Sunday, January 30, 2011

Expanding My Fiber Horizons

Yesterday I attended a "Learn to Crochet" class at a local yarn store, Sip & Knit.   The class was only $30 and I received two plus hours of instruction (there were only two students in the class, including me, so I basically received one-on-one instruction).  I was totally confused for the first hour and thirty minutes; I felt like I was struggling to get my mind around it and that I was just mimicking what the instructor was showing me.  I didn't know the how or why behind it.

I fumbled around and managed to create a simple crochet border on a knitted swatch.  It was not impressive but I had fun in the class and signed up for another one on the spot (Learn to Knit Continental).  I was intrigued and after I got home, I pulled up as many beginner crochet videos as I could and started practicing stitches.  I was a bit bored with it until I found granny squares.

I ran through five or six versions of the granny square until I finally understood the stitches.  This was my first completely successful attempt. (I'm using the crappiest of crappy acrylic yarn because I'm just practicing and why waste decent yarn?)

Granny Square
I added a different color as a border to practice what I learned in class.

Granny Square with border
It's not much.  But I am very excited about this.  I have to finish my knit blanket and maybe the second sock on my needles.  I want to tackle a crochet project.  I'll do some researching (i.e., reading blogs and crochet forums online).  Also, there is a lady at work who is an accomplished crocheter and I will ask her for a recommendation.

I'm nervous about our possible move.  Nervous because we will have to acclimate Miss Macy to another new place.  It's been six months since she's been with us and she's still a 'fraidy cat.  I want her to feel secure and I'm not sure how we will do that with the new place.

Look how little she looks!  Miss Macy all curled up.

2 comments:

crazyknitter83 said...

Hi! I know how you feel about crochet seeming hard and kinda scary and not really making much sense. I remember feeling like that when I was first attempting it. It gets a lot better, trust me. : ) Granny squares are the best, aren't they? They're very addictive. It took me years to finally get them down, but once I did, I was hooked(no pun intended lol). Good luck with your crocheting endeavors. I really enjoy reading your blog, and I look forward to another post! : )

Anonymous said...

God created man in his own image, says the Bible; philosophers reverse the process: they create God in theirs.

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