Saturday 10 April 2010

Lost the Plot

Can you believe I started the blog months ago - then promptly forgot where is was!! What an idiot! Anyway, sorted now, for a while - until I forget again! Is it an age thing? Being forgetful has become a way of life for me these days. People say things like "Maybe you have too much to remember" but I don't think I have, but is that only because I've forgotten half of it?

I just joined up for a swap on Ravelry which looks like fun. Everyone in the group knits or crochets a 12" square every month and sends it to another group member. So you get 12 squares and make them into your swap afghan.

My other crochet project on the go also has a "square" theme as I've subscribed to The Art of Crochet, a weekly parts type magazine, where again you get a wee ball of yarn and a pattern to crochet a square. I used to hate trying to sew squares or motifs together as I was never happy with the result, but I'm better at it now.

Saturday 5 September 2009

Blogging at Last

Why have I resisted blogging for such a long time? Probably because I thought no-one but me would read it, and that's a sad and lonely thought! However, pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, I decided that some crochet talk, memories and experiences might be of interest to others.

I learned to crochet when I was a wee lassie. Brought up in the Gorbals, Glasgow, girls sat in the playground and knitted or crocheted. We were probably 9 or 10 years old. No-one told us it was the season for balls, skipping ropes or knitting and crochet. It just happened ~ a bit like today's trends for electronic games, only a lot cheaper. My Mammy was horrified at my crochet as I remember, because I couldn't get the corners in the right place, or the stitches for that matter! The hook seemed to have a will of it's own and went right into a space or a stitch, uncontrolled by me. Nowadays it's called freeform or scumbling. In the 1950s, Mammy told me I'd made mistakes! Of course, she was a real crocheting person. Although she didn't read a pattern, she could produce almost anything if she had enough yarn.

Eventually I learned to control the hook, bought a book of crochet stitches, and tried to learn how to read a pattern. I was 19 years old when I crocheted my first hyperbolic ringlet and was so proud. Sadly, I had a wee son and boys didn't have those lovely ringlets on their hats!

So, what about my latest crochet projects? Lately, I've done a panel for the Skye Bridge Arts Project, a shawl, and some fingerless gloves. I usually have a couple of things on the go, and switch from one to the other. Do most folk do that? I'm more of a starter than a finisher right enough, but any finished articles are usually given away to friends, family, charity, babies or cats.