I first learned how to crochet as a kid with help from one of our family’s babysitters, Vi. Vi taught me the basics of creating a chain and how to do a double crochet stitch, and even almost 20 years later, I have a deeply rooted muscle memory when it comes to crochet. It’s something I can stop doing for months at a time, and then pick right back up again.
The wintertime is my crochet time. It’s fun to cozy up to a crochet project on the couch when it’s snowy and cold outside, and of course now is the prime time for making Christmas gifts.
My skills haven’t ventured beyond things that are square or rectangular, so the things I’ve made over the years have been different varieties of scarves and blankets. In recent years, I’ve used tutorials online to learn how to connect the ends of a finished scarf to make it a cowl/infinity shape.
This year, I decided to watch some YouTube videos to see if I could learn some new stitches and techniques, and I discovered something. I’ve been crocheting incorrectly the whole time. My first row after the chain? Wrong. The reason why my edges look like little zigzags? I’m starting my first stitch in the wrong spot and ending the row too soon.
My whole crochet world was rocked by these discoveries. I blame my faulty memory and not sweet Vi. I’ve also realized I need to read the label on my yarn more carefully and use the suggested crochet hook size in order to make the project be at its best. For too long, I’ve disregarded this important component of crochet, picking yarns I like and using whatever crochet hook I can find at home.
The thing I love about YouTube and the internet in general is that you can really learn (or relearn) how to do just about anything. So in my venture to become a better crocheter (is that a word?), I searched for some easy-to-follow tutorials.
With the help of Melanie Ham, I not only learned about the half-double crochet stitch, but also how to crochet in the round to make an infinity scarf.
But, I’m getting the hang of it, and enjoying the meditative experience of crocheting in the round.
I imagine I could also do some ear warmer headbands with this technique, and those would undoubtedly go pretty quickly in comparison to a long infinity scarf style.
Next, I’m hoping to learn how to make hats, which I’ve never done before. And maybe some granny squares for a blanket after that.
Crochet is definitely that old friend I don’t get to see very often, but when I do, we pick up right where we left off. And I’m always learning something new about it.
