If you follow me on Facebook, you already know that I've signed up for an online crochet class. I've always been craft challenged, so this is a major undertaking for me. These wonderful crafty people who can pick up a new skill easily amaze me. I've always struggled.
What prompted my desire was those kitchen towels with the crocheted tops that fasten to stoves and whatnot. I have one my mom gave me that I love, but it's getting old and replacing it is difficult. The first problem is the towel itself. A lot of the people who make these towels use ones that are worthless to wipe your hands on--they're strictly decorative. I don't want this.
I did find some on Etsy that used a pretty good towel, but that led me to problem two. The drop was too long. The towel I have and love has a short drop, no button, and a wide enough button hole that I can push it around the knob on my cabinets and have it hang that way. Basically, I want the exact same towel I already have, but new and refreshed. It seemed easier to make my own than try to describe what I want to someone else.
There's another crocheted item that I'd love to learn how to make, too. Those dragon scale fingerless gloves. It's cold in my office and they're super cute! I already have a pair favorited on Etsy, but I haven't quite managed to hit the buy button yet. Surely, I can become good enough to make them?
The other reason I'd like to learn crochet is to have another creative outlet aside from writing. What I found while I was actively scrapbooking was that ideas for the story I was working on would come while I was working on a page. It was a nice zone to fall into and I'm hoping something similar will happen once I get okay enough at crochet that I'm nothing thinking about where my fingers are and the tension on the yarn and yadda, yadda, yadda.
And the final thing I'm looking for is a way to keep myself off the computer. Between my day job and writing, I spend far too much time on the PC/Mac. My default while I'm watching television is fingers on the keyboard. I'd like less time online, but I can't just sit and watch TV. I get too restless. I'm looking for crochet to take the place of surfing the net.
If you follow me on Facebook, you'll also know that I finished lesson one. The chain stitch. Holding the hook hasn't been difficult to grab, but it's been a lot harder to figure out a way to hold the yarn. Even worse for me has been yarn tension. It seems as if all my stitches have either been too tight or too loose, but I can't seem to hit the sweet spot. The only thing I can do is to continue to practice and hope that eventually I can grasp it, so that I can attempt lesson two.
