Mariachi band serenade included at no additional charge

My creative talents are quite limited. Writing this blog has been my attempt to nurture one of the few limited talents that I may have in my creative arsenal.

I always have wanted to be creative. Both of my sisters seem to have had creativity in their genes. My youngest sister was an amazing singer. She also sewed, made beautiful pottery, and could draw or paint almost anything. She had an eye for color and style, and would send me clothes that she thought might improve my alarmingly dull wardrobe.

My middle sister knits beautifully. She also has done painting and drawing. She loves to cook, and has a very strong talent in home decorating. She also has an eye for fashion.

My sisters obviously inherited my share of creative talent.

This is why I decided to try to add something creative to my attribute list….”She is tall, she loves her grandchildren, and she is so talented at…….crochet”   Yes, crochet.

I signed up for a crochet class.  “Class” is a bit of an exaggeration. There are two of us who are sitting at a small table in the middle of a very cramped yarn shop. The shop is in the basement of a bookstore. I am a regular at the bookstore. I decided to become acquainted with those women at the yarn store below.

Yesterday was the first lesson. I have crocheted before. Approximately 20 years ago, a friend showed me how to turn a skein of yarn into a fancy baby blanket for my youngest child.  When my daughter-in-law asked me to teach her how to make a blanket for her second baby, I must very sheepishly admit that I took over the project and made the blanket myself. I commandeered it. Stole the project from her.

It made me realize that I enjoyed making something. I liked that I had something to concentrate on, taking a little metal hook with a long piece of yarn wrapped around it, making loop after loop until a blanket magically appeared. I hope she was able to forgive me. We’ve never really discussed it.

So now there is another baby coming into the family. I want to make something for this baby. Hence, the class. I decided that maybe I should try to update my skills, and maybe really learn what I am doing. I found a pattern and some yarn for a baby hat. My daughter-in-law doesn’t like the traditional baby colors or the cutesie clothes. So, I found colors and an out-of-the-ordinary pattern for a baby hat. I started making the hat right when I got home.

And, in my totally compulsive and obsessive way, I kept going until it was finished. It only took me about 8 hours, three times of tearing it apart and starting over, and $40 worth of materials-including a pattern book with lots of very ugly crocheted children’s  clothing. One of the items is a white romper with black spots on it that look like a dairy cow. Here is the hat:

As I didn’t check to be sure that my stitches were the same size as the directions called for, this hat is actually big enough for my oldest granddaughter to wear….or if not, the younger certainly could wear it. So, I may have to figure out a different pattern and project to make for the new baby. Especially as the thing turned out to look like the cover to a fajita warmer.

I may have found a new creative talent I enjoy, but it doesn’t mean I’m good at it.

 

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