I learned how to make chains, how to slip stitch, and I think we learned the single crochet stitch.
When I was a teenager I taught myself the double crochet, and my own version of the half-double -(I didn't get that one quite right until I looked it up in a book!) But still - I could only go in straight lines, and I knew absolutely nothing about increasing or decreasing.
So I made lots (and LOTS) of: scarves, washcloths, baby blankets, afghans - and other things that are square or rectangular.
I looked longingly at crochet patterns, (especially the ones hanging on the yarn displays,) but all of the numbers and abbreviations intimidated me tremendously:
SC, HDC, DC, SL ST, CH, RND
And then some of them had charts for patterns - Good grief...those were WORSE!
It was like some weird, secret language that I couldn't comprehend.
I got books from the library and I tried to follow along, but the pictures often just confused me more.
But this past summer, (after drooling over the gorgeous creations on Etsy,)
I made a promise to myself that I would learn!
This book helped me tremendously
But I think the thing that helped me the most was watching videos on YouTube.
(Gotta love the internet sometimes) ;-)
Actually seeing a real live person demonstrate where to put the hook and how to do increases and decreases was invaluable to me.
And then I discovered amigurami. Oh.So.Cute.
So, putting it all into practice...I made my first creation.
It started as just a group of ball shaped objects...
But it became...Ollie!
He was well received.
And I ....was hooked.... (pun intended.) ;-)
