The art of crochet

This term I have started a new evening class.

I do like to learn a new skill each year and I find it wonderfully relaxing to do something that absorbs me for a couple of hours so that I don't even have time to think about work.

This year I signed up for beginners crochet and persuaded my mum to come along too.  She has to miss the first class due to being on holiday but as she has done a little bit of crochet before she shouldn't find it too hard to catch up.

My team at work thought it was hilarious and they all seemed ready to pack me off to the nearest nursing home in my slippers and dressing gown.

I had to resort to threatening to crochet them all doilies for Christmas just to get them to shut up!

However, the crochet is not quite as simple as you might imagine.

After getting all the usual paperwork out of the way we were taught how to make a slip knot (yup I was struggling even at this point) and then how to make a row of 21 chain stitches.

I seemed to be the slowest in the class and by slowest I mean the most dim witted.  However, in my defence several of the ladies in the class had done some knitting or crochet before  . . not all of them but enough to give them a head start on me.

I couldn't help but notice that my chains were a little larger, looser and more inconsistently sized than everyone else's.

We were then taught to single crochet (American term or double crochet in English).

This was even more complicated and I was struggling to get to grips with it before the class ended.

I had one very poor string of chain stitch and three rows of wobbly looking single crochet.

We are supposed to be making little purses and were told to go home and practice.

So we started off with 21 stitches and apparently with single crochet you are meant to lose a stitch and only have 20 stitches per row.

I decided it might be time to stop and start again when I realised that I was down to sixteen stitches in a row.

My second effort was not much better as I somehow managed to gain stitches - ending up with 25 stitches in a row.

My third attempt is going much better.  I have the right number of stitches but the crochet is looking a little holey in places.

I really hope this gets much easier as the weeks go by otherwise my dreams of wonderful home-made crocheted Christmas decorations will remain just that  . . .  a dream!