Sandi admiring my work...
does she look nervous?
Thus, comes the decision to buy the "I Taught Myself to Crochet" kit. It came with several hooks, some other needle type things and rubberbands. I'm still not sure what those are for. I boldly bought some yarn and began to teach myself. After practicing a few beginning stitches, I decided I was going to make a blanket. So I convinced my husband to come along as I bought 14 skeins (that's a fancy word for "roll of yarn", thank you very much) of this gorgeous multicolored yarn. I started on a scarf, just to get myself warmed up for the blanket, and got frustrated. I couldn't understand the pattern, I felt like my stitches were all over the place, like the scarf was getting bigger and smaller, and I just didn't think I was good at this. So, I abandoned the whole project for a while. I made two different moves with all that yarn. Since Jeff had packed and moved the yarn twice, he began to mock me. This is the only motivation I needed.
So a week or so ago, I started again, this time with a simpler pattern. It turned out ok. So far, most people get distracted by the pretty colors of the yarn so they don't notice that the scarf gets wider, then more narrow, then wider on one side and smaller on the other, etc. It is a terrible mess. But I'm proud I finished it.
Here's a pic (but you can't tell from this how really sad it looks):
Feeling emboldened by this success, I started on a hat to match the scarf. Knowing this would be much more complicated, I found a cheap skein (I totally know my crochet vocab) of white yarn to practice this one. It started out great. It was actually looking like a hat! As it continued, however, Jeff kept asking, "Shouldn't it, you know, curve in?" I told him to trust the pattern. See, in crocheting, it is absolutely imperative that you follow the pattern very closely, that you count the stitches very carefully, and that you understand the sizing of the stitches so that your final product fits correctly. Knowing this, I totally ignored it. So, my hat looks something more like the top of a jellyfish than a hat. Here's Jeff modeling it for you:
does she look nervous?
I'm teaching myself to crochet. My Mimi crochets and I always admired her afghans and baby blankets. Since my mother, her mother and sisters all sew and are "crafty", I have been a little embarrassed by my own lack of any of those skills. Oh, I can slip stitch a hem into a skirt or sew a button back on for my husband, but that's about the end of my sewing skills. Besides, there are very few people these days who could make their own clothes or create something out of yarn. There's some part of me, some deeply feminine part, that wants to be able to create these crafts and very practical things we need in our lives. Plus, sometimes I get bored watching football with my husband and crocheting sounded like something that would keep my hands busy.
Thus, comes the decision to buy the "I Taught Myself to Crochet" kit. It came with several hooks, some other needle type things and rubberbands. I'm still not sure what those are for. I boldly bought some yarn and began to teach myself. After practicing a few beginning stitches, I decided I was going to make a blanket. So I convinced my husband to come along as I bought 14 skeins (that's a fancy word for "roll of yarn", thank you very much) of this gorgeous multicolored yarn. I started on a scarf, just to get myself warmed up for the blanket, and got frustrated. I couldn't understand the pattern, I felt like my stitches were all over the place, like the scarf was getting bigger and smaller, and I just didn't think I was good at this. So, I abandoned the whole project for a while. I made two different moves with all that yarn. Since Jeff had packed and moved the yarn twice, he began to mock me. This is the only motivation I needed.
So a week or so ago, I started again, this time with a simpler pattern. It turned out ok. So far, most people get distracted by the pretty colors of the yarn so they don't notice that the scarf gets wider, then more narrow, then wider on one side and smaller on the other, etc. It is a terrible mess. But I'm proud I finished it.
Here's a pic (but you can't tell from this how really sad it looks):Feeling emboldened by this success, I started on a hat to match the scarf. Knowing this would be much more complicated, I found a cheap skein (I totally know my crochet vocab) of white yarn to practice this one. It started out great. It was actually looking like a hat! As it continued, however, Jeff kept asking, "Shouldn't it, you know, curve in?" I told him to trust the pattern. See, in crocheting, it is absolutely imperative that you follow the pattern very closely, that you count the stitches very carefully, and that you understand the sizing of the stitches so that your final product fits correctly. Knowing this, I totally ignored it. So, my hat looks something more like the top of a jellyfish than a hat. Here's Jeff modeling it for you:
Regardless of this minor set-back, I have really enjoyed myself. My Mimi says my stitches look great, even if the hat doesn't actually fit on any person's head. So I'm going to keep making things. I figured this would be a great Christmas to give homemade gifts. So, if you've been waiting for that zigzagging scarf or you were really hoping for an amoeba-like hat thing that doubles as a wrinkly doily, this could be your year. I'm currently taking orders.
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