A little progress

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Dottie models her new scarf - photo by Author

Thank goodness for small victories! I have a little progress with my new hobby.  I’ve found crocheting to be a very therapeutic hobby. I can’t explain it, but it’s nice to do something that doesn’t involve my computer or electronics. I finally finished my 1st crochet project. I know it’s silly that I made Dottie a scarf, but there is a method to my madness. A dog scarf would be significantly smaller than a “people scarf” and Dottie wouldn’t care if my stitches were uneven or imperfect. Making the scarf was fast and easy. It was the initial learning process that was difficult.

photo by Author

In my original post, I had said that I was going to take a class. The class was canceled. I was a little relieved after visiting the shop where the class was going to be held. It was one of little yarn shops where the average age of their clientele is 60 and the focus of their projects were baby items. Nothing against anyone’s grandma or baby items, but it didn’t feel like the right place for me. I found other craft shops that offered crochet classes, but the classes conflicted with my schedule or cost more than I was willing to spend.

So, I embarked on teaching myself how to crochet. I tried books first. I went to my local library and checked out all the crochet books that I could get my hands on. There were a lot of books available. Unfortunately, a good portion of those books were hard to follow or poorly written. Here are my three favorites.

Crochet: The Complete Guide by Jane Davis
This book had really great diagrams and their instructions were very easy to follow.

The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet by Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O’Connell
This book also had really great illustrations and instructions. The strength of this book is in its projects. Each skill taught is paired with easy to follow hip projects.

Get Hooked by Kim Werker, Cynthia Frenette, Pamela Bethel, and Angela Fama
I found this book the most useful. I’m ashamed to admit that it’s probably because it’s geared towards preteens. If you’re an absolute beginner, this is the book to start out with.

While the books were very helpful, I was still a bit lost. So, I turned to the internet. This is where it all started to make sense. Some of my pals on Twitter suggested I try YouTube for instructional videos. This was the best course of action for me. I learned more from watching a three minute video than all the books combined.  Below are some links to my favorite videos.

How to Single Crochet by theKnitWitch on Youtube

How to Chain Stitch by KnitWitch on Youtube

I’m making another scarf and then I’m going to attempt the amigurumi animals. We’ll see if my progress continues. If not, I guess I’ll end up with piles and piles of scarves.

What is your latest hobby?