Yes, A New Hobby

I've been dabbling in many new projects these past few months. This summer I did the unimaginable and got myself a motorcycle license; last month I started writing my first book; and now this month I am taking on a brand new project... crochet!

I was inspired by stumbling upon this Babette Blanket at the the purl bee. I purchased the pattern for $6 and have since been oogling at all the pretty yarn colors that I can use in my blanket.


photo from the purl bee. I am interested in following this color scheme.

The problem was, I knew NOTHING about the art of crochet. I always wanted to learn how to knit, but I never thought I'd pick up something like crochet. Being the impatient bastard that I am, I refused to wait until January to sign up for crohet/knitting classes. I figured, what the hell, I'll just google crochet tips, watch youtube videos, and skim through a couple of books.

Surprisingly, it worked. However, I think I raised my blood pressure and about had a few brain aneurisms here and there. It was incredibly tedious to watch poor-quality youtube videos where the women would crochet so fast I had trouble hitting the pause button in time! I recommend you watch the videos only if you already know the basic crochet technique. I am still hoping to find an actual human being to guide me through a few things, but for now the almighty internet will do.

I'm finally getting the hang of making the basic 'granny squares' required to make the blanket. My largest obstacle right now is reading the "crochet language" in the pattern itself. I know the terms and what the abbreviations mean, but I am still second-guessing myself if I am doing it right or not. This is where I need someone to help me out...

I've been disclipining myself with this whole 'self-taught crochet thing'. I started out making foot after foot of single crochet stitches, then I upgraded to teaching myself how to make the ring, then on to making rows of single crochets, double crochets, and then ultimately the square. Now I just need to perfect the square needed in my blanket pattern, then it's time to learn how to add different colored yarn!

If anyone in the Columbus area knows of a great yarn store, please advise. I am not a huge fan of JoAnn fabrics because their yarn selection is very poor and the quality is too generic. I would like to find a small, local mom'n'pop shop.

I've been practicing with two types of yarn blends, and I am not a huge fan of either one. But they were cheap (around $3 per skein), so they were ideal for practicing.

Here are my FAIL pieces:
(well, all FAIL pieces except for the big blue square at the top-- that one was a single crochet piece I did that turned out really awesome)

My semi-successful pieces (still trying to figure out where I'm messing up):


The crochet hooks set I purchased. Comes with sizes F-K (3.75mm-6.5mm), made by Susan Bates:


I will keep updating my progress as the weeks go on. Once I dominate the effing square, I will finally begin making the real squares to go in my blanket. I'll be on a yarn store hunt this weekend to purchase the real yarn I will be using (also? Koigu 100% merino wool yarn is, like, $15 per skein! Holy crap! What's a good, cheaper substitute?). Wish me luck!