learning crochet

I'm learning to crochet things a bit more complex than single and double stitch scarves. Unsuccessfully I might add.

My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was about nine or ten, but I just recently "rediscovered" it. It wasn't so much a rediscovery as an alternative to my terrible hand-eye coordination with knitting. [Some people are ambidextrous enough to knit, but I am NOT one of them.] So I returned to a stitching method for which I had an ability.

Here are a couple of interesting places to visit: Crochet Pattern Central and GrannyAlong Blog.

Granny squares should not be rocket science. They are supposed to be one of the easiest squares to do. I can't get mine to look right to save my life--it all goes down hill after the foundation chain. My first layer no longer looks as if it has been chewed by weasels, but the whole square is less than elegant.

But I'm going to keep working at it so I can attempt the Babette Afghan. I swear one day I will get it accomplished! The Purl Bee also has a flickr account where you can see the different interpretations for the blanket and all the wild colors people have used. They are fun and beautiful.

I love blankets. I'd like to have my cedar closet full of warm quilts and afghans that have been made with love by someone that wasn't a factory. The handmade kind are always better.