YOU CROCHET??????

Bound and Determined , watching endless youtube video's,I taught myself how to crochet. This insanity actually started 2 winters ago, when I wanted a sweater with a skull on it. So I started searching "Skull Sweater" on google. Low and behold I found a website with a knitting pattern of a skull sweater. My first reaction was "YES!!!" then it was..." Oh shit I have to learn how to do that. "

So , like I always do, I jumped in before testing the water. I started with learning the basics of knitting. And I learned that I suck at knitting. Then I remembered that seeing an infomercial from a few years back for a machine called "The Ultimate Sweater Machine". Shortly after that I purchaced one and started with the basics of "getting to know" the machine. My first real useable item ended up being a pillow case because I couldnt quite understand how to do a lot of the crappy patterns that were given with the machine. It really took me an entire winter of messing around with the machine to figure out the tricks of it. Once I got the hang of it I started looking for patterns.

FYI: Finding patterns for the USM is not an easy task. You can convert most patterns from books to it but its a pain in the ass. When you have kids running around you all the time it makes for some hard concentration. Then I found a few youtube video "How-to's" to make some easy projects (Mittens, Scarfs, Hats). I made a few pairs of mittens and a bunch of scarfs, it was fun. Then one day I thought, "What the Hell are you doing.... Our Family Doesn't Knit... They Crochet!!!"

And when I say "Our Family" I mean seriously.

Dad,Grandma(Mom's mom)My Aunt's on both sides, and so many others. My Mom is the only rogue knitter out of the group. My Grandmother can do both , and from what I've learned, most people do one or the other its rare if you can do both well.

My Father.. yes I said my FATHER, is a fabu crocheter or as I like to refer to it as "A member of the Happy Hooker Club". I am still in the "Prospect" stage (S.O.A. reference). But I'm turning out pretty decent stuff.

Below are two items my Father has made, The Butterfly table cloth was a wedding gift to My Husband and Me.

And this was my Brother and His Wife's Christmas Gift.

Let me get sidetracked for a moment because that's what I do.. Back in the early 1970's when my Grandfather was in the hospital (Mom's Dad) dieing of brain cancer. They would all go to visit, and most of the down time would be spent crocheting to pass the time/keep them busy/keep thier minds off the fact that Grandpa was in so much pain. Finally after being so completely driven crazy with boredom my Father said to my Mom and Aunt and Grandma and my Great Aunt Ella.

" FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, Someone Teach me !"

Little to everyone's surprise my Dad happend to be the only one out of ALL of them who could read a pattern.

And when I say read a pattern I mean he could understand the foreign language that is crochet patterns. (Google one, you'll be freaked out at first... Promise.)

As soon as my Great Aunt Ella found out he could read patterns she would buy them and have him make a sample and she would take it apart so then she could make what ever the item was. This is actually very common in my family,we are visual learners. Its only been the last few years that I have been able to read a book and comprehend how to do something with out pictures to dumb it down for me.

I live in a house that is filled with hand made blankets, so many infact that I have called cousin's asking if anyone DOESN'T have one to let me know, so I can pass one down thier way.

Skills like this are slowly disapearing because everyone is getting so disconnected from the old ways. If you don't have someone to teach you how to do this then teach yourself! Its really not that hard. Its a great skill to learn because you now have endless ways of making gifts or things for you house. At times it can get a little out of hand because you find yourself asking " hmmm should I really make this? Do I really need a toilet bowl cozy?" Know your limits! hahaha..