Only the Beginning?

It will be interesting to see how much time I make for crocheting from now on, with the close of the semester here. Of course, my plans are to stick with it and work towards mastering the art (which I am so far from!). It's the whole making time thing that I have difficulty with, unfortunately.

Knowing that I need some more practice with different stitches and reading directions, I decided to follow an instructional video and crochet a heart this week. Hopefully, seeing someone else do the stitches will help me regain confidence in the essentials. That is, if I can get her to slow down a little! As you see, no picture this week. That's because this project hasn't made it very far....:(

I have enjoyed reminiscing this week, in preparation for the presentation tonight. Reflection, seeing how far I've come and how my thoughts have changed, can be very encouraging.

New Leaves

I haven't exactly gotten past the dishcloth phase, but I did try something new this week. I found some neat patterns for dishrags with a scrubbie in the middle, so I made a trip to the dollar store to buy some scrubbies and got to work! Honestly, I was afraid that the directions (...sl st in next 3 dc, sc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in each of the next 5 dc's, dc in the next 2 dc, 2 dc in the next dc, hdc in the next dc, sc in the next 3 dc, sl st in the next 5 dc, sc in the next dc...) would be too difficult, but I'm actually pretty pleased with what came of it all. I feel as thought I've turned over a new leaf in pattern-reading. I also have pretty much mastered crocheting leaves...ha:)!

What good is it if I don't share it?

What good is my new skill If I don't share it?  This week has been a lot of crocheting two minutes here and three minutes there.  With no hour block of time to find a pattern and how-to video for the hat, I decided to continue to perfect what I'm already comfortable with and share the products of my new skill with others.

My boyfriend is one of the best cooks I know.  Good cooks have a lot of dirty dishes, so I made him this dishrag.  We have enjoyed the weight of my last rag in our kitchen, so I made his very similar.

I need to experiment with some new designs...we'll see what my schedule looks like next week!

Adding Character

I learned something new today!  I ended up not having enough thread to finish the dishrag, so, instead of throwing it all away, I grabbed some leftovers of another color and looked up a video for adding a new color (or a new ball of yarn) to a project.  It was actually pretty simple.  As you can see, the colors don't exactly compliment each other, but it now has character!!

A Set!

With the end of the semester fast approaching, placing me in desperate need of an escape from researching/typing, an hour spent on the couch crocheting last night was just what I needed.

Some of my recent dishrags, after use, have proved to be a bit thick, making them better potholders.  SO, I finished the last to be a potholder and, with leftover yarn, began a dishrag with some spacing, making it a bit lighter and more flexible.  And there you have it (see below...and no, the dishrag is not yet complete) - a set!

I know I keep saying that I'd like to move on to something bigger, but my purse and my planner can't currently handle much bigger, so I'm going to do small projects with the 100% cotton thread that I have leftover (so far, it's my favorite to work with).  I think I'm going to look at some hat/beanie patterns to see if that's biting off more than I can chew.

Consistency

I haven't had the time that I'd hoped for to crochet this week.  This time a few weeks back I would have been thrilled to almost finish a dishcloth in a week.  As time goes on, I'm finding myself looping a little faster.  I still have SO MUCH to learn, but I think that my work is becoming more consistent, so maybe I'm almost ready for something a little more difficult...we'll see.  Below is the dishrag (or potholder?) that I'm currently working on...another new stitch down!

somewhat productive

I feel that I have been somewhat productive in my crochet efforts lately (which is definitely a feeling that I needed).  Below you will see two dishcloths that I have finished.  Surprisingly, I have no plans of pulling these apart.  Realizing that I will not be an expert over night, I am enjoying experimenting with different stitches and filling the dishrag drawer in our kitchen!

I am still using the videos and finding them helpful.  There have been a few steps or stitches that I have not been able to find a video for.  I have entertained the idea of creating a few how-to videos someday for others that are just beginning with just the basics.

After signing up on a website, I received a catalog from a yarn company in the mail this week.  It was pretty much what I expected.  I only wish that I had thought of the idea of kits first!

[No] Snow Day Crochet

Yesterday, while hoping for snow (would you believe that surrounding towns received up to 6 inches of snow and Toccoa - nothing!?), I watched a few YouTube crochet videos.  I hate that I didn't think of this earlier.  These videos were incredibly helpful.  It was nice to see someone else's technique...and to catch all of the directions that I was, obviously, misreading!

Here's the start of a dishcloth with some fun spacing in it (much closer to what I was going for):

It could be worse!

Well, my first dishcloth is complete (see picture below - the color is funny looking because it is two-tone thread).  Well, I haven't yet mastered the craft of "finishing" a crochet project, but this is the meat and the potatoes of it!

I think I'll try another dishcloth, this time with a different pattern.  It's ok that I don't so much care for this one, I'll just experiment with patterns and stitches until I find something that I'm pleased with.  As soon as I find a free afternoon (ha!), I would love to call my grandmother's best friend or my old babysitter.  Maybe shadowing for a bit would help me reach my expectations...?

Another thing that I'd like to do when I find/make some time is read through some of the crochet blogs that I've found.  A book from the library led me to a blog for "The Crochet Dude"...

Nothing Fancy

I've enjoyed reading a book that I checked out at the library the other day. It has many contemporary ideas for needlecrafts as well as very helpful graphics. The descriptions of abbreviations have been most useful - I'm learning a bit of a new language!

After completing a good-sized practice piece, I decided on a first project -dishcloths! The lady that kept me when I was little crocheted dishcloths for my mom as holiday gifts back in the day. These dishcloths are still in our kitchen today! I thought this would be something simple that I may actually be capable of completing! I recently purchased some 100% cotton thread, perfect for the task, and I am currently on row 3 of dishcloth #1. I'll post pictures as soon as #1 is complete!

Here's the practice piece (nothing fancy...I'm working on that!:

Joined at the Hip

We're making progress (my needle and I, that is)!!  I'm not sure what my mini-project will turn out to be, but we're getting somewhere.  I'm going with my no-turning-back plan and, so far, so good.

I have a small kit, if you will, complete with different sized needles, thread, patterns (that I can't yet read), etc. that is nearly attached at my hip at all times.  Occasionally, I toss in my chapstick, keys, and phone and it doubles for a purse (how handy).

I'm realizing more and more how useful this skill is:

-newborn gifts (hats, blankets, etc.) - check!

-inexpensive scarves for everyone - check!

-framed doilies to pass down for generations to come? - check!

-productive feeling during not-so productive time periods/while watching TV - check!

Well, below is proof of my ever-so-tiny progress :).

Square 1

A 40% off needlecraft sale at Hobby Lobby last week made that errand an absolute necessity. Can you tell that I'm a sale shopper? I picked up some different size threads and needles, hoping that maybe I would decide on a project (one that is both manageable and that I will use!), but I find myself still in "square 1".

The perfectionist in me is keeping my attention to the little things. It seems as though every time I get going, I undo and begin again. My goal for the next week is to ignore slight imperfections and keep on trucking.

Once I figure out all of the abbreviations and where to loop each thread, I may make a scarf. I think that's doable...

Here's a picture of the little progress I have made: a ring, a single crochet, and a double crochet...

"Hey, you're crocheting!"

An afternoon perusing shelves in Hobby Lobby and Michael's last week boosted my enthusiasm for projects that I may tackle in weeks to come. Thank goodness for those freebie patterns and fun selections of thread and yarn. I found myself thinking of all of the blankets and scarves I could crochet for gifts (or keeps!).

A few items from my mother's craft closet got me started on my crocheting quest this weekend. After much persistence, I finally made it past the initial chain onto the single crochet. The pictures from a needlecraft book were pretty easy to follow, so time spent learning the basics of looping was a nice break from other tasks.

During a few spare minutes, I found myself practicing my new tricks and a nearby 10 year old said "Hey, you're crocheting!" He went on to tell me that, sometime back, his curiosity of the craft on a trip to visit family led to a mini-lesson from his aunt. I enjoyed his eagerness to offer suggestions.

The following picture is my first chain. It's nothing impressive, but it's a start!!

Getting the Hook Looping

After much consideration, I have chosen to take up the creative skill of crocheting. Just as I like sitting on the front porch with a cup of coffee, I see this endeavor as one that will be very therapeutic. I also am hoping for success so to bring back a somewhat lost art (in my family, at least!). Being a lover of crafting, I know that this is something that I will enjoy. At this juncture in my life, I am thrilled to have an opportunity to take up a hobby that I would not make time for otherwise, and feel justified in doing so! I suppose I will start with the basics nestled in my mom's craft closet. As you can imagine, I have zero friends versed in this skill, so I plan to step out of my bubble by making a few phonecalls and also engage in the reading a few how-to's to get the ball rolling (or hook looping, rather)!