So, if I’m labeling myself an old dog, and I’m a female, does that mean I just called myself a bitch? Well, so be it, the title is fitting. I mean the new trick part, the other is subjective and could go either way.
I taught myself to crochet! Okay I didn’t totally teach myself, I followed this You Tube video and practiced for about a week before taking on my first project.
NOTE: If you are even marginally good at crochet, look away. Look away now! You will find my rogue crochet offensive and I could not blame you, therefore I’m trying to save you.
Growing up I had a best friend in middle school. Michelle and I rode our bike for miles and miles and miles. Or so we thought. We lived less than two miles from each other and thought it took forever to get from one house to the other. My best friend from high school, Laura, likes to blame me for getting her into all kinds of, uh, situations. Maybe so but I simply made suggestions and clearly she was a willing participant since I was always in it with her. Michelle went to a different high school and then moved down South. Now they live in New York and Virgina! How these two Florida girls got so far away, and in places where it gets really cold and snows, is a real head-scratcher. I feel certain that love had something to do with it. Anyway, I wanted to make something special for each of them for Christmas, enter the crochet idea.
SIDE NOTE: I am notorious for taking on far more than I can handle along with taking the road less traveled (a.k.a. the hardest route possible).
So I watched the video, repeatedly, and I made two scarves from the same color yarn, with the same stitch pattern but on the first one I made the stitches tight (on the right above), on the second they are loose (on the left above). I like the loose one better, it’s considerably softer. So now I’m in a quandary, which friend gets which scarf? Ugh. Okay, I’ll give the loose one to the friend I like better. Just kidding!
I’m actually keeping the tight stitched one for myself since it was my very first time crocheting. I’m making a third, loose stitch scarf so my besties can both have the soft version of my endeavors.
Here’s what I have learned so far:
- Watch the video slowly and pause when needed. I would watch a part, then do it. Watch some more, then do that part. I just kept watching and practicing along with it. Finally I started to understand what she was saying.
- Then I got the wise idea to write down each stitch and what she says to do. That was key for me because then I could concentrate solely on the stitches. I ripped a bunch out and started over numerous times but finally I got it.
- Also what helped me was doing the stitches lengthwise for the scarf I was trying to make. I started off doing them like she did. My ends kept turning out uneven. (They are still a little tricky but I found a way to cover them up until I get better.) Anyway, I would chain the length I wanted first then work each row that way.
- I also used much thicker yarn because I could see what I was doing better. (old bitch = old eyes)
- I added fringe to either end. It’s a good way to hide how completely uneven they ended up!
I will continue to practice and share with you so stay tuned…you never know what’s going to happen…neither do I. C’est la vie!!!
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