Making a start with crochet

During the summer I had my first go at learning to crochet and I didn’t have a lot of success. I found it hard to hold the hook and yarn, plus I got quite confused with the patterns and different techniques. I managed some of the basics but every time I tried the stitches were uneven and didn’t look quite like the pictures in the books! I put my crochet hook down in the summer with the aim of mastering the knitting basics instead.

This weekend I finished writing my new year goals and I decided that I should have another go at crochet. I got my books out scoured over the gorgeous pictures of blankets, bags and little illustrations of the basic stiches. After a bit of concentration, warming up my hands, and practicing a few times, I managed to create a block of double crochet...

and a basic granny square using an odd ball of wool I found.

I was so happy with the outcome as the crochet stiches looked even and much more like the illustration in the book. I think starting with knitting must have helped me get to grips with tension and reading patterns.

The brilliant book that helped me create the two above was titled Crochet Unravelled - A clear and concise guide to learning crochet by Claire Bojczuk. You can pick it up on Amazon and hopefully smaller craft shops too. It had really good explanations of the basics and great step by step illustrations and made me feel that I could achieve some of the basics. Out of all of the books I have this really helped me gain some confidence.

I have a few other crochet books that I will now look at in a different light, with the aim of trying to find something that I can create and a pattern I can follow. The one shown below, Cute & Easy Crochet By Nicki Trench, has a lovely range of projects for a number of levels. The first pattern in Chapter 1 - Starting Out, has a beautiful Springtime Throw, which is a project involving lots of squares and is 'perfect for a beginner'.

So maybe I'll give that a go soon? But for now though I’m going to keep practicing and will try the next stage of adding different coloured yarn to a basic granny square. Wish me luck!

New Year, New Projects!

Happy New Year to you! I hope that you are looking forward to the year ahead as much as I am. I wonder what the year ahead may hold?

For the past few weeks we have had really cloudy and rainy weather but at last blue sky and fresh cold weather has made an appearance…

...and with the bright weather has come some clarity for the year ahead…I always try and write a few resolutions every January and I’m reasonably good at keeping them! However this year I’m going to set goals for what I want to achieve. I’m hoping to learn new things, share my inspirations and projects with you and spend quality time with good friends and family.

My wish list of projects to complete this year includes...

1) Complete my adventurous knitting project, a gorgeous Rowan cosy cable cushion

2) Pick up a crochet hook, refresh myself on the basics and make a start on a project

3) Learn the basics in quilt making and make something by the end of the year that I’m proud of

4) Try some new recipes, perfect my cake baking and biscuit making skills

5) Pick up some basic sewing skills using my lovely new sewing books I had as Christmas gifts, and make a few projects for the home

6) Get gardening again and find some new things for the home

There are quite a few things on the list, I just hope I can decide what to start first! What are you hoping to make and create this year?