Or, re-living my youth, depending on your viewpoint.
When I was in high school (nearly half a century ago!), girls were required to take Home Economics. We learned cooking, sewing, knitting, crochet, and embroidery, as well as stuff like how to set the perfect table and how to iron and do laundry. All so we could become perfect wives to the boys who were concurrently taking Shop class (learning how to maintain the home they would eventually build or buy for that perfect wife).
My, how times have changed. Now, if those courses are offered at all, both boys and girls take them.
Anyway.
Because WordPress has become more of a pain than it’s worth, what with its forced-upon-us Block Editor, and because photography isn’t exciting me much these days, due to the fact that it seems like everyone takes better pictures than me, I decided to find a new hobby. I remembered the enjoyment I had while knitting and crocheting as a young woman – one year I even crocheted tiny Christmas ornaments (trees, bells, tiny ice-skates) for everyone on my gift list, and I still have my own set of those ornaments today.
So, I decided to return to the craft.
But where were my needles and hooks? Each of my girls claimed not to have them, I couldn’t find them in any closet or in the basement – and on top of that, all my pattern books had gone missing. Possibly, I had donated everything to charity at some point when I thought I was done making sweaters and blankets. In any event, I had to replace everything.
I wanted to make afghans just like the ones I had made when I was young:
My patterns were gone, and I’m not skilled enough to create something without a pattern.
Luckily, I found a free pattern online for the woven plaid afghan. I’ll probably have to pay to replace my long-lost cable-knit afghan pattern with something similar, but that will be a ways off, after I’ve remastered crocheting. I purchased a basic learn-to-crochet book to refresh my skills.
Now, I just needed yarn.
My, how prices have risen over the years! And it’s not easy to find yarn locally; Walmart carries it, but the selection is limited. I wound up paying more than I wanted, but Amazon had some very nice yarn in as many colors as I could possibly ever want.
The first afghan will be two shades of blue mixed with off-white:
Apparently, crocheting is like riding a bike – once you learn, it’s always with you. Taking up the hook again turned out to be extremely easy. Once the mesh is completed, I will weave thread through those links to make a plaid. I think it’s going to be awesome.
Eventually, I’ll graduate back to knitting so I can make another cable afghan like the one pictured. It’s my favorite – so warm, and so beautiful. I’d love to make one for each of my daughters.
Now, I need a rocking chair to complete the image. I don’t have a rocking chair, but I do have a very comfy Big & Tall leather desk chair, and I ordered a tiny footstool so I can rest my feet while acting all old lady-ish.
Not that I really want to turn into an old lady, but until the pandemic ends (had my first vaccination shot, getting the second in April), and the weather warms, I’m not overly motivated to get outside and walk off some of those extra years.
Maybe next week …
Happy Spring, everyone.
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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Facebook or Twitter pages, or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio
Cordelia's Mom, Still 
Over the years, I’ve done my share of crochet and knitting – more knitting than crochet – and then move on to some other hobby, usually involving painting with one medium or another. Two years ago I spent my evening knitting scarves, which I donated to the Salvation Army. A year and a half ago, weaving caught my eye, so now that’s what I do. But I really need to find an outlet for what I’m producing because one can only use so many woven items. I do love the creativity of it.
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There’s a local group here who knits and crochets blankets and then donates them to chemotherapy patients (because the drugs often cause chills). Whenever I go for my Remicade infusion, I’m always given a nice afghan to cover myself, and they are so comfy. After treatment, each afghan is sent out for laundering so it will be ready for the next patient.
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I’ve been thinking I need to look into that kind of thing but haven’t done it yet.
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It never hurts to reacquaint yourself with old skills when time and circumstances allow you to embrace them. Your work looks great so far!
If I were to identify as anything due to my craftiness, I would be an old spinster lady…
I knit and hand spin my own yarns on spinning wheels and occasionally with a drop spindle, I crochet now and then, do cross stitch when I can remember my project and know how to tat with a shuttle if asked… I have done some weaving in my time and just decided it wasn’t my thing, same with regular embroidery and a few other crafts I tried and abandoned as “not my thing”.
Knitting and spinning are my main crafts these days and they are keeping me sane during Covid for sure!!!
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Such pioneer skills may serve us well someday, right? I used to love doing embroidery, and I was pretty good at it, but right now I have no desire to take it up again. I’ve never, ever spun my own yarn, done weaving, or tatting. I admire anyone who can do that.
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Remember, when you get back to knitting, LadyRyl and GrammaLadybug are available for consultation if you have problems/questions. 🙂
Son, Shimoniac insisted on enrolling in Home Ec. in high school, but that was a mere 30 years ago. He showed the teacher how to correctly debone a chicken breast, saving 25% of the meat. like his momma taught him. The boy does know about food. 😳
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I always thought it was a good idea for boys and girls to take both classes. Best to know as much as possible about as much as possible. I think I’ll be ok when I return to knitting as I was quite good at it before, but I’ll keep in mind that LadyRyl and GrammaLadybug are available and willing to help, and I appreciate that greatly.
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Crafts are wonderful outlets for our creative energy.
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Yes, they are. As is music – hubby took up guitar playing again.
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Beautiful work. I crochet and knit but have taken mostly to knitting in the last few years. Oh and I also hate the block editor. I have complained numerous times but oh well. I am still with WordPress.
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Thanks for the compliment on the yarn work. As for the block editor – while I still dislike it, I found today that it seemed a little easier. Guess I’m getting used to it.
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