I have been crocheting since I was 8, having first been inspired by my playmate Ruby’s lovely older sister Valerie, sitting out on their front porch, crocheting a scarf for her friend. I was mesmerized and no matter how much Ruby tried to draw me away to go run around in the back yard, I stayed where I was, watching the miraculous creation of fabric from yarn, occurring before my eyes. I still remember the colour … violet.
Anyway, I went home and asked my mom if I could learn to crochet too. Mom bought me a hook and a skein of yarn, but while she is a knitter, she didn’t know how to crochet, so I played with my supplies pretending I was doing it. That Christmas I received a kit, called Arts and Crafts Today : Learn to Crochet. I loved the various size hooks it came with, and the generous supply of turquoise yarn. But I was too young to follow the instructions, so I still couldn’t do it. Until my parent’s went on a week-long vacation, and we were babysat by some beloved family friends, Serge and Linda. It turned out that Linda could crochet, so during that week, she showed me how. I have pretty well had a project on the go, since then (though admittedly some have taken a very long time to get completed and they usually get put aside for the spring and summer months!)
Was that too long an intro to the discussion of the hat I made last week? Maybe .. lol, sorry! My new hat is made of 100% cashmere wool that I bought on Etsy, from Yarns of Italy. Though I’ve used many the yarn in my days, I have never had the pleasure of working with cashmere! It was an absolute joy to crochet with. If only you could feel it … so. very. soft. I used 2 3/4 balls of 50g wool so I have a little left that I’m planning a tiny project for. Can’t let any of this beautiful yarn go the waste!
I don’t follow a pattern when I make a hat, preferring to just shape it according to the plan in my mind’s-eye, as I go along. Yes, there was some unraveling (twice) on this project, but it was the first time I was attempting a beret style of hat. I made the part that goes over my ears a double thickness for the warmth that we really can’t go without here in Canada.
Fun fact: As I was working on this and watching TV with Nick (we’re watching Heroes, which we really like so far), I felt his eyes upon me. When I looked up and asked him ‘What?’ he replied, ‘My baby makes nice things’. And then went back to the screen. (I promise not to always be overly lovey-dovey about my sweetie on this blog, but this is our anniversary month .. 12 years!, so I will indulge.)
If you are interested in learning how to crochet, the creator of the lovely blog, Dana Beach at Crafty Minx, has been posting an excellent series of lessons! I’ve watched them for fun and have picked up a few tips that I didn’t know. I highly recommend taking a look. Now, if only this existed when I was 8!
Also wearing: Mohair Cape is vintage from Scotland, Jeans are Levi’s.
