The Crochet Foray

For some time now I've wanted to be a "quilter and." Many a friend I've met in the past few years is not just a quilter; she is a "quilter and knitter" or a "quilter and crocheter." How I've envied these people who fill their Instagram feeds with beautiful quilting projects, yet every now and then suddenly pop in a stunning picture of yarny goodness, saying, "Oh, and here's a little thing I just finished on the side." I love taking time off from one hobby to refresh with another. Fabric design has been a wonderful switch for me when I need a break from quilting, but of course, I'm not allowed to show you 95% of what I'm working on at any time. So a voyage into the world of yarn arts seemed like a good idea.

I've attempted knitting before with dubious results -- and by dubious I mean that I haven't actually finished a knitting project yet. One day after being emboldened by taking an online video course, I was traipsing through the aisles at Joann Fabrics and suddenly told the girls, "Pick out your favorite color of yarn, and I'll knit you a scarf!" They were thrilled and so was I...until I found myself knitting at the speed of a three-toed sloth, which frankly could have probably made better time with three toes than I was making with ten fingers. My husband, who is a wonderful knitter, spent several days quietly watching my agonizingly slow progress before he sweetly offered to knit one of the other scarves to help out. By then I was worried enough that our Southern California "winter" would be over before the girls had the chance to even try on their scarves, so I agreed. In the end, he wrapped up the first and second scarves before I was even halfway done with the third, and I wound up giving him that one to finish as well so that my last daughter didn't have to go around scarf-less while her sisters basked in my husband's handiwork. Since then I've only used my knitting needles as first-class turning tools when I'm sewing.

The dictionary defines a foray as "a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid." Except for the whole "enemy territory" thing (I've always thought that crochet and patchwork were quite friendly together), this pretty much describes how aggressively I throw myself into any new hobbies I attempt. For the past few days I've been crocheting during every free minute. I absolutely love that this is a craft I can do anywhere. Granny squares are something I always wanted to try, so I found a good video tutorial (this one really clicked for me) and off I went. I made a larger version to go on a coffee table in the living room, and then a stack of tiny ones to form a garland for the family room.

I don't know if I can officially call myself a "quilter and crocheter" yet -- it feels a little early and presumptuous for that -- but I've definitely found myself a new hobby to love. I'll admit, though, that I've felt a bit as if I was cheating on my fabric and sewing machine over the past few days. It may be time to give them some love...