It has been almost 4 years since I have posted anything of any length to this blog. Many things have happened in these last 4 years.
One of the biggest reasons I did not post came on October 22, 2012. That is when my beloved husband of 30 years, Craig Andersen, died of a heart attack. I had been working on a curtain panel of a filet lion but not that quickly. I kept getting the count wrong at row19. I had finally broken through whatever was causing the problem and was at about 25 rows when he died. I could have crocheted the 30+ rows to finish. But I couldn't. I totally ripped that project apart, crying the whole time. I always referred to Craig as my cheerleader because that's one of the many things he was to me. I had nobody to say "hey that looks great" or encourage me the way he did and I didn't crochet for a very long time.

My hands would be idle while I watched television and I did not miss the feel of the hook and the yarn. I was so numb, I didn't miss anything. Yup, I looked at patterns and bought yarn when I was in the mood,, but that wasn't that often. I still continued my crochet magazine subscriptions but nothing interested me enough to make it.  I had wooed and won Craig with a combination of crochet (a lion) and banana bread and I didn't want to think about such things.

I'd love to tell you that one day, I got a fantastic pattern or a gorgeous yarn and the crochet block was broken. If I said this,  I would be lying.  But a friend asked me to make a hat and scarf set for his roommate. And I did, it wasn't anything fancy. Just a shell stitch scarf in a cream color and a hat made of single crochet with a shell stitch brim. I had made up the pattern (well,  I can't really say it was a pattern - just shell stitches) that I could do automatically without thinking or looking. That wasn't the huge chip in the crochet block but it was a crack.  Slowly I became more interested in my crochet and yarn. It probably took me over 2 years to finally completely break it. Now when I watch television, I have to be crocheting _something_. My hands itch to have hook and yarn in them. I look at yarn catalogs the way some women look at shoes.

And so it goes. I would still need to crochet with both hands and both feet 24/7/365 to use up the large stash I have. And I am dumb enough to buy more yarn ("but it was on sale" syndrome). It is a great comfort to me because out of all the things that have changed in the world, crochet hasn't. Sure, new yarns, different patterns, different stitches, different hooks but still the same soothing ritual.
To me, there is something awesome to be able to have a "hobby" that can help me heal.

And since I am being thankful for that, I should also give a shout out to my older sister Bee (who died 7 years ago). Bee taught me how to knit, crochet and cut patterns out. Without Bee's instructions, I doubt I would have gotten into the needle arts.  I didn't know anyone or never noticed anyone doing needle art. Since we were together constantly, she had the time and strangely enough, the patience to teach me the skills. I was lucky. If you ever get a chance to teach someone to crochet or knit, any needle arts, I advise you to definitely try to teach them. You are giving them a lifetime gift, it's almost like teaching someone to read. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities and that person will be forever grateful for your lessons.
 

She taught me to crochet

In memory of my older sister Bee, who taught me how to crochet.

I wrote this back in 2006, talking about my older sister and how she taught me how to crochet. She would have been 61 today. With the hustle and bustle of preparing for Thanksgiving and Christmas (which she loved), I decided to take the easy out and repost this little bit of writing.

This rant started off as a response to the "Not your Grandmother's crochet" phrase.
(-)

My older sister, Bee, taught me how to crochet (and knit). She took dress design in her vocational school and that's something the students had to learn. She sewed her prom gown and made a beautiful smocked dress as part of her studies at Mervo. She struggled teaching me how to crochet because I was (still am) very impatient. It seemed to flow freely from her hands, but I just couldn't seem to grasp it. It took me about a few months of practicing and watching and Bee showing me time and time again for me to get that "aha" moment.

I had to make something for my Home Ec class, any project, but it had to be crocheted or knitted. The Home Ec teacher didn't show us _how_ to do it, we were supposed to know. And we were also supposed to bring the item into class so she could see us actually work on it.
I choose yellow and green yarn for the colors (it matched my bedroom). The yarn I bought was rug yarn, I think. It was the least expensive of the yarns in the five and dime I visited and the start of my love affair with Boye hooks, a size H.

Bee did the chain stitch to start. I had great difficulty starting the project. Now I realize I pulled the chains too tight and couldn't work stitches in them, but I didn't know that then. I don't remember if Bee tried to get me to make them looser or not. At any rate, I was stitching along. Horizontal green and yellow stripes, done in double crochet, that had a sort of "rib" effect. I didn't know I was supposed to put the hook under _both_the loops on the top of the stitch. Bee probably did about 30% or so of the afghan. But having to take it to school and show my work made me try to learn the stitches better.
The teacher had doubts (reasonably so) that I was actually doing the work. I was slow and it would be unreasonable to think I had gotten so much done so quickly. But the day finally came when I could whip the project out of my duffel bag and actually accomplish some rows while in class. After that, the teacher didn't question my ability to crochet. I honestly don't remember what other people made. I can't remember if there were amazingly complex patterns or just ponchos (it was the late 60s). But I was sure glad I got that project done. And it certainly kept me warm.

The afghan is long gone now, a victim of time and moving. It wasn't that beautiful a project, but it was important to me. The joy of actually creating a project that big has stayed with me. I still enjoy the accomplishing of any project, whether big or small. And I've made a ton of afghans since that time, but that first one remains in my memory as an extra special afghan.
After all, how many crochet projects keep you warm, co-ordinate with your room and get you a good grade in school?