So the new year has started after a wonderful but very busy Christmas with family and friends. The weather is topsy turvy, sun shining brightly one day and frosty and cold the next. Heating on, heating off. Walk the dog, coat on, coat off. Ride the horses – lightweight macs to keep them dry in the rain or thick, heavy beat the freeze rugs. Just don’t know what to do or where we’re at.
Nothing changes for crafting for me though. I’m addicted to crochet just now. I’ve got UFOs at the sewing machine, UFOs in the jewellery-making and beading box, UFOs in the cross stitching bag. But nothing pulls me away from my yarn and crochet hooks. During 2016 I created 3 blankets which were given away as Christmas presents to family and special friends. I made a dress, lovely to wear during the hot summer, and even crocheted a bag – currently a UFO at the sewing machine…
My wonderful husband treated me to some marvellous yarn for Christmas. A 45% silk/55% mohair mix in a deep purple/maroon shade. I’ve chosen to use it for another throw. Two of last year’s blankets were crochetalong’s and the third was a very simple pattern. This time I’ve chosen something more complicated to push me. The first challenge being the chain of 177 stitches. Never worked a chain so long before. Found a tip online – create a chain in counts of five. Worked well. Got the right number of stitches first time.
I found that once I mastered the basics – a slip-knot and chain, a double crochet and a treble – anything is possible. However complicated a pattern, stitches are all built around these basics. So my new pattern with woven stitches, cables, arrows and celtic weave amongst others, are all just building on the basics. And I have to say I’m enjoying learning and pushing myself with this. I’m only on row 34 but loving every moment I am able to find half an hour in an evening to work on this. There has been a certain amount of frogging but fortunately not too much.
“Frogging” I hear you ask. What is frogging? I had to google it too. Quite simply, “to frog” is “to rip out stitches”. It is a play on words alluding to amphibians and their chorus of “ribbit, ribbit, ribbit”.
Whatever your craft, I hope you have a wonderful 2017.