A Lesson In Crochet
Monday, December 14, 2015
I finally made myself do it, guys. I dreamed about learning to crochet for maybe a couple years now and it is glorious fun! But let me share a short tale about how I got to where I am right now:
The first week I did make some mistakes. And that's to be expected. Sure. I knew it'd take some time and patience. Maybe even more yarn pulling out and untangling than I thought, but still, a new experience requires, or demands, some work. So, I taught myself through the wonderful world of YouTube. I watched ladies from all ages twirl their hooks around beautiful colored yarn, and I thought I as getting the hang of it. I thought the stitches I placed were the same as the women in the effortless videos were. But after noticing that the design looked off, and that my pieces were tighter than what they should be, my heart sank. I had been doing so well for my first time, I thought. Not so much. I realized that maybe I needed more practice with the different stitches that one can use for crochet and made sure this time I could call the stitch by name, and remember how each one (that I have learned at the time) was properly done.
What was I thinking? Sheesh. That, I could just start something for the first time and be a natural? That I as going to whip out scarves here and there like an experienced older woman? Well... I wanted to believe it was true.
See, I have this part of me where I set my heart and soul on something and believe I can become a master within a short time. I feel as if I'm all over the place with how many interests that I NEED to try. Naturally, crocheting, and eventually knitting (oh, yeah), were on the list.
But guess what? I may be wildly enthusiastic about trying new things and I may have an unrealistic view on how much effort it takes to learn and grow into something, but I feel like that's okay. Or at least it can be. I don't feel bad about teaching myself mistakes for a week before I finally understood the slip stitch, the half-double crochet, and the single crochet. It takes a few tries and that's definitely what I needed. I guess I'm just a "learn by mistake" kind of person.
Anyway, I'm so very proud of how I'm getting along! And I LOVE CROCHETING. It's so calming and also very addictive! (Says with a huge grin.)
2 comments
Edenn, it's so exciting that you taught yourself crochet! So, a bazillion of years ago, I tried to teach myself how to crochet out of a book (this was before my family had internet at home), and thought I was doing it right. But then I discovered that the back of my fabric looked entirely wrong, and that I had been putting the hook through the wrong loop! So I ignored crochet for years and clung to my beloved knitting needles. A few years ago, with Youtube close at hand, I decided to teach myself crochet again because I found a Doctor Who pattern that was only able to be done with a crochet hook. I also struggled a lot (and still struggle, I cannot remember the names of all the stitches for the life of me!), but it did teach me a considerable amount of patience and perseverance!
ReplyDeleteAnneMarie, thank you so much for sharing! And you're not the only one who had trouble with it at the beginning! I think I might have made the same mistake once too; hooking the yarn in the wrong place! Ugh, it was a little frustrating! But YouTube is exactly what I needed. I'm glad you were able to find joy in it again! Doctor Who is such a fun show and I love that it brought us to talk! :)
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