Crash Course Crochet

So I’m back, I guess, after a while not crocheting. 

I’m done with rehab and have most of my hand use back. My index finger still seems to be the only thing truly left of what happened in November. I have full mobility but it’s stiff and I don’t know if that will ever really go away. But because it’s stiff, I find I’m still not using it like I ought. But listen to me, my first world problem. A FINGER is not working properly. OH NO!

This beautiful yarn was a gift from one of my best people. I was going to try to make something for her that I know she'd use, but she's not really a hat or scarf person. She told me a few days ago that she wants.. ahem, some very specific adult words decorate her kitchen. 

So, this is my new project this year. I'm going to learn how to crochet letters. First starting with flat then hopefully building up to 3D, making what is called Amigurumi. Honestly, I love how crazy that is. I love the idea of making odd things with this.  

So I have a lot of very vivid pink yarn and a healing brain, so of course I want to crochet some BRAINS. But finding a pattern is becoming more difficult than I planned, and I’m no good at this crochet thing yet to try and create or write my own. 

I started these as gifts, cheeky gifts for my sisters. I love this pattern, but I must confess that originally my motives weren’t 100% genuine. 

In light of what happened recently, I want to create good things with a completely good intent. I don’t want sarcastic or cheeky or whatever else. I want happy.

I haven’t gone near my owl tote and while I love all my pre-made tote bags, I’m missing something that I can throw over my shoulder and not have to worry about. I hate how the straps feel on my shoulder, how it constantly wants to slip off. I want a strap of my own making.

I have a dream list of things I want to make, it keeps growing, and I’m never going to learn if I keep making the same pattern. AND I have another item to add to my list - brains, all brains. I want my broken brain to heal and I want to crochet doing it. 

So I guess it’s been a few months since I did anything here. For that I am sorry, but there are legit reasons for this..

I will credit one reason to procrastination. I made another attempt to crochet a heart and took notes and pictures and then just never made the post. It’s still sitting on my desktop here waiting for me. 

But here’s the MAIN reason: 

2018 has been kind of hit or miss, I guess. 

Back at the beginning of November, I experienced two small strokes on the back right side of my brain, a miraculous area to have a stroke if you’re going to have one. I woke up in the early early morning because of a headache, I couldn’t get comfortable on my pillow, and went to go to the bathroom to discover I’d lost the use of my index finger and thumb and reduced use of the other 3 fingers all on my left hand - my writing hand, my crocheting hand. 

I thought it was weird, enough to wake up my husband and tell him how weird it was, but attributed it all to a pinched nerve from the headache. 

So I went to work as normal. But when my hand didn’t get any better, and after the arm went cold and numb for a couple of minutes at work, I made the decision to go to the ER. 

I was in the hospital from Sunday night to Friday afternoon. I’m good, I’m getting better and I’ve been really lucky in how all this turned out.

When I got home, I tried to crochet, not knowing how well it would work with what I’ve been calling the “stroke hand”. It didn’t go very well. So I put it down. And I have yet to try again. Stroke hand has most of its strength back but still needs help with the dexterity. This can lead to frustration at times and I haven’t the heart to feel that way again about my newish beloved hobby. I had a rehab appointment last week and I’m to bring my hook with me to my next appointment. 

I guess it’s like a muscle in the fact that I need to use it, but I’m working right now on getting my handwriting back to snuff and improve my chopstick ability, because are the two things I use this hand the most. 

I had a dream the night before last that included a perfect granny square, conveniently crocheted in the grey yarn that I’m not using to not make my owl tote. I guess I’ve been seeing enough patterns online for granny squares that now I’ve begun to lust after the best beginner pattern. 

So my 14th anniversary was yesterday so I thought I’d take today to attempt another heart tutorial. 

This tutorial comes from Maggie’s Crochet.

So right off the bat, without even picking up my yarn, this video reassured me because she listened to her followers/viewers and acknowledged that she’d moved too fast in her previous video. Also, she read the pattern out loud as she went along. Nice touch, there. 

She also takes the time to slowly finish the heart without rushing the end unlike other videos I’ve seen that seem to want to skip over that part. 

Here’s what it SHOULD look like

And here’s how MINE turned out:

I guess maybe it looks better in the picture than in real life because all I can see when I look at it is ET’s face.

It’s smaller than the last heart I made and I’m not sure if I’m just getting better at following the directions or that the tutorials I’m choosing are easier.

She says in the video that technically there’s no such thing as a half trebel crochet but still manages to make that stitch several times in the pattern.

I’m nearly finished with my first #pussyhat/christmas present. I’ve learned OF, but not yet tried or mastered, a new stitch for the pieces, because truthfully, my sewing has been an utter disaster to this point.

Oh my god, it's a HEART! 

Yes, it's lopsided and to be honest, not a huge fan of this pattern/tutorial. From a beginner's perspective, the fewer stitches the better. Still, this is the first heart I've made that didn't look like a.. body part.

9/10 Will definitely use this again

I made a heart! 

But I feel like I’ve mastered the single crochet, the half double crochet, and the double crochet. Things I should have learned 2 years ago but only temporarily had in my head.

The whole point for my learning crochet was to make and send down South the famous #pussyhat from the Women’s March after 45 came into office. I made a few, and kept them all, which defeats the point of it all. 

I learned it, made 3, and because I unexpectedly fell in love with the craft, moved on to something else. 

This year, 2 years later, I am determined to follow through with my original goal. 

I want these hats for christmas, because the family down there celebrate it in a much different form than we do here in our little home.