“To be a person is to have a story to tell.”
— Isak Dinesen
I can't remember when I learned how to crochet, or why I learned how to crochet, but I know my mom taught me. She taught me how to crochet with some yarn and a pink Boye crocheting hook. When I was younger I didn't really crochet right. I pulled my stitches way too tightly which made everything way more difficult. The starting chain I started with would be too tight, so when I tried to do my first row of actual stitches it was more difficult than it needed to be.
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| Coffee cup holder sans button |
I got so mad and my hands would hurt so much, but I pushed on. My mom kept telling me I was making my stitches too tight but I couldn't figure out a way to teach myself how to make them looser. It took me so much time to just make a row of stitches. I only knew the single stitch at the time too, so obviously it took even longer. I think I tried to make a scarf, and then stopped at a pot holder.
After the failed scarf-turned-pot-holder project, my mom knitted me a scarf, since, ya know, I couldn't crochet one for myself. At that point she tried to teach me how to knit. Who have thought I couldn't do anything with that either. Even with knitting I was pulling my stitches too tight.
I was never able to really get one hook in the yarn behind the other so I could do the whole knot one pearl two dealie-o. I don't even think I gave knitting an actual chance because I don't remember even trying to make anything. That was years ago though, and my memory is faulty, so I might have given it a chance.
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| Tiny Persian rugs |
I kept that crocheting hook my mom gave me for a very long time. I can't remember the last time I saw it and I don't know why I never picked crocheting back up until now. When I looked for it recently, I realized I had misplaced it, and I became irrationally upset because I didn't know where it was, and I still don't.
Six months ago while I was at work, I was training a group of about twenty individuals. One of the women (we'll call her Susan, because that's her name) was knitting. Something about that made me want to start being crafty again. I think it might have been a combination of that and me wandering down the yarn isle of Walmart and finding a beautiful blue yarn (Red Heart with Love Peacock Blue) and wanting to do something with it. I made a scarf.
After the successful (albeit a little wide) scarf was made I decided I wanted to make something... more. I had previously found this beautiful picture online of a stained glass window of a peacock. It was so riveting. I wanted to copy it somehow and carry it around with me at all times. Why not a scarf that looked like it?
More peacock blue, along with a light blue, a goldenrod yellow and dark green yarn was soon purchased and my design slowly came to life. I taught myself how to do a double stitch, triple stitch and how to crochet in circles. I even taught myself how to change yarn colors (not sure if I'm actually doing it correctly but whatever).
Personally, I like making things. I like being able to use my hands and make something come to life. I love to write, draw and build things. Some of those things I'm better at than other things, but that's alright. When I first decided to make this blog I thought about just making a crafting blog, but then realized I don't do enough other craft stuff to warrant a craft blog. So I made Stitched and Rows to chronicle my misadventures of crocheting.
I check my blog multiple times a day to see how many people view it. I secretly hope that hundreds of people look at my blog, but I know that won't happen and if it does it won't be for a very long time. I just want to show people that you can make that thing you thought would be cool, even if it is a peacock scarf, and when I make things I like them to be unique, cool, and most of all useful. No sense in taking all that time and making something that no one will use.
Hats are pretty darn easy, and I think my proudest achievement as far as hat making has been the hat I made for my brother. Him and I have had this little bit of a running joke regarding Zoidberg (yeah the lobster alien doctor from Futurama). Years ago my parents gave me a custom made coffee mug that they had written all over. My brother decided to write the following on it:
(\/)(',,,')(\/)
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| Need a hat? Why not Zoidberg? |
A couple years ago my mom routed a gift to me that was for my brother. It was a matte black picture frame that you can write on with a silver pen. I drew Zoidberg on it and wrote "Need a frame decoration? Why not Zoidberd?"
I wanted to keep that tradition alive so I made him this awesome hat. It took me forever to find the right color of yarn (either it was too pink or too orange) but I finally found some in Walmart that had a more "home made" quality to it. It was a little more as far as price but it was worth it. I don't know if he wears it at all, but it's pretty awesome looking.
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| The Broseph (he hails from Brohan) |
Even if he doesn't wear the hat, I can smile knowing he wore it at least once and I know if he wants, he can wear it again.
I've made a couple of hats, one scarf, several tiny little Persian rugs, a coffee cup holder (with a hand made button) and failed at plenty of things along the way. The important thing about it though is that this time around I haven't gotten frustrated. I love making things and I don't think crocheting should be looked at as a chore.
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