Thursday 26 January 2012

I'm Hooked!

After years of longing, I taught myself to knit in 2005. When I first became a "productive" knitter, I began wishing I had multiple arms, so I could work on multiple projects. When I started listening to, and watching, knitting podcasts, I heard most of the presenters express the same desire :-) Isn't it a great feeling, when you realise that something about you, that isn't exactly "mainstream", isn't "just you"?


Being a knitter soon made me want to spin my own yarn. I doubted my ability to learn. Could I really join the cool spinning kids? But my first amazing little spindle and me just "clicked", and I loved it! After that, I pined after a wheel until I was finally able to buy my Kiwi. The act of spinning fibre is a fantastic place to go to, and any spinners who read this will already be familiar with the pleasure, companionship, fulfilment and contentment that spinning, (usually), brings.


Being able to spin the yarn I wanted, competently enough to be able to knit something half decent, gave me the encouragement I needed to tackle crochet. As with knitting, I have wanted to crochet since childhood. It has always confused and slightly intimidated me. The construction of the stitches just seemed to make no sense! With knitting you, pretty much, work each stitch once, and then the little fella just hops across to the right hand needle. There are "fancy" stitches, such as cabling, or knitting/purling into the front and the back of the same stitch, but you don't have to learn these techniques to create a knitted fabric. Crochet felt to me like listening to Bach - how does something so complex and beautiful get written? How do you fathom the construction out? Until finally, thanks to watching a tutorial by Kim Werker I just "saw" it. I stuck to working with one stitch, the Treble Crochet (UK) - a.k.a. Double Crochet (US) - and went on from there. While my crochet is still at beginner level, I am a beginner! I recently completed my first Granny Square Crocheted Blanket. It may not be a highly original thing to make, and it is only made out of acrylic yarn, costing £1.69 a ball. But, it is my Granny Square Crocheted  Blanket!!! :-)










I used This pattern on Ravelry and added an edging from This beautiful baby blanket . It measures about 41 inches across, from side to side. - I am now, officially, addicted to crochet!











4 comments:

  1. Being a friend now of so many knitters makes me wonder how I took the skill for granted for so many years. I knitted and crocheted from a very early age until my teen years. I remember my first Granny Square blanket it was not nearly as lovely as yours. You do wonderful work. I can't wait to see what you create next. <3

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    1. Thank you! Have you thought about returning to crochet or knitting? It's a great way to relax :-) (I am so transparent and have no shame! LOL)

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  2. Wow...great job on your baby blanket!
    I want to become a better hooker(crocheter), too!

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    1. You're so sweet! Thank you :-) I love the different affects and fabric you get with crochet. I keep looking out for projects that use both! Good luck with your hooking! (Hug)

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