As a kid and a teen, I looked at it as something that "older people" did: knitting and crocheting. I saw no practical purpose for it at all, and while I loved the socks and stuff that my great-aunt used to make and send to me, I had absolutely no desire to learn how to do it on my own.
Until recently.
Lately, scarves have become a HUGE rage in fashion, but (and imagine this!) they're also quite useful in keeping warm. Anyone who is from the central and/or northern US (or Canada, for that matter!) knows that it has been a particularly cold winter this year, and I, for one, am willing to use anything I can to keep warm!
The last time I was at the store, I decided to get a crocheting book, some hooks, and a ball of yarn, and give it a shot. The book, I must say, was a serious let down for me. It cost all of $5, granted, and while it is instructional to say the least, I just couldn't get any type of rhythm going from its directions. In fact, all I ended up with was a very uneven, tight chain, and sore wrists. I have carpal tunnel, so the latter wasn't unexpected, but I didn't expect it so quickly!
I put the chain and yarn aside, but I kept finding myself coming back to it, only to get frustrated again, of course, and then leave it again. After a few rounds of this, I decided to look up other ways/techniques, and lo-and-behold, I came across an eHow tutorial that was fabulous! It has animated GIFs of exactly what to do/the motions involved, and immediately afterwards, I saw what I was doing wrong, and was able to pick up my chain and start turning it into something much more comfortable for me. My wrist still got sore, but it took a lot longer this time, and honestly, it was a much more enjoyable, relaxing experience than the initial tries. I ended up looking up other options, only to find finger crocheting tutorials (I made a super-cute chain scarf that I love!) and even an arm-knitting tutorial on how to make a blanket in less than an hour!
Obviously, the image above isn't of my actual work, but after I get a bit more practice, I believe I'm going to be a crocheting fanatic. I'm already planning on the arm blanket thing, with the intent to make it with a super-thick yarn (or several strands of really thick yarn!) so it will be fuller, and less net-like, which I've read a lot of people in the comments talking about. I love blankets, so I might get rather creative as well.
As for the crochet chain scarves... well, chances are good that I will end up making many of them, and probably do geeked-out versions as well: Harry Potter color scheme ones, Sailormoon color themed ones (Sailorjupiter, anyone?), perhaps even video game themed ones: Pokemon X and Y, Kirby, etc. I'm seriously considering doing the last one in 2 shades of pink, and making a little felt kirby to put at the binding, as a "brooch" or "accent piece." All of these will likely end up on my Etsy page, available for purchase, but until I start making them and putting them up, I'll refrain from posting the link here just yet. :)
So, keep an eye out, expect wonderful things, and look forward to some interesting posts ahead. Oh, and get
Until recently.
Lately, scarves have become a HUGE rage in fashion, but (and imagine this!) they're also quite useful in keeping warm. Anyone who is from the central and/or northern US (or Canada, for that matter!) knows that it has been a particularly cold winter this year, and I, for one, am willing to use anything I can to keep warm!
The last time I was at the store, I decided to get a crocheting book, some hooks, and a ball of yarn, and give it a shot. The book, I must say, was a serious let down for me. It cost all of $5, granted, and while it is instructional to say the least, I just couldn't get any type of rhythm going from its directions. In fact, all I ended up with was a very uneven, tight chain, and sore wrists. I have carpal tunnel, so the latter wasn't unexpected, but I didn't expect it so quickly!
I put the chain and yarn aside, but I kept finding myself coming back to it, only to get frustrated again, of course, and then leave it again. After a few rounds of this, I decided to look up other ways/techniques, and lo-and-behold, I came across an eHow tutorial that was fabulous! It has animated GIFs of exactly what to do/the motions involved, and immediately afterwards, I saw what I was doing wrong, and was able to pick up my chain and start turning it into something much more comfortable for me. My wrist still got sore, but it took a lot longer this time, and honestly, it was a much more enjoyable, relaxing experience than the initial tries. I ended up looking up other options, only to find finger crocheting tutorials (I made a super-cute chain scarf that I love!) and even an arm-knitting tutorial on how to make a blanket in less than an hour!
Obviously, the image above isn't of my actual work, but after I get a bit more practice, I believe I'm going to be a crocheting fanatic. I'm already planning on the arm blanket thing, with the intent to make it with a super-thick yarn (or several strands of really thick yarn!) so it will be fuller, and less net-like, which I've read a lot of people in the comments talking about. I love blankets, so I might get rather creative as well.
As for the crochet chain scarves... well, chances are good that I will end up making many of them, and probably do geeked-out versions as well: Harry Potter color scheme ones, Sailormoon color themed ones (Sailorjupiter, anyone?), perhaps even video game themed ones: Pokemon X and Y, Kirby, etc. I'm seriously considering doing the last one in 2 shades of pink, and making a little felt kirby to put at the binding, as a "brooch" or "accent piece." All of these will likely end up on my Etsy page, available for purchase, but until I start making them and putting them up, I'll refrain from posting the link here just yet. :)
So, keep an eye out, expect wonderful things, and look forward to some interesting posts ahead. Oh, and get