Wild Moon Swings

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Learning to Crochet

I'm not the sort of person who takes instruction/direction/advice from others with a good attitude. Anyone who's tried to give me instruction, direction, or advice will know that it's almost impossible. I have my own ideas about how to do EVERYTHING and so unless I go to someone and specifically ask their opinion - there is just no point in talking to me. I'll just get owly.

When I was first learning to crochet, I was told that I was holding the hook wrong. Interestingly enough, I was also holding the yarn wrong and all the charming young woman got for informing me of this was an incredibly dirty look. I frowned deeply and almost glared. I couldn't see what her problem was - it looked the way it was supposed to. I had successfully made a lovely chain and then double crocheted all the way down. It looked the same as everybody else's. Despite my crossness, I managed to get through the class actually thinking that I could make something on my own.

Have any of you ever read a crochet pattern? As far as I'm concerned, I might as well be looking at something in kanji for all the sense I can make out of it. A crochet pattern's directions look something like this; ch 6 sl 2 dc 4 tc 39. Something like that, but I actually understand what I just wrote, and when I actually read a pattern - I'm like wtf? That abbreviation is probably standard - hehehe. Anyway, I've had much more success looking at a finished article and figuring out how it's constructed by looking at it.

It's just that I bought some yarn a little while ago and had the intention of making an afghan out it, but whatever I tried just fell to crap and looked so ultimately crappy that I seriously ripped out entire balls of yarn in my fury. So, a couple weeks ago, my grandma sent me an afghan (because I actually needed one, which was why I was trying to make one, dang it). Every time I look at this blanket I am stunned and awed at my grandma ... she's insane! I look at it, and everything I've always wanted to do with my crochet hook has been done. I thought being that practical was against the rules. I thought there was some secret code hidden somewhere in those ch sl dc's and I was somehow being excluded from the crochet club. But my grandma's afghan goes beyond practical - it's not even mathematically sound (all crafts I make are 100% symmetrical). I don't know how this thing ended up as a rectangle in the end, but it has left me with the opinion that my grandmother is a genius of the most incredible kind.

So, after I figured out how my grandma made this mad-hatter afghan I went back to work on my own. I was absolutely positive that I could come up with something great without driving myself into fits over it. AND I have figured out how to construct an incredibly cute blanket. I even did some sampling for later in the pattern, too, and I CAN DO IT without having to listen to someone explain instructions to me, or tell me that I'm fundamentally doing it wrong and have to learn how to hold my crochet hook and yarn all over again. And not only all that, but I also learned from my grandma that crocheting is flexible and you can do whatever the heck you want. Which is just the way I want it since I'm more of a B.S. artist anyway.

And best of all, I didn't have to listen to a single person patronize me on the subject. After all, no one is allowed to be patronizing besides me. Thibbit!

4 Comments:

  • I had the same experience as you. But to me it was thanks to my great-grandmother. But mainly I've sticked to cross stitch (I'm not sure this is the right translation).

    You didn't like Romeo&Juliet? Too bad. I've seen many people with your opinion so far. But I like it. ^^

    Make a post about the anime you watch. ^^

    By Blogger algelic, at 11:19 p.m.  

  • Hey algelic,

    Right now, I'm only watching Sola and I've only watched two episodes, so I don't want to write a post yet. Right now I'm sick - and so I can't watch much of anything - because blood and the colour red make me wiggy (what's wrong with me will make sense someday). It was only a freak coincidence that I got to watch R&J. I hope I didn't make you too miserable with my post.

    By Blogger Sapphirefly, at 11:19 p.m.  

  • lol! No, not at all. I always love to hear your opinion on things, even if we disagree. :)

    PS: I guess my blog will be filled with anime posts now, since I'm in this mad mission to watch the newest stuff.

    By Blogger algelic, at 6:45 a.m.  

  • I always love your stories. They make me laugh so much, perhaps because we have such different personalities, and I've never thought about what it'd be like the other way :3

    By Blogger jomiel, at 11:39 a.m.  

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