Saturday, January 14, 2012

A new species of flower: florus chroshaydus

My friend Noreen and I made a date one night last year to have coffee and "swap talents." She crochets and I knit, so she taught me and, although I'm not the best teacher in the world, I did my best to teach her. Both of us commented on how weird it feels to hold the needles a certain way when you're used to something completely different. But we had lots of fun and it's a memory I treasure, since shortly afterwards she moved to another country. That night, she taught me single crochet and double crochet. I liked the double crochet much better because it knits (ha!) crochets up faster. I was so excited to finally be learning this, I went home and practiced and practiced. When I felt confident enough to start a simple project, I knit up a small baby blanket for a friend of mine who became new mom recently.



Not long after that, I finished a similar blanket for my new baby cousin. These were both made with Nature's Choice organic cotton - my new favorite yarn. It's soooo yummy!



I'm still feeling a little timid about doing anything complicated, but I decided this afternoon to attempt something with some shape. Starting small, and taking my time, I just finished my first flower! It is such a little thing to be so happy about, but in some ways this one flower is 15 or 20 years in-the-making. I'm kind of surprised I actaully finished it. I won't even tell you how long it took me. Haha.

 

Ok, it was like 30 minutes. The video I learned from is only 6 minutes long, so... :)

Anyway, this one will go on a hat for another baby friend who will be born later this year. (Must be baby season!) I think flowers will be a great thing to crochet up quickly for fun or to add onto other projects. And it's a neat way to use up little scraps of yarn! I feel like a whole new world is opening up for me - all those cute crochet patterns that I had dismissed before are now possible...

Is there something you have always wanted to learn? Or something new you've been meaning to try?

6 comments:

  1. I'm excited to read this! What you're experiencing is kinda how I felt about knitting last year. It takes me forEVER, but I love all the new options and possibilities that opened up to me once I tried it. Love the flower! :-D

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  2. Both knitting and crocheting are so underrated...not only are they beautiful and practical and use other lovely products from nice animals and nice women who carded and spun and all ( I know, I am being archiac and non-modern) they are also skills which can be practiced while being contemplative or listening to another, or plotting your next adventure or essay or.....what you might make for dinner...
    I use to do a bit of them...just don;t ever take your knitting into a courtroom they way I did once...the baliff had a word with me, oh boy.
    Lovely flower!

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  3. Thanks ladies! I appreciate the compliments. :)

    Jeannette - when you mentioned handspun yarn, it made me think of a couple articles I read recently which I thought you might find interesting. With this renaissance of sorts going on, perhaps you are more modern than you think. ;)
    Here is one about "growing your own clothes" http://tinyurl.com/growyourclothes
    and here one about the Fleece to Foot contest at a knitting convention last year. Teams of women race to see who can create a pair of socks the fastest. But the cool thing is that they sheer the sheep, card the wool, spin the yarn and knit the socks all in ome day! http://tinyurl.com/fleecetofoot

    I'm sorry, but you had me laughing with your courtroom story! I seem to remember something similar happening to me several years ago at airport security. Haha.

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  4. I treasure that eve too Charity! You have done superbly and your workmanship is always so perfect, no matter the stitch or medium. Are you 'hooked' yet? Does the new rhythm of crochet sing in your fingertips and lull you to utter bliss land? :) Summer is in full force here, and sticky humidity does not lend itself to the crafting of woolies. I look forward to pulling out my yarn again.

    And thank you again for the knitting needles. They are a keepsake that have travelled the continents with me. Thank goodness I now know about airports, would hate to loose them in transit somewhere. I could see how knitting needles could present danger...at least as much as my eye lash curler, which was confiscated in Burkina Faso! Seriously.

    Long live florus chroshaydus. May the work of your hands be blessed. Including monkey butts.

    Love
    Nor
    ps. Thank you for the Christmas card! All our US mail came 2 weeks late, probably because all the aussie posties were on holiday. We miss you all too!

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  5. Yay! Thanks, Nor!
    I am getting 'hooked!' Haha. It took some self-control yesterday not to just sit and make more flowers. But I had other duties calling, of course. I'm not sure that I have found the rhythm yet. If we are comparing it to dancing, I am more like an awkward teenager at ballroom class. That's actually an interesting analogy, since I have to count my stitches out loud. :) But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
    How sweet that you've kept the needles all this time. I hope you will enjoy them! An eylash curler? seriously? ;) My debacle happened when I was much younger (pre 9/11) I think I was with a missions team and was depending on my leader to give me info like this, but I am pretty niave about those kinds of things anyway. The TSA agent gave me a stern look and said - you can NOT take these on the plane! That shook me up a little! Geez. Good thing I brought my least favorite pair that day! :)

    Take care friend!

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