Crocheting

As I have mentioned before, I picked up a new "hobby" per se.  Crocheting.  It's actually a really time consuming one at the moment, and one that takes me a long time.  But only because I am new at it, and really have to focus, concentrate, watch a video while pausing it every few seconds, and take my time to get the final product I want.  And when I get that final product?  What a great feeling!  A true feeling of self accomplishment, gratification, and proud that *I* just made that.  

Lizzy, a friend of mine, is really good at crocheting.  She can whip just about anything out in a short period of time, can read just about any pattern, and is a rockstar.  She is bit more experienced than I am, as she has over 2 years under her belt, but she inspires me to create!  She willingly agreed to teach me, and I am so thankful for her, and her patience.  

It all started with the bumper pad.  I wanted the little lady's bumper pad to be crocheted.  I thought it would add so much to her room, including the colors that I had envisioned her room would be--but I struggled to find anything to buy that would be those specific colors to tie everything together.  So I did a little research.  I turned to etsy, and found that I could have a bumper pad custom made from granny squares, in the colors I wanted, for over $150.  Well, scratch that idea.  So I turned to Lizzy.  And she excitedly responded with...."Yes!  Let's make that.  It will be a great project for you to start with!"  

We got together one afternoon, and began with the basics.  How to hold the hook, a slip stitch, chain, double crochet, etc.  My mind was about ready to explode after that day, but I trusted her when she said..."it will eventually just click, and you will figure it out."  I went home, and tried my best to re-watch the same video over and over again......and just waiting for that moment it would click.  I was losing faith in myself (and her promise) as I continued to not get the same outcome that was on the video.  

.......and then, it happened.  It clicked!  I was finally taking the words from the video, and actually digesting them, and applying them to the project---instead of just doing them, because some random lady with a crazy accent was telling me to do them.  After that moment, I was still a little slow, still really having to focus on my work at hand, but my speed was starting to pick up as I understood what I was doing.  

We decided we needed to make about 25 granny squares for this project.  I eventually had a granny square down to just a little over an hour to make.  Lizzy did about 10 of them, and I did the remainder 15 needed.  After we were both done with our squares, we scheduled another time to get together, to connect them all.  She lives in Jesup, which is about a 55 minute drive from us, so just randomly getting together isn't the easiest task.  We really have to plan a time to get together.  

I worked hard to get them done in a timely manner, in hopes that we would give ourselves some time to crochet them all together, and have it ready to be placed in her bed before the very last minute.  I knew that once my due date approached, my energy would be out the window.  And, I definitely guessed that one right.  

2 weekends ago, Lizzy made the drive to Parkersburg with Madilyn, and we spent the entire afternoon and evening crocheting all of the granny squares together.  That was in between feedings, breaking up a few fights, tending to little ones, etc.  We finished attaching them all together that day, so that left me with the border.  I decided to do 2 rounds of white around the entire bumper pad.  I knew it was going to be a time consuming project, but since there was no real "stopping" and no switching colors, I could just keep going until I was done.  I took the project with me pretty much everywhere I went, and got done with it a lot sooner than I thought I would.  (Insert happy dance!)  I then had to weave in all of the ends, which I am finding is probably my least favorite part of crocheting.  Not because it is hard, or difficult.....but only because it is boring, repetitive, and time consuming.  I took the bumper pad with me on the drive to Des Moines last week as we traveled to the state basketball tournament, and finished weaving in all the ends as we drove.  Carl poked a little fun at me, as he looked over, and I was in deep thought.....with a needle and yarn in my hand :)  He calls me old fashioned about a lot of things, and I think he will add this to the list.  Ha!

We have a finished product!  Hello, beautiful little bumper pad that I put a lot of time and effort into, and did not, in fact, pay an outrageous amount for :)  It is ready to be put in the little lady's crib.....I just haven't done it yet.  It is going to be a 2 person job, and hopefully Carl can help me with it one of these evenings.  I am just absolutely in love with how it turned out.  All of it.  The colors, the pattern, the style, the way it looks in her crib, how much it truly adds to the room....everything.  

Since I have finished the bumper pad, I have had my eye on a video tutorial for a little hat to make for her to wear in the hospital.  I had a little spare time on Saturday morning to sit at the computer, and follow the tutorial, and came up with this little gem!  I am so thrilled with how it turned out, and I think this will be the pattern that I will use in the future for any hats I want to make.  I like the chunky design, and how easy it was.  The pom pom on top of the hat was my first go-round with pom poms.  I learn a little something every time I try something new.  This time I learned to make the strands extra long, because you can always cut them......and, to make the string to attach the pom extra long as well.  Live and learn.  Especially with this new hobby....I am finding that phrase to be coming up a lot.  But-- it's fun, nonetheless!  

I recently made the mistake of going on pinterest, and finding a million different cute crochet things that I would love to make.  I have to be realistic, because I am just a beginner yet, but I am pinning different projects and things that I would love to try and make in the future.  I still can't read a pattern very well, as it looks very foreign to me, so I am restricted to video tutorials at the moment.  I am hoping to continue to make a few things here and there for her and the boys.....as time allows.  It's a lot of fun, and I am so thankful for Lizzy, and her taking the time to teach me!  She inspires me with the different projects that she continues to make, and I hope I can continue to educate myself in this new hobby of mine.  I now am talking yarn colors with my husband, and getting his opinion.  He smiles, answers my questions, and supports my new hobby.  He will wholeheartedly admit to how much he loves the bumper pad, and the hat.  He pokes fun at me a lot, and how much of a "grandma" I am, but will also tell me how proud he is that I stuck it out (after a lot of frustration at the beginning!) how great I have done, and how much he loves that his daughter gets to wear something that her Mama made :)