Falling in Love again - for real this time

When I was a teen, I thought I knew what love was. It was being happy all the time and looking forward to spending time with the object of your affection. However, as a teen, love was a somewhat temperamental thing and when my plans didn't work out the way I wanted them to, I would abandon what I'd been convinced I loved and move on to something else.

With time came maturity and patience and I am revisiting loves of the past. Trying to make amends. Trying to make it work this time.

I blame a couple of fellow Facebook and Blogger friends. Their enthusiasm and pictures made me want to turn back the clock so that those many years would not have been wasted.

So it was with a little trepidation but with great desire that I purchased a set of crochet hooks and some yarn.

You see, when I was a teen, I joined my mom in some of her enthusiasms. I could sew some, embroider some. I never was much of a cook or an artist. But when classes in crochet were offered at her favorite fabric store, Mom thought this would be a fun thing to do. We went. And once I understood what we were doing, it was pretty easy.

But as I've said before, my patience levels at that time were not what they could have been. I cranked out a few placemats and lumpy baby blankets, and a granny-square afghan that fell apart pretty quickly. And then I quit.

Fast-forward 35 or so years and I've got friends enthusiastically crocheting all kinds of marvelous things! Baby clothes, blankets, hats, scarves... and I felt the itch to try it again myself. I wondered if I still remembered or would I have to relearn with the YouTube videos I suggested someone else try.

It's like riding a bike! I didn't forget(or my fingers remembered) and once I had crocheted a scarf with the one hook and skein of yarn I'd purchased, I was in all the way.

The scarf wasn't perfect - I'd forgotten how easily I lose count of stitches, but it looked good enough that my son asked if he could have it.

Then I went and got MORE yarn and a package of hooks. I got several different yarns of varying thicknesses and slickness and decided to try a hat next. I concentrated on even rows (using a trick so I wouldn't have to count - different colored yarn at the end of each row, threaded in the last stitch before the turn so I'd know where to stop when I got back there) and consistent tension and I wound up with a nearly perfect little rectangle. Then I ran out of yarn - judging from the size of the rectangle, I'll probably need two more of those little skeins. But it's going to be a WARM hat!

I'm glad I've learned a little patience and perserverance in the intervening 35 years. Perhaps this time when I start a relationship with my crochet hook, it will last for the rest of our lives.