Click image to buy from Amazon
This year after booking my beach holiday, I thought to myself, hours spent by the sea on a sun lounger could be put to good use, why not learn how to crochet. Having no idea of what sized hook to use, I ordered a pack of them online and bought some cheap wool from the pound shop to practice on.
Now, crochet and knitting have always been something that mystifies me, Im not sure that its the techniques that are actually that hard or the language in which they are written, to be quite frank it has seemed to me like gobbdly goop! A bit like music notes, I was always astounded how some people like my brother or friend Becca found it easy to translate at a glance, much like the abbreviated YHR, HTRs and TRTRs in crochet. To be fair to the designers, the description would go on for a lifetime to explain the simplest thing, hence the shortened language.
The next problem, after learning what these all mean, you have to actually learn is what they all are! Help was at hand, Crochet Workshop, by Erica Knight - this book was the exact remedy for my brain ache. As I had 12 nights and lots of hours in-between I took my time with it and went through each chapter at a time; the first section in the book describes with handy illustrations how to create each stitch. This made a brilliant reference when working out the projects later on. Even if you practice each stitch its very hard to remember them all initially. It has a clear list of what all the abbreviations mean as well as useful hints and tips.
So I became addicted, I took my ball of wool with me everywhere; to the beach, by the pool, in the spa, at the apartment...I found that I was not alone in my knitting, there was also a 70+ lady with a bright florescent green ball of wool knitting the longest "thing" I had ever seen!
The second section of the book is the projects, lots of them are lovely and made in gorgeous earthy shades which make them really desirable, the Triangular Scarf has a very chic designer feel and the Rag Pet Bed is gorgeous ( if only I wasn't allergic it would persuade me to buy a Schnauzer).
Annoyingly for me after I had got to the stage when I was confident about making something....disaster struck! I broke my cheap plastic .5mm needle... by the pool of all places! Also I found that the practice wool I had bought wasn't the correct weight, and its pretty impossible to complete the projects without the right materials.
On return home I do plan to make some of the projects. This book is brilliantly written, incredibly clear and a great reference. Crochet is not an easy hobby, but like anything if you keep trying you can get
there.
No comments:
Post a Comment