Now settle back with a cuppa and be prepared to read on - its a long one...
My latest obsession is a surprising one - even to me... My eldest daughter M has taken up crocheting - as she has never really had more than a passing - and at best - cursory interest - in any of my craft endeavours so I have been rendered totally speechless about her obsession with a crochet hook. We have even been wool gazing together - now I am no knitter - I find anything more complicated than a simple scarf - difficult... I couldn't read a knitting pattern if the country's national security depended on it. While I find knitting almost meditative I get bored quickly... If it doesn't 'do' quickly enough - it gets 'stashed' away. As for crochet - well that's beyond mind blowing and as for looking and understanding a pattern it could be written in an alien code for all I could decipher. However never say never it seems, and I too, have the dubious honour of being a beginner crocheter. I can now see a sequence of events that led me to my latest stash building...
It started when I admired a crocheted scarf pattern when I was with M on our wool gazing, perhaps that could be ' wool grazing' outing. M suggested I could learn to crochet, and that she would teach me. I looked at her as if she had said I should learn a foreign language - not likely I thought. But a bigger plan was in the unfolding. For Mother's Day M presented me with this scarf which she had made from the pattern I had admired on our day out...
I was taken aback and marvelled over each of the squares - that was when the crochet bug took its opportunity, it bared its fangs and bit hard... I was (excuse the pun) hooked!!! I wanted to learn how to do it too... I have always loved those granny square rugs - that's my excuse and I am sticking to it :) and so that was the first thing M taught me to do.
After some frustration and watching countless youtube 'how to's' - spending yet more time discovering yet more blogs out there in blogland - plus borrowing some books from the library I made this.
Ha, you say, it looks so simple and it is - when you know how - this one little square was hours in the making, much tongue holding and more sighing than thought possible... However it is the first granny square in my 100 mile journey for perfection and hopefully a rug. I love colour and I am a total pushover, I have been known to buy one (or a couple) of coloured pencils, pastels, fat quarters, embroidery threads, beads etc simply because I like the colour - I can now add wool to that list with the excuse of needing lots of col,ours for my granny squares. There are so many variations these days of granny squares one almost goes giddy looking at them all. However for a little while I shall stay with the original one... I do agree with M though once you get the hang of it the squares do grow fast and are relaxing... I haven't quite got to the fast or relaxing stage yet but I'm sure that that will happen. But the squares are totally portable and don't take up much room in your bag so at any spare moment you can be hooking :) :)
But what about your stitching you ask... What stitching?? I might reply... Well here is the sorry tale...
I bought this before it even made its way into the shop as I said I am a pushover....
I love this design... When will I stitch it??? Who knows - but it is nice to dream...
And last but not least is my poor March block for CQJournal 2012. This has all fallen by the wayside and I have fallen so far behind I don't think I will ever catch up. This block doesn't fire either my imagination or my inspiration but I loathe to abandon it - as you can see I have made some attempts to get on with it - actually looking at it here - folded to its completed size - it doesn't look as daunting as it does in the hoop. Perhaps a good iron and another look could be its saviour. I have pulled out one of my crazy books and I think I may unashamedly copy some of the seam designs - at least that way it will get finished... I love the look of crazy quilting and I do 'lurk' in a couple of online groups and I am totally amazed at the work that those members produce - but it just doesn't seem to translate into my brain in any way... Perhaps this will be my first and last foray into this beautiful,unique and timeless craft...
This last photo is just pure indulgence of a besotted cat owner - of course Matilda was facing my way when I set the photo up and I was trying to catch the sunlight and shadows that dappled across her coat - but of course she moved, she was far more interested in what P was doing behind her than my artistic endeavours with the camera - so this is what I got... But I love her just the same :) :)
Until later, may your needle be constantly threaded...
Take care
Sharon x
