I was a fidgety 8 year old when I fell in love with crochet. Sitting in my grandmother’s house for long hours, while my mother worked long shifts; I was always bored. My grandmother was constantly thinking of new ways to keep me occupied, from paint by number, to looming potholders, to various movies on the VCR.
My grandmother was a craft addict, but what I admired most of all was her ability to crochet. She was a magician, weaving her wand over lumps of string and turning them into the most beautiful creations: baby blankets, sweaters, hats to snuggle down over chilly ears, you name it. As most of you know, magical ability is passed down genetically. Twenty-four years later, I am a proud hooker.
From the time I first expressed my desire to learn, my training quickly began. My grandmother immersed me in pattern books, yarn, and the benefit of her expert instruction. We took trips to the local craft store where I received my own hooks, yarn, and scissors. Complaints of boredom were quickly replaced by granny squares for a blanket that never seemed to materialize. From those granny squares, I learned to make hats, scarves and a myriad of other things. Somehow I learned how to read a book while crocheting as well, a skill I sadly have not retained.
What began as a way to keep me occupied became a life skill: I learned how to delay gratification, to make a plan, and to bring myself peace. These skills have brought me much comfort. When the cold winds of life blow, I draw them close around me like an afghan. They keep me warm.
Learning something new is never easy. Many days I have flung whole projects across the room in frustration. There are always unforeseen struggles: sometimes patterns have errors in them. There are stitches you miss and never realize it until your piece is misshapen and you throw your hands up in despair. Tangled yarn is one of the worst mishaps to befall a fiber worker; I have untangled enough of it to circle the globe at least twice. Whole hours of my life have been spent murmuring under my breath, pulling and yanking until I finally got a usable ball of yarn once more. Crochet isn’t always easy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Crochet has been a help to me in troubled times. When a relative had a stroke, I wrapped her in a hand stitched throw as she laid recovering in her hospital bed. When my best friend from high school had a baby; guess who had an awesome shower gift? When depression had me in it’s grip, I stitched for hours to distract myself from the pain. Crochet has been a constant friend.
So many of the habits we form in life cause us distress; this is an addiction that pays in treasured memories. If you’re thinking of learning, take your time and don’t give up. Here are a few great resources to get you started on your own crochet memoirs:
Making your own Memoirs Resource Guide
http://www.mooglyblog.com/ – for great free patterns and awesome tutorials, look no further.
https://www.ravelry.com/ – the mother of all resources, ravelry is full of patterns, yarn suggestions, patterns and message boards full of experienced hookers.
https://www.pinterest.com/ – like anything craft related, there are a TON of great crochet guides on Pinterest.
Craftsy.com – THE BEST video courses on the web. They are completely interactive and their yarn shop has excellent sales.
Interweave.com – a crafter’s sweetest dream/ a wallet’s worst nightmare. If a pattern for it can’t be found here, it can’t be done with yarn.
* guest post
