new bricks and timber

 A couple of weeks ago (after fairly gentle but sustained nagging from Sally) i finally had my Helen Keller fountain moment with crochet. Here is my learning curve so far:

Single Crochet

Double Crochet

Bump Stitch (with sc and dc's)

Puff or Cluster Stitch

Single, Double and Treble with a line of Trinity Stitch (chunky yarn, size 10 hook)

a simple Lacy Shell Stitch

Single, Double and Triple+Cluster+another Trinity attempt with 4ply cotton and 3.5mm hook

And finally, Trinity, Single, Double, Half Double, Popcorn and a dense Shell in different colours! I'm getting attached to this sampler so it might well become my first piece of crochet work - maybe a bag with a fabric lining.

  My first thoughts as i sat dumbfounded (and not for the first time) with my hooks and Crochet for Dummies book, were: this is just silly, it's like trying to knit with one arm tied behind my back. A couple of times i found myself crocheting onto the hook as if it was a knitting needle. As for the instructions, i can't tell you how many times i said "oh come off it! Never!" out loud.
 It all came together for me when i put the book aside and settled in front of YouTube.. My favourite teacher is Mikey Small from allfreecrochet.com A few of his tutorials have his hands working in front of a slightly sinister baby doll. Here's a link to Trinity Stitch with Mikey

There is also a German lady called Eliza (nadelspiel.com) with a beautifully accented voice and whose hands often speed up over repeat stitches. She shows quite complex work with fine yarns and hooks - it's like watching a spider weaving! Here's a link: Eliza's Big Fan Stitch

  i really like making crochet now that i can do it. No more skipping over patterns that require a crocheted border! And maybe one day i will be able to follow a whole crochet pattern.
 Many thanks to Sally [link to her blog] Knits Of The Round Table who saw that i had 3.5mm and 10mm hooks and gave me a far more sensible 5mm one. Magic wand!

 New Things to Do! Wooooo!