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I have tried cross stitching, knitting, drawing, beading, latch hooking, quilting, scrapbooking... all sorts of arts and crafts. But crocheting is the one I've stuck with the longest and the one that I enjoy the most.
My paternal grandmother taught me to crochet when I was single-digit young, but it didn't really stick. When I got sick in the winter of 2000, I wanted to have something besides TV to occupy me during my recovery, so I decided I needed to try a craft. I had intended to pick a cross stitch kit, but nothing excited me at the craft store. I kept looking and saw this book, "I Can't Believe I'm Crocheting" (yes, it's a cheesy title). I picked the book up along with a hook and a skein of yarn and I officially became a crocheter. Appropriately, the first afghan I made was given to my grandma for Christmas.
Since then, I have made so many things, I can't keep up with them anymore. I once tried to make a list but finally stopped keeping track after listing 60-some items. I've made afghans, squares, doilies, filet, animals, food, wearables, kitchen items and other unusual things. And I always have plenty of works-in-progress (WIP) to keep me busy! I've found that crocheting is a great way to relieve stress (and it keeps me from getting the munchies while I watch TV!)
Along with all the WIP I have sitting around, my husband has tons of other crochet-related goodies to deal with. The closet in our computer room is full of yarn, batting, half-finished projects, hooks and extra squares for my square exchange. (Oh, and my wedding dress, but that's really the only non-craft thing in that closet). I have one full bookshelf and many megabytes on my computer packed with crochet books, online patterns, technique books, and out-of-print patterns from eBay. And I'm always adding more! I also have started collecting special crochet hooks. There is a great seller on eBay that makes great hooks that I love to crochet with. I am working on getting two complete sets. These are the ones I have so far. Very exciting!
If you want to learn how to crochet, there has never been a better time. There is a bevy of useful crochet sites out there on the internet. One in particular that has practice patterns, good descriptions, and even videos of the different stitches is StitchGuide.com. You can also find more patterns than you will ever be able to complete by doing a simple Google search online.
If you already know how to crochet, there are some great online communities out there. One of my favorite groups is Crochet Friends in MSN's Groups. They have a fantastic exchange that I have been a part of for almost a year. Every month (or more frequently, if you prefer) you exchange two seven-inch crochet squares with someone else from around the world. It's called the Crochet Friends Friendship Square Exchange, or CFFSX. I've met a lot of neat ladies and have enough exchange squares to make my own afghan (if I would just put them together)!
Last updated 5-Jul-04 |
