To Crochet or Not to Crochet…

To crochet indeed.

Boy, I’ve got a yarn for you!

Have you ever been married to someone for 10+ years and you know them so well that you can make their coffee exactly the way they like it? You finish each others sandwiches sentences. You know their hopes and dreams and they’ve become your hopes and dreams. You know their worries and stresses and how to conquer them.

Then one day they return from running errands with a few balls of yarn, a book and some crocheting hooks. Or are they needles like in knitting? You’re left wondering, huh? Or WTH? Since when did you want to learn to crochet? Where did this come from?

I looked up the difference between knitting and crocheting. I still don’t know other than knitting uses two pointy sticks and crocheting uses just one not so pointy hook. My mom is knitter my DW is a crocheter.

Turns out it’s a better hobby than those adult coloring books. Yes, we have a few of those, too. Unlike a coloring book, after a crochet project is finished there is a usable item. Be it a coaster, a wash cloth, a dishcloth or a hat. However, like coloring, it can be a stress reliever. It becomes a project that diverts attention away from the frustrations we encounter in every day life. Bonus? It can be done while you watch Gold Rush (or any show/movie of your choosing).

So DW came home with some yarn and a book on how to crochet. Like trying to learn guitar by reading about it, it wasn’t easy. Actually, it was closer to impossible. Like hearing the guitar note in the book. But she didn’t give up and toss the hooks in the trash. Instead, she took to YouTube. What can’t you learn on YouTube? It was like a personal trainer. She had someone explaining how to get started, how read the pattern, and how to finish it.

Her first attempt wasn’t perfect. A crooked dishcloth. We kept it. It was her first and it still cleans the dishes. Her second attempt was a double crochet dishcloth. It came out wrong. Did she quit? Nope. She ripped it all apart and started over. The second time was the charm. Boom, we’ve got two dishcloths now.

Then she upped the ante. Her third project? A hat. Crash asked to have the first one. So DW got a measurement and set to work. She wasn’t exactly using “boyish” colors but that didn’t phase Crash any. He just wanted hat made by mom. She worked on that thing non-stop. She was as excited about it coming along as Crash was to see it coming along. She wanted to do a little something extra to it so it wouldn’t be just a plain old hat. So I suggested putting a mohawk on it. I marked on the calendar the good idea I had. They don’t come often, you know!

Lesson: if you want to learn something new the only thing stopping you is yourself.

The hat is finished and they’re both proud as punch about it. It was nice to see her embark upon a new project that she was excited to learn. Even if I had no idea she was interested in learning. Now, if I could just learn guitar as fast as she learned to crochet.

On another note, Crash has been asking to start a YouTube channel. Guess what I did this evening? Started his Youtube channel. He wants to make videos on how build various Lego creations he has constructed. Today’s video is just over a minute long. He started with an extremely easy build. A Minecraft grass block. Have a look here. I think we’ll aim to post a new video weekly, for now. Or whenever we get around to it. Feel to subscribe!