Crochet has been one of my passions for several years now.

It started when I was around 10 years old when an older cousin taught me a few basic crochet skills.  The first thing she taught me was how to crochet a chain stitch – the simplest stitch there is.  I was so excited and immediately began crocheting a chain – a very long chain.  I quickly became bored with this really long chain of crochet because I did not know any other stitches or even how to turn the work.

She then taught me the single crochet stitch.  I was even more excited and then I made a lot of warped, uneven dishcloths.

I even attempted a single crochet blanket that I have kept all these years.  It resembles the dishcloths with the uneven rows –just a larger version.  I’m certain if you have any experience with crocheting, you may have some of these items in your collection or have long since thrown them out.

About 7 years ago, on a whim, I decided to try it again.  Paul and I were visiting my mother in Tennessee.  My niece was then pregnant with her second child.  She off handedly made some comments about wishing she knew how to crochet.  She had been checking out all the cute baby items on Pinterest, but not having the time to learn, she quickly dismissed the idea.

After we returned home I was inspired to learn how to crochet some of those cute baby items.  So I got on Pinterest and found a step-by-step tutorial that taught me all the basics about hooks, yarn weight, stitches, and reading patterns.  It actually went smoothly and within a few days after running out for yarn, hooks and watching crochet videos, I was well on my way to making an ecru colored scarf with a pretty border …that I have never used.

My niece did receive a tiny brown crocheted cowboy hat and matching boots that year!  (more on that later).

From there crochet projects just grew and grew…along with many stashes of yarn around the house.  I was constantly on the lookout for a pattern or idea that I wanted to attempt.

Each project got more challenging and I spent a lot of time making things for our house and making gifts for family and friends.

 

In the last couple of years I’ve slowed down considerably and mainly crochet only in the winter months. But if I’m working on a gift for a deadline or on something I’m excited to finish, I will work whenever I get a chance to sit down and pick it up.  I spend a lot of hours at night after dinner, on the sofa with Paul  crocheting even with the TV on.  If I have an ongoing project with a repeated stitch I can watch TV and just crochet away!

Although I don’t write patterns (more practice at reading them), I would like to share this project with you that I enjoyed making.  I’ve included some basic and the yarn colors, etc.  Here it is!…..I hope you enjoy it. I used Red Heart yarn for this crochet project – Aruba Sea and Coffee.

Hook H
Crocheted 168 Granny Squares (I search Pinterest for a Granny Square pattern).
Begin with a Magic Circle add three rounds of Aruba Sea and then one round of Coffee.  Connected all the squares with Aruba Sea.
My completed blanket measured 12 X 14.  I did not add a border.  Which would allow you to adjust the overall size of the blanket in the future by adding another row to the width or length (or both).

Even though I made this blanket several years ago we still use it on our bed during the cold months.  It’s very warm.

I love the Granny Square pattern because you can really change the look of it by changing the colors of your yarn.  With this pattern, you could use up to four different colors of yarn on each square.

Dixie Yakes