through, building on the past stitches. It's great for a beginner like myself. I have just about completed 7 blocks that I just store in a Ziploc baggie. Once I complete all 63 pattern blocks I'll be able to assemble the blanket and have a nice remembrance of the teachings of my mom and grandma.

Each block is 7"x7" so there is enough time to really get a good handle on the new stitch, or pattern. If I'm not completely done-in with crocheting by the time I've finished I could make little pillows or even cute handbags using my favorite patterns from the book and assembling said item in it's required form.

I will show a photo when I get the afghan all finished. Don't hold your breath. This may take awhile. If I had the time I could certainly whip out at least a block a day. I don't have that kind of time to just sit and crochet, however. sigh.... Even at that rate the afghan would take a good couple of months. I'm hoping to have all the blocks done and assembled into a blanket by the winter. I'm hoping. In the meantime, I'll just putz around on the thing and feel relief that I could figure how to crochet.

Don't' even get me started on knitting. I asked my mom to show me how to do that once and I think all I did was sit there with my mouth hanging open saying, "Huh?". I'll stick to crocheting and tackle the whole knitting thing some other day.