Introduction
This morning, I had an absolute blast going through the start of my crochet obsession! Every picture that I have taken of my crochet is saved on a memory stick. I have documented every project I have worked on from day one to the present day! The pictures are sorted into folders by year, so it was easy for me to start at the beginning. I love to remissness about all the projects that I have worked on over the years.
The very beginning
2016 was the start of my love for crochet! I stumbled upon a set of my great-grandmother’s steel crochet hooks. I had tried to crochet as a teen but never got into it, but I did know a few stitches. My Great-Grandmother was an extremely crafty lady. She was exceptional at every craft that she tried. I was so thrilled to find her steel hooks, I did not know how to use them, but I truly wanted to learn.
How I taught myself to crochet
YouTube videos, and underneath websites and blogs about crochet. I looked at the blogs first, and the instructions and patterns looked like a foreign language. I quickly returned to the videos as they could be paused repeatedly until I could master the stitches.
Not knowing that there are USA and UK terms in the crochet world, and they are very different, I started to follow a UK crochet creator. Her YouTube channel is Bella Coco. She was incredibly straightforward to follow, and her crochet projects were beautiful! My first project was granny squares.
I bought a zillion colors of super saver yarn and set out to make a granny square crochet blanket for our king-sized bed. Yeah! Major goals there for a beginner! LOL. I worked every day on them and mastered the pattern. Growing bored with the squares, I gave up on them but did not waste them. My new puppy Jonah loved laying on them, so I did connect the squares and made his first of many crochet baby blankets.
I was not giving up!
Even though I abandoned the squares, I was determined not to give up!
At this point, I learned about the USA and UK term differences and started to follow a USA YouTube creator and crochet expert Michael Sellick (better known as Mikey). His channel is The Crochet Crowd. This guy is A-MA-ZING! The most available teacher that I have ever stumbled upon. Mikey has a gentle, encouraging, and funny way about him that makes you just fall in love with him. I still follow this channel today, along with his website, which is also named The Crochet Crowd.
My interest in crochet grew immensely; I wanted to learn it all! I bought my first book off Amazon. I still use this book today!
The book is 192 pages of stitch guides and how to make them. It is full of detailed written, charted, and photographed instructions. I fell in love with this book and have bought many others like it. The main objective of these books is to learn new stitches. I love to grab the book and some yarn and play around with intriguing stitches.
New Projects
Finding out that I should not have started with such a gigantic project, I selected something small and valuable. Potholders!
I made six small potholders and one large one used for cookie sheets.
We use these pot holders for more than just pots; they are more like hot pads. We use them under our hot dishes on my wood dining table or when we have lunch over in the family room. The potholders are made in a circle, so it is one piece, but it is double layered, so it is excellent for hot plates or pots.
We still use these potholders to this day! I have washed them a million times and they have held up nicely since 2016. This project also taught me that there is a difference in yarn types. I had initially bought yarn from Kmarts in the super-saver brands, which were acrylic. This pattern called for cotton yarn, so I was introduced to JoAnn fabrics (YIKES, for the checkbook!)
New yarn
After walking into the JoAnn Fabrics store for the first time, I quickly found that I was also obsessed with yarn. I wanted to try all the different types, weights, and colors. The ruffle scarves were trendy then, and I made my first one! I was so proud of this scarf!
The yarn that created this scarf is Red Heart Boutique sashay yarn. It is a unique yarn made to create a ruffle effect. I wonder if you can use the yarn in other projects? The sashay yarn is made from acrylic and metallic polyester. It is the first of many specialty yarns I have used for specific projects.
Today I use all types of yarn, from acrylics to fingerling yarn bought online from Denmark (that is a whole other post!) I love the textures and colors of all the different threads and seek out projects to try new yarns.
Crochet and my mental health
Crochet has enormously supported my mental health. It takes my mind away from worries. Through the rhythm of the movements and the process of how each project is completed, my thoughts are totally occupied. Thinking about your problems when counting stitches or paying attention to tension is tough. It is also gratifying to complete a project. When you suffer from depression, you may feel like you are a failure, and completing a project contradicts that thought. It also gives you a beautiful item to admire and know that you did that project. It is a boost to your confidence.
Conclusion
As I write this post, my baby puppy Jonah is snuggled up by my side, laying underneath one of the blankets I have crocheted for him. Every project I have done is created with love. Jonah claims each project for himself! I do not crochet for profit; it is always for a gift, to donate, or to learn new stitches. This post only briefly introduces my obsession with my crochet hobby! I have a whole memory stick dedicated to crochet that I have done for many years. I hope to highlight some of my favorite projects and pattern throughout other posts.
Crochet is an excellent hobby! If you liked my article, please comment and share it on social media!
If you are a fellow crochet hobbyist, drop me a comment to let me know you are here!
