I was inspired by a recent essay by Franklin Habit asking why knitters and crocheters can't just get along. And genetically, my ancestors were more crocheters than knitters, most notably my great-great Aunt Gladys. Several online friends were branching out, too, so I thought I'd try my hand -- and wrist -- at it.
I took a class on making granny squares from my friend Staci a while back and i found crocheting came back to me rather quickly. I don't know that heavy cotton yarn was the best thing to knock the rust off with, but it was at hand. I tried a few different patterns, but settled in the Diagonal Dishcloth by Amanda Judkins. I like that it's done on the bias, so I could try increasing and decreasing.
I'm not sure I got the best combination of yarn and hook. It looks a bit open to me. And there are some obvious tension issues. But with help from Staci's crochet videos, and some input from Stephanie at Saturday morning, I got through it. It's a bit big, but it might make a good hot pad. This is basically just rows of single crochet, done on the bias into the backs of the stitches, with increases at the edges to the halfway point and then decreases back to the point.
I've been trying to learn the basics of crochet for ages and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it through a beginners book I bought on sale. It's like the door has now opened to the other half of the knitting/crochet world.
ReplyDeleteTricoter, you stay.
ReplyDeleteNow, crochet...away.
I crocheted -- a lot -- before I started knitting seriously. But that was many years ago, and I find that now I have to constantly remind myself how to do the stitches. I'm always afraid I'll double crochet when I'm supposed to single crochet!
ReplyDeleteIs it that we don't "get along" or just don't speak the same "language"?
ReplyDeleteI'm in a craft group with several master crocheters, a couple of whom are also accomplished knitters and they often act as interpreters when there's conversation about one or the other craft.
This month our knitting guild Speaker will be one of those crocheters. Maybe here in multi cultural Toronto we're practiced at dealing with different points of view to the degree it extends to our crafting!