In which I learn to crochet

The women in my family are all pretty good with their hands.... no, not for giving Swedish massages. For such pastimes as knitting, cross-stitch, and quilting. I like to cross-stitch. I love to sew and do patchwork quilting. But knitting and crochet have eluded me for years.

My wonderful mum has been a knitter, and even a spinner, for many years. Ask me one day about the pet sheep we had for a few years, to supply her addiction, erm, I mean, hobby. I have lost count of the number of times that she has cast on stitches for me, and showed me the basics of knitting. Somehow I just don't get it.

Both my sisters turn out lovely jumpers for their families. I buy the pattern, order the yarn and have it home-delivered to my mother's doorstep, so that she can make me a warm winter jumper. I kid you not. She received the parcel today.

Anyway, I have been on the look-out for a project that I can do while sitting with Sweet Hubby in the evenings, or even while watching cartoons with Miss Naomi -- basically, something that I can do a bit more sociably than the sewing machine allows.

I bought yarn, and a hook. I googled 'basic crochet stitches', and I sat in front of my laptop, peering at blurry Youtube videos. And I think I have got it! This is going to be a scarf for myself - start out small, with no expectations, right?

Isn't it a sign of the times, that instead of humbly asking Mum to show me how to do a foundation row... again ... I sit by myself after the kids are in bed and stare at a computer for an hour, comparing the dodgy stitches on my hook to those on the screen.

** Update ** ... I have since pulled this section of crocheting out. There were holes all through it, from where I 'dropped' stitches, by putting the hook in the wrong place. I somehow managed to go from 25 stitches in a row, down to 14! Version 3 looks much better. Honest.