...and I crocheted it!!! This time last year I could not crochet, I wouldn't even have known which end of a crochet hook was which! Around Christmas time last year, I saw lovely crocheted flower pins, for bags and jackets in DCA. They cost a small fortune and I was sure I could have a stab at making something similar. After all, the other women in the family seem to be able to use metal sticks to produce something wonderful out of yarn. And this was when I enlisted the Phyllis to help me.
Before Esmé was even born, Phyllis had made her a beautiful crocheted shawl, and we used it all the time. I loved it and marvelled at someone being able to produce something so lovely. It never crossed my mind that I could learn to crochet. However, after seeing the flowers I decided to ask Phyllis to help me and early this year, maybe 8 months ago, she started to teach me to crochet, may I add here that she is a wonderful tutor!
I diligently practised my squares and circles and at some point along the way, I decided that it would be a great idea to crochet Esmé a blanket. I eventually found the perfect wool, courtesy of Angels and Elephants, who have an Ebay online store. They buy in Shetland wool and dye it themselves. In fact they ended up dying a few batches especially for me, due to my complete inability to judge how much wool I would need! Thank you Kellie x
Of course, me being me, I couldn't find a pattern that was exactly what I wanted. In my wisdom I decided that, as a newbie hooker, the best thing to do would be to improvise on a pattern in one of Nicky's crocheting books and then make the rest up as I went along! As a result the blanket is the combination of five different patterns, with a little bit of Gwen for good measure!!!
Six months down the line and the blanket is finally finished. I am truly proud of my efforts and very grateful to James for his patience and support, to Kellie for keeping on dying more wool for me, to Phyllis for teaching me how to hook and for keeping me right, to those of you who have endured the blanket traumas and of course to Esmé for being so patient!
...I truly am a happy hooker!
4 comments:
You're doing a lot better than I.
What have I made my daughter besides a lot of meals. Hmnnn. Better get busy on something.
BTW, I love how the afghan's colors match your blog. you must have planned that, did you?
Don't worry Jannie, I feed her too! The blanket took such a long time, because quite frankly I do have a life. I am sure it could have been rattled up in a month, if I hadn't had that other real mum stuff to do!
Having had a look at your website, it looks as though you and your daughter keep pretty busy too :)
The colour match is purely incidental. Until you pointed it out, I hadn't even thought about it!
Gwen.
Great job on Esme's afghan. You are so ambitious to take on such a large project right off! My first projects were doll's afghans!
Ambitious or mad? I am not quite sure myself!!!
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