I recently completed my 16th crocheted throw; slightly smaller than an afghan, it can be used as a warm upper body covering or to decorate your living room couch. This is added to my dozen or so hats, scarves and baby blankets over the years.
They’re fun to make and a pleasure to give, except that I have only seen two of them again after I’ve given them away. Nine of them I gave to a co-worker who was supposedly taking them to a charity event, but that was the last I saw or heard about them. Since the person was known for being a unique sort, I was better off not even trying to ask about what became of them.
My mother has a granny square afghan I made for her more than 20 years ago, back when Clover was still a popular (and existing) store; I know because that was where I bought the yarn, remembering the color scheme to match the living room couch without a swatch. Each square was made while riding the train to and from work, and for some of my lunch time. Then I packaged the squares for Christmas, and she decided how to join them. It was one of my favorite projects.
The most recent one I gave to a neighbor for her birthday, and now I’m working on #17, after taking a break to crochet a hat. Crochet is a great way to relax, and it keeps the hands busy and the mind focused. The hat took about 2-3 hours to complete, a few minutes at a time during one week.
According to the Craft Yarn Council, crocheters made up 48 percent of respondents to a survey of yarn craft people (and 20 percent say they crochet and knit, but I’m not one of them). The best thing about crochet is how forgiving it is; mess up a knit stitch, you may not be able to recover it, but one can rip out a row or more of crochet and fix a problem. The word crochet means “hook” in French (after the implement used to form the yarn), and is one of the roots of the popular tape Velcro® (the “Vel” part being short for velour, or the soft side of the hook and loop tape).
Scores of people crochet for charity every year, making hats and scarves for folks in need. There is even a crochet pattern for the breast cancer survivor prosthetic charity known as Knitted Knockers. I have the pattern on my list of projects to try.
The local craft shop has walls of yarn in every conceivable size, color, texture and price range, so I don’t think I will ever be at a loss for yarn. Like a kid in Five Below®, I’ll always love finding the next thing to hook the heck out of, no matter what happens to them in the future; it’s the pleasure of making that is the best reward.
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