While I was home at Christmas I had my mom show me basic crocheting. I practiced chaining and the single crochet, bought some yarn, bought crocheting for Dummies and off I went back to Congo with the pattern for an Afghan. Once I was settled in, I pulled out the Dummies book and started practicing the basic stitches. And I sucked. I got so frustrated I put it all away and didn't look at it again for 2 months. When I finally got up the courage to try again, I was able to figure out several stitches with the help of the Dummies book and the internet. Next problem, I so did not understand the crochet pattern for the Afghan I had chosen. No big deal, just search for a new pattern? Yeah, tried that too. In the end, I settled on making a striped blanket using just the double crochet stitch. (It's my favorite!) Over the next 4 mpnths, with lots of starts and stops and ripping out stitches, I finished my first ever crochet piece. What an awesome feeling.
Next I tried baby hats. My friend Holly gave me some baby yarn she was going to knit with...and voila...baby hats! And so the obsession started.
When the team from Cap Church came to Uganda in May, the brought with them cotton yarn my mom had sent with me. I was to use it to make a mesh bag. But, without a pattern, this proved too hard for me. See, I can't cook or crochet without a pattern. I am just not that creative! So I found a pattern from the Lions Brand Yarn website for a very cool Market bag. As you can see, the bag rocks! I love it!! This one is the first, I have since made 2 more and am now busy trying to figure out how to get more cotton yarn sent to Congo.
Now the title of this blog is, "My New Obsession." Why obsession you ask? Cause it is all I think about and do. I have spent hours (weeks of hours!) searching for and bookmarking crochet patterns and blogs. I come home every evening after work and spend the rest of the night crocheting. Every night...and all weekend. It is getting crazy! But I have figured out so many neat things and have even made small pouches with the remaining cotton yarn. Just waiting for cool buttons to finish them off. My goal is to make a handmade gift for each of the staff members here at FH Congo (Bukavu office only) to give them when I leave next year. I will need at least 60 gifts...6 down, 54 to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment