What's the Scoop??? My Latest Obsession, Crocheting

by Jewels E 9/24/2014 0 comments

So lately, I've been developing a new obsession. You already know one of my obsessions is reading. That's been a fixation and love of mine for...ever really. But enough about reading (and I never thought I'd say such a thing) because this post is about my newest obsession, crocheting.

Maybe I shouldn't say it's a new interest. Because really, I've been crocheting since I was a kid. My aunt taught me some basic stitches when I was about eleven (I was home sick and needed something to do other than read) and I've always enjoyed the craft. It's fun to see the yarn grow and become something useful, like a blanket or scarf. But, let's face it, I could only make so many blankets and scarves. So for a while, I wasn't doing much with this craft because I needed to know more about it.

Which I learned about ten years ago. I learned how to make a granny square. Which was great, but I wasn't sure entirely how useful that was. Which just proves how ignorant I was of this craft. Because you can do a lot with granny squares. But, it let me experiment and some of that proved useful. And then, a couple of years ago, I found this really great book that teaches you how to crochet visually.

And this is why books are great. I had looked at some other crocheting books in the past, but this one is truly great. The pictures show you

what to do with the yarn. The instructions are simple and easy to follow. It teaches you how to read a pattern, shows you how to create a variety of simple and more complex stitches and has patterns that you can follow. I learned a lot simply by reading through sections of this book--another reason it's great, you don't have to read it beginning to end, but rather use whatever sections are useful to you. For someone like me, who had some knowledge, it cleared up some questions and allowed me to learn new stitches for my projects. It also taught me that granny squares are more useful than I initially thought.

So, I've been crocheting a fair bit. I've started two blanket projects (why two? Because one is for elegance, and the other for my bed) and have created a lovely scarf and am currently working on a project using a pattern from another crocheting book that was given to me as a gift.

  This book rocks. It's full of information, including a brief history of crocheting, how it's different from knitting and useful tips like how to read a yarn label and what hooks and tools you need. It also has some great projects and patterns. I've learned to make a flower and I'm currently working on creating a fun scarf crafted together from crocheted flowers. They are quick and easy to make and can be used to accent many of your projects.

I'm still learning. I'm in no way an expert and though I might be doing some intermediate level things, I still call myself a beginner. But I'm so super excited to be learning more about this wonderful, fun craft. My home is now filled with books and yarn. And I am a very happy hooker.