March update
Spring has definitely sprung here in Phoenix. Like many years, March roared in like the proverbial lion with chilly temperatures and intense wind gusts. One night the winds were so strong they blew over my patio chairs. With all this growth energy floating around I've been a busy little bee myself. This year I decided to re-teach myself how to crochet, knit, and sew, and I'm also picking up a couple of new skills. I've got the basics back down and have already started making practical items that I've been excited to use around the house.
Of course one of my first projects was granny squares. After the first square I quickly realized if I adjusted the pattern I could make a star, so I did. It was so cute I thought it would also make a cute washcloth so I made two more stars, one in cotton and one in wool. Both are sustainable products and the wool is already anti-microbial and anti-bacterial, and no plastic? This is a win-win!
After a few rounds of crocheting smaller projects I decided to tackle a market bag. I've always loved the look of these bags and I thought this would be another great project to practice keeping even tension with. Wow, I definitely bit off more than I could chew. I got over confident and was trying to crochet and watch YouTube at the same time and slightly bumbled the first round. After brief discussion with one of my crochet friends I decided to frog out (unravel) the entire project and start over.
It was a valuable lesson. Not only did the second bag turn out much better than the first I also learned what a meditative pastime crochet can be. The act of counting my stitches and watching to keep the tension even keeps many thoughts out of the mind.
I also started sewing again. I remember learning to hand sew at home from my mom and grandma. Little things like reattaching a button or mending a seam. In 8th grade I took a home economics class where I learned to sew on a machine, we made dish towels and aprons. Mom bought me a sewing machine when I was in my 20's but I barely used it. It's been sitting in it's original box all this time. I took it out recently and I realized 2 things. First, it's so small (a mini) that it's not going to be the most efficient or the easiest to learn on. Second, after 20+ years of sitting, a little use and no cleaning the poor thing sounds like she's not feeling well. I definitely need to learn how to clean and care for her.
After the first two or three projects on my original machine I decided to invest in a standard size. I've already made a few projects with it and wow, I'm really excited to see what I can learn this year. I've got a few photos that I'll share in an upcoming post. Join the Insiders List to get notified when there's new news!
Until the next time, bright blessings!
Christina & Raven
PS: I caught the manager sleeping on the job! The nerve! :D
