Bringing It Back

When I was a girl of about 6 or 7, my grandmother started teaching me how to both knit and crochet. I remember it being kind of tricky for such tiny fingers, but it certainly kept me occupied during my summer visits with her and grandpa. I had a great time making blankets for my dolls, human-sized scarves, and eventually worked my way up to more “complicated” items, like these decorative dried-flower-stuffed wall hangings that I gave out (to everyone in the family, I might add) for Christmas one year. Ah, the 70s.

Now, English was my grandmothers fourth or fifth language, so I never actually learned the names of many of the stitches I use (though I do know ‘knit’ and ‘purl’ at least). I just learned by playing. Trial and error. Experimentation. That sort of thing. (You can check out the “stitchery” page in the gallery for past works, if you are so inclined.) Well, recently I’ve been admiring those flowery hats you see around – you know, the ones you see a lot in those cute “sleeping baby” photos? So, I surfed the web and tried to find a pattern that I liked in the hopes that I could make myself one. Well…wow. I was amazed at how many free patterns are out there, AND that I had trouble reading every single one of them.

I think it’s kind of like being a musician that plays by ear instead of knowing how to read sheet music – you can be really good at what you do, but are also a bit limited in what you can learn in the future. And in what you can communicate to others about what you know. In any case, I soon gave up my quest and resorted to my old standby – playing. The resulting hat is pretty close to what I had in mind – it’s not perfect, mind you, but it’s close enough. I splurged and used some organic cotton yarn for it, which is a bit pricier than your typical acrylics or wool blends, so when I decided that I wanted matching mittens, I was a bit stuck. Personally, I couldn’t justify spending the extra money – the yarn was nice, but not that nice. Hmm. Luckily, I found some inexpensive mittens at a local craft fair that I embellished quite easily. They were knitted instead of crocheted, but oh, well.

Yes, the hat is crocheted and the mittens and flowers are knitted, and yes, the browns are just ever so slightly “off”… but I love them. Yippie! It was a fun project that I could do whilst watching the baby play, and it resulted in something that has both fun form and function – triple win! Though, I did feel a bit “old lady” as I was crocheting by the fire on a cold, snowy day… 😉 I’m debating making a second set using a less expensive yarn and colours that would go with my black winter coat, but I think I need to let my hands rest a few days – my fingers are so achy! Plus, I didn’t actually write any down directions, so who knows how the next set will turn out. Ah, well. Lalala. Okay then, happy Monday!