In the beginning...

I was looking through some images on Google the other day and I realized I started crocheting when I was a child.  I used to take metal hangers (no Mommy Dearest jokes here,) some yarn or cotton thread and sometimes a crochet hook and I would cover the hanger so my clothes wouldn't slip off the hanger. I am recalling a purple and white one I did - it may still be in my closet at my mom's!  Kayren from Everything's Coming Up Daisies did this one that is much more festive than the ones I did, as I was usually relegated to a single color.

Sometimes I wouldn't even use a hook, just weave yarn on my fingers to make hammocks for my Barbie dolls.  As I have found in raising my children and playing with my grandsons, humans seem to be much more creative when children!


Now that I am getting older (as opposed to being 6, or even 26,) I long for more creativity in my life. The ability to think of something original and make it in yarn (or draw it on paper or even sculpt it in cake!) To realize an original design would probably make me the happiest person on earth!


To realize I had an original THOUGHT would thrill me to no end, too!  Wow - my life seems pretty pathetic when I read that.  Let me give you an example of when this might come in handy.


It's frustrating to be stuck in a pattern, wondering aloud, "Is this right? It doesn't feel right..." I then go back to the row I'm on and almost sound the instructions out loud, as one might sound when they are asking someone who doesn't speak English, "WHERE IS THE BATHROOM?"  When I get to the point I'm at and find I am doing okay and the pattern IS being followed I usually feel pretty inferior.


In that moment I lament my inability to free-form crochet.   Maybe I could get to that point where I'm 'stuck in a pattern' and say, "This doesn't feel right, but that's cool - I'll just do this....    and that.....  and....  HEY!  This is nifty!"  To be able to adapt something that isn't working would be freeing!  Maybe it started as sleeve but I can close up the end and make a REALLY long mitten!  Hey! An OPERA MITTEN! Well... it was a thought...


There must be something blocking that creative vein.  I need to find the right explosive to blow away the obstruction.  So I created a bomb.  A literal yarn-bomb.  The design was shamelessly taken from someone else but I am hoping this is the beginning of the unleashing my bottled-up creativity!  Here is my version of Woowork's Yarn Bomb.

If you have any ideas on how to jump-start this part of my life, PLEASE leave me a comment!  And I'll share my works-in-progress with you, my ideas and aspirations, and post some photos of things about which I'm proud or happy (and yes, this might include my grandsons!)


But now I need to start another Carnation Bouquet Afghan Square (shameless plug for The Crochet Dude, Drew Emborsky,) to go with this one:

 Until next time, keep hooking and needling!