My late grandmother taught me to crochet rows. She tried to teach me more, but I was an unruly tween who didn’t have the patience. I dropped it and picked it up many times over the years, but I finally got serious in the fall of 2010. I can’t understand patterns to save my life, but I am - apparently - very good at improvising. :o)
That said, I tried to follow a pattern for a gnome rug on Wee Folk Art. I messed up and ended up with a circle with what looked like a flower petal. I decided to make the mistake over and over again to see if I could make a flower, and I did! I call it "Oopsy Daisy."
I tried again, but I messed up around the sixth row, so I improvised. This was my first round project, unless you count my oopsy daisy.
I gave up on patterns for a while.
I was messing around during Mikey's therapy one day, and I thought I’d see if could make a T-Rex, and I did! It took me a little over a half hour to create, no pattern.
Last year I signed up with a group called "A Square a Day in May" (facebook group and Ravelry group) They offered a pattern to follow for each day in May 2011. You can probably guess I chickened out and never did a one. I did save the info, though, and I plan to give it a go this year as part of "A Granny a Day 2012" (facebook group and Ravelry group) where we have no patterns, just the simple goal of crocheting a single granny square each day of the 366-day year. I haven't started that, either, partly because I didn't find it until several days ago and partly because I'm chicken.
At the end of last year, I thought it would be fun to follow a video tutorial each day from my favorite crochet teacher: http://www.youtube.com/crochet. I have yet to start that, too, mostly because I feel like I have more important things to do, even though it keeps drawing me in like a Siren song. Her instructions are so clear that I know I could sew anything she showed me. (She also has a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Crochetmania)
I know I need to just rip off the bandage and pick up a hook already. Keep your eyes open for my successes (and failures) as I stumble along, trying to channel my grandmother through my hook and yarn.
