Jun 12, 2013

I don't need another hobby, but...


by Michelle Douglas

Romance authors (and quite frankly probably any author of any creed) are a pretty determined bunch. For determined read stubborn.

A case in point: Recently on the television there was an advertisement for a new magazine called The Art of Crochet. I thought it sounded interesting. I thought it could be a bit of fun. But do you think I could get a copy? No. It was sold out. Everywhere. Did I retire with grace? Nuh uh. I became annoyed and fixated. Sold out, huh? Well I wouldn’t let that defeat me!

I went to the shops and bought a ball of wool and a crochet hook. I went to the library and borrowed Learn-To-Crochet books.

So, I’ve been playing with crochet. I’m hoping that when I get a little better it’ll become one of those lovely mindless things I can do while I let story ideas brew and smoulder. My family has quite a history with crochet. Both my grandmother and great grandmother made the most amazing pieces, and my great aunt still does. Have a look at some of these pieces.








I have a long way to go before I reach their standard. So it’s probably just as well that I have a lot of story ideas to brew and develop, huh?

But… the fact of the matter is I do continually bemoan the fact that I don’t have enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do. Am I crazy adding another thing to the list? Or am I being super wise and refilling my creative well? Oh, and do you have any crocheting tips you’d like to share?

16 comments:

  1. I learned to crochet a long, long time ago, Michelle. My Mum used to delivered hot meals to elderly people in their homes and take me along. A lovely old lady taught me to crochet. I can remember my first pieces...just big balls of knots. But I got better and made this cute little blanket when I was about twelve. My daughter found it over thirty years later shoved in a cupboard and now has pride of place on her bed. So keep it at!!

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  2. Michelle, both my grandmothers crocheted, so my mother and all the girls in my family also crocheted - we weren't one of those knitting families.

    My grandmother on my dad's side crocheted a blanket for each of her grandchildren from little squares of all different colours. But every single square on every single blanket has the outer row in royal blue, and the squares are sewn together in the same royal blue. Which means that each blanket is unique, with very different colour patterns, but they all match because of the blue. I love that.

    Speaking of crafts, for the last two winters I was itching to knit (and I knitted a lovely pair of around-the-house booties for myself last winter), and this winter I'm itching to quilt. So far I've resisted, but I think it's something about winter.

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  3. I work for the Industrial part of Coats and Clark. They make Red Heart Yarn and so much more. The yarn giveaways at work are fun, but I always bring the yarn home for my daughter. She is a talented crafter. I am not. Here is a link to their website. They have free patterns and a link to Crochet Magazine
    http://www.redheart.com/yarn

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  4. Gorgeous doillies (sp?) Michelle! I have quite a few from my mother's mother. It's almost like a lost art these days!
    I'm about as arty as a rock so no tips from me but I think anything creative fills the well so go for it!

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  5. Jen, that's a lovely story about how you learned to crochet. And I'm so pleased your work of art has found a home. I bet it looks fabulous. My great grandma taught me to crochet when I was small...but about the only thing I remember is the mess I used to make and how easily she could always fix it. :-)

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  6. Oh, I love the sound of those blankets, Rach! I bet they look gorgeous. One day I'd love to make those kinds of blankets too...but I'll probably start off with something smaller like a scarf.

    Winter = wanting to craft. You know, you could be onto something there. I don't think you should resist quilting. I think you should dive right into it and then show us the fruits of your labour here.

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  7. Oh, Tammy, that's a wonderful site -- thank you! I have it bookmarked for future reference. I bet your daughter is VERY happy you work for Coats and Clark. :-)

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  8. Amy, you're right, they are like works of art. I don't use them, but I do like to get them out every now and again to admire them. I sometimes think they'd look quite nice framed. And I like your theory that anything crafty fills the well. So...I'm doing something good for myself, right? ;-)

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  9. I can crochet around edges for tablecloths and face washers, but other then that I need my Mother sitting beside me the whole way. It is fun & if you make a mistake it's just the one stitch you are pulling on.

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  10. Mary, you know that sounds nice and relaxing. I always think that those little touches add something special for presents too. I will admit that I do like the fact that one is pulling on just the one stitch. That's the kind of disaster I can keep a handle on. ;-)

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  11. Hi Michelle,
    I love the photos of your family's crochet efforts. Aren't they lovely? My mother used to do a lot of crochet work too - mainly the decorative stuff with fine cotton. My crochet work has been mainly with wool - quicker and easier I think but without the lovely heirloom value. Funny you should post about this. I was just thinking the other day that I wouldn't mind doing some again. Suspect it won't happen though as I have a few other projects I need to finish first.

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  12. That fine cotton is really lovely and I did wonder if it wouldn't be easier to work with than wool (I seem to keep splitting my wool) but, Annie, your words have assured me that may not be the case. Your words have also made me realise how rarely the older generation's hands were idle. I remember my grandmothers, great aunts and great grandmother's fingers were rarely at rest. They were nearly always working on something or other, whether it was crochet, knitting or sewing of some kind.

    Funny that you've been thinking about crafty things too lately. Maybe Rachel is onto something with her Winter = craft projects. :-)

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  13. Michelle, I LOVE those pieces, especially the green and yellow one. A couple of years ago my twin daughters asked me to teach them how to crochet, and being the multi-talented mother that I am I said, "no, I don't know how." So, they went on youtube and watched lessons over and over and they're now experts! I also have a number of traditional Cypriot tablecloths from my husband's grandmother with gorgeous crotcheting on and around it.

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  14. That's one of my favourites too, Barb -- the yellow bits are pineapples. It's part of a set with the larger centrepiece and two smaller ones. My grandmother was known for mastery of that piece. :-)

    Oh, and go your daughters! Talk about proactive. Maybe one day I'll be as expert as them.

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  15. Michelle ~ I know how to crochet but I have never done a doily. I have done lots of stuffed toys, slipper socks, scarfs and afghans. My paternal grandmother always had either a knit or a crochet project on the go. She would watch TV and be working away in the semi dark room.

    My advice is to start small and try to crochet a square and a round dishcloth. Once you can get an actual square and circle you can take it from there.

    Rachel ~ Were the little squares called granny squares? Just look that phrase up on Google and you might be able to find something similar. My grandmother would do cushion covers with her leftovers bits of wool. nothing got wasted.

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  16. Oh, you know, Kaelee, I think starting small is the perfect advice! Mastering squares and circles sounds like an admirable goal. I'm hoping that one day I can be like your grandmother and crochet whilst watching telly. :-)

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