Crafting: My Crocheting Adventures

Mama B

I don't remember exactly when I started to be serious about crocheting. It was something I learned the basics for in high school, but for my class project, I went with knitting instead.

I used to crochet all the time, especially when watching TV in the evening, but then I let some heavy-duty negative remarks worm their way into my mind and I stopped it. Before that, I had crocheted several afghans, teaching myself new stitches and patterns as needed. I even taught an avid crocheter a few new stitches that she hadn't come across.

Even though I stopped crocheting (and anything else creative) I still yearned for the beautiful yarns and all the different crochet hooks and I did purchase a few bits and bobs here and there, took them home and hid them away because they reminded me that I was a failure at being me.

One sunny, summer day, My Man and I stopped at a yard sale out in the glorious countryside around the town we live in. The lady running the sale was getting rid of bags and bags of yarn. For some reason, I bought them all. There was A LOT of yarn-I am talking big black garbage bags, not the grocery store sized bags. When we got home and were hauling it all into the house, My Man grumbled something about why I needed all this yarn- I was never going to use it. And you know, he was right. I sorted through it all, put like yarns together, sighed over the softness of the baby blanket yarns, imagined crocheting slippers for all our family out of the sports weight yarns, drooled over images of comforting afghans...and packed it all away in bins. I don't think I ever used any of it except when I needed string I didn't have to tie up things in my garden. Eventually, we were blessed with a daughter-in-law who crochets and I gave most of it to her and some of it I donated to an organization that was asking for yarn to make scarves, mittens, etc for the homeless in our community.

I got it into my head one day, that I was going to crochet My Man an afghan. I was comfortable with granny squares...I couldn't mess them up. Since I had given away all the yarn from the yard sale, I had to buy some new stuff. I made him a really nice afghan out of blue and yellow yarns. It took me forever as I battled the negative memories in my thoughts. I did finish it, though, and I was on the road to recovery, so to speak.

I went on to try my hand at crocheting some slippers for a couple of our sons, who wore those slippers out!! Then, it was Dustin's b-day and when I asked him what he would like for a gift, he asked if I would make him an afghan. We decided on a camo colored yarn and two matching solids and I started to crochet granny squares. I took the idea of a nine-patch quilt pattern and turned it into his afghan. Somehow, it got packed away and forgotten, until five years later, when I was going through stuff and found it. I finished it for him last year. He loves it and takes it with him everywhere.

I decided to try my hand at things other than afghans, and I crocheted My Man a scarf for Christmas last year. I also crocheted slippers for Damian and his son, Noah.

Pinterest came along, and with it came many requests of "Mom, do you think you could make this?" I am currently working on an infinity scarf for my daughter, and one for my granddaughter. I am branching out from the safety net (and comfort zone) of basic afghans once again. Who knows what will be next? 

Come on over to the back porch and sit a spell and we can exchange ideas, suggestions and maybe Mama K will serve us some sun tea!