I don't know how long it took me to write this post. I mentioned it so many times, I am not that good at writing and it's taking me so much time and thought. Maybe that's because I am not writing in my native language but the most probable is that when You are writing You have to sit still and focus all Your being on thinking about what You are writing about, and I am not good at that. I love to do five things at once I think I am the most effective when I am watching TV series ( which I love) + crocheting at the same time + writing the design on paper + making pictures + cooking soup for my boys ( I have a join living room and kitchen so It's possible). I am just not good at sitting still, but I know that this way so many things and thoughts I would like to share with You are gone. For each of the projects ( crochet designs, blogs, making photos) I made I have so many tips and reflections I am not always able to deliver, so for everyone who is still interested in reading I present this post. I decided to name it Crochet Handblog like Handbook only not a book.... Anyone is getting it.... :) Whatever I don't really care that much about the titles, who am I kidding I do care - You see that is my problem with writing Everything needs to be perfect and carefully thought and when It's not I loose interest. So I have a new strategy I will write and write and would not read it one more time, so sorry for all the mistakes but they need to be here - Let's pretend it's on purpose.
How I started crocheting
So let's begin from the beginning :D I always liked doing something I couldn't sit in one place and watch TV without something in my hands to do. Now when I am thinking about it I probably tried every fiber and not fiber form of spending free time. I remember my older sister tough me how to do the mexican bracelets,we called them "meksykanki" if You don't remember them:
When I finally get how to do that I made like hundreds of them. Till the end of my life I will remember how wet they get after washing Your hands when You had like five of them and how long it took them to dry. It was a real hit in my school for a few years and every boy wanted a talented enough girl to make him one...
Years later I even made one for my husband when we were like 16 or 17 I remember in the beginning it was light blueish, and after some time almost white and even more interesting looking
Staying with the same material I was also cross stitching for soooo many years. My mom was buying me the sets where You have a painted canva and all the needed threads to make a picture. My only problem was not lack of patience or skills but the pictures they were selling then, almost all of them were with flowers or nature or houses on the hill. SOOO boring. Finally I settled on horses and made few of these. My mom was hanging every one of them, I knew she was extremely proud :) Even today she has got like 5 or 6 pictures hanged on the wall cross-stitched be me.
Later on I remember I was trying to make my own pictures. I was in manga-anime fascination phase so that was my main theme. But there were countless problems the first being that I didn't want to start small, I wanted a huge picture. Another that the computer programs for making the patterns were not perfect and I couldn't get the exact colors. Long tale short I got bored and discouraged and throw it in a corner.
Next hobbys probably not in the right order painting by numbers, sewing machine, hand sewing puppets and mascots and funny hats, making jewelry from wire and so on and so on. I cant even remember most of them the point is I was always looking for something to keep me for longer.
Somewhere along the way between everything other I remember my first crochet projects like scarfs and bag for cosmetics. I did enjoy it but it took to long to finish and I was too young probably and didn't get hooked that much.
Years later my friend gave me the greatest gift she could, book Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. This book actually changed my life a bit. I made every single monster and zombie and robot from the patterns and was so inspired to made more. I have started to create my own monsters and was thinking what else, what characters can I do next. They were all relatively fast to make ( comparing to scarf) and cute and modern which was so important for me. I felt dazzled that I don't have to make old fashioned scarves or crochet tablecloths or cross-stitched flowers. I could make whatever I wanted small or big, colored or not, 3D, 2D, zombies, robots, knights, pandas, pirates everything that is fun or cute or both.
So that was my story, but
Who exactly is crocheting in 21 century?
Based on my story I think there is something for everyone. Both antique and modern lovers can crochet some items for themselves. You can make clothes and scarves and hats for those practical ones who doesn't see the point in making something not useful and You can make bunch of 5 cm creepy cute monsters and set them all as an exhibition above the TV, as I did for a half a year :) You can make things from our culture or from tv series from star wars, dr who, hellboy or superheroes or You can make Your own designs and show everyone what is in Your head. When You have a bit experience You can basically do anything in shape, size, color, dimension You want, but what is even more beautiful You don't have to if You just want to clear Your head and recreate something, You can follow one of the millions of ready to use patterns.
I recently read somewhere the quote I loved so much: "Crocheting is sitting for creative people".
So who can crochet in 21-st century? Everyone who would like to sit, but creatively!
