So, few years ago I found out you can make baskets out of old t-shirts, using a crochet hook. I borrowed a hook and made several! I had to return the hook but use the baskets to this day.
(T-shirt baskets, the hanging one holds the cotton threads I save from flour bags to reuse as thread!)
Last year I got an old stash of yarn as a gift, and bought my own crochet hook. I now for the first time, had the means to learn crochet for real. And this winter I tried it.
Instead of starting slow, I just assumed I'd be good at it because hey. I made baskets out of shirts. Body remembers. I saw this adorable hanging strawberry pot and thought it would make a great first project! Eager and assuming this would take few hours at most, I started crocheting.
I had been very wrong. Crochet was not easy. First ten minutes have been the absolute worst and I had to fight with every instinct to quit. I didn't know how to hold the yarn, and unlike the stretchy t-shirt material, yarn resisted my attempts at getting a hook stabbed in it. I was miserable and had to give it a rest after spending 2 hours making a single tiny strawberry.
Next day, I looked at more tutorials; figured out how to hold my yarn correctly. I made a little basket which was much easier than strawberries! I learned not to pull yarn too tightly, and figured I could do this. Here's what I had after my second day of work. Ignore the inside-out strawberry, I forgave myself.
Fiber arts are so whimsical, I find it endearing that crocheting has a 'magic ring' just like knitting has a 'magic circle', this is the closest I can get to learning at Hogwarts. Everyone agrees there's something magical in here. Magical arts and crafts. And to be fair you do create a 3D object from yarn so that does feel like power of creation.
The power creation happened slow for me; I ended up working on the strawberry pot for a week, and then took a months break before finishing it. Friend's birthday was the deadline. She liked it! It's supposed to be hanged in the car so you can put small things in it, and I filled it with candy.
I then temporarily forget about crochet because it was a really difficult project and had me all worn down.
Then a week ago. My phone case started to fall apart. My phone kept falling on my face. And I thought to myself. What craft could I use. That would create a soft, protective and gripping barrier, around my phone. So it doesn't break when I drop it. And out of everything I knew, crochet won.
This is where I could tell how ridiculous I was being; even as a newbie, I would just not follow instructions. I found a tutorial but immediately assumed I knew better and went off on my own. To be fair, no tutorial was making an all-yarn cover, they would glue it to plastic, which was out of question for me. So I had to make stuff up!
And this time, the project was fun. It only took one day, and produced something so practical and necessary. The cotton yarn I used has a pleasant texture that my fingers love, and a firm grip that means my phone is no longer a weapon randomly assaulting my face. I made so many visible mistakes but the result? I love it.
And then I was in the craft zone. I was powerful. I had momentum. Crochet was the new best thing. It was holidays. I looked up some fun ornaments to crochet. I found this beautiful snowflake tutorial. I spent two hours painstakingly trying to follow what felt like the most convoluted tutorial. And. I did it bad.
This is my third work and my biggest flop. It's so bad it makes me laugh a little. Making snowflakes is not for me. I am not gonna make another, this can serve as a warning.
While I was looking up ornaments I saw something else. Something so whimsical and lovely it was impossible to ignore. (link)
Who wouldn't want this. That is perfect. Snowy evergreen tree with a fairy house and doubles as a basket. But wait. That is extremely holiday themed. What do you do with your snowy winter tree basket during the rest of the year? I will not have an impractical item in my home.
But what if. Instead of a snow covered tree, I made it into a giant mushroom? Mushroom is acceptable all year round and extremely appropriate for Halloween.
Thus a new project was born! I am working on this and again going off script because the tutorial doesn't cover mushroom, project 4 is about making stuff up again. I will bring the news when it is done.
