Granny square happiness!

One day I decided to learn how to make a granny square. Well, I should say relearn, because I made a Christmas granny square throw for my great-grandma when I was about 10 years old. She displayed it on her living room hassock every December, and her praise for my work made me feel so special.

Fast forward 30 years, and here I am, getting back to my crafty roots. After a few months of following patterns and watching online tutorials, I decided to design my own granny square bag. I started with this:

Inspired, I grabbed some complementary colors and got to work!

Before I knew it, I had all of these. I had to find a way to put them together, so I threaded my neutral-colored yarn into an embroidery needle and used what I hoped was a basting stitch to turn a pile of little squares into the front of a bag.

With the front and back sewn together, I realized that I needed some sides. What to do? I finally went with a double crochet to make two long panels.

Then I attached the sides...

And realized I needed a bottom! Quickly I double crocheted a brown bottom and sewed it in! I discovered that creating a three-dimensional bag requires a fair amount of geometry, a weak subject for me. But somehow I managed, and the math worked!

Wow! A little more work, and I ended up with this:

I also made straps with long strips of double crochet panels much like the side panels. I encountered some problems with these, so I won't be sharing the final pics here.

There it is. My first design! I am thrilled beyond belief! My first success so inspired me that I have been designing and creating every day. I never realized how much joy and calm there is in crocheting and making something new.

My first trip to a real yarn shop!

My transformation into yarn addict is complete. I visited our local yarn shop, Stitch Your Art Out. It was absolute yarn eye candy. Everywhere. I could have died.

There's the sign! It seemed to beckon us inside, where we could browse the yarn in the warm cozy interior, sheltered from the bitter winter cold.

If my Pinterest adventures have taught me anything, it is that you aren't truly initiated until you've touched craft store yarns. My goal was to hold the legendary Noro in my hands. And I did. And it was GOOD.

There was more! Walls of yarn, as far as the eye could see! My daughter was so inspired she ran around taking pictures, going on and on about the things she would make (once she actually mastered crocheting, which is an ongoing struggle).

After much deliberation, I finally settled on 4 skeins of yarn - two of the planned Noro and two skeins of something I'd never heard of - Berroco Comfort Yarn. I was pleasantly surprised by its soft, smooth texture and gorgeous, vibrant colors. Now to start on my new project, these adorable owls! I thought these little guys would be a great way to stretch my fancy new yarns. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

With an important work deadline behind me, I have a few days to focus on creating pretty things. You just watch me run!

Taking time to relax, create

My daughter Genevieve recently decided to learn crocheting. Her lessons have not been going well, because I am not a good crochet teacher. It would seem that I learned it incorrectly and have been doing it wrong for decades. This weekend, while shopping, I decided to grab some crochet hooks, beautiful soft yarn (Lily Sugar 'n Cream), and a beginner's book. I started over from scratch, and I made this:

Sure, it's only a little square consisting of three simple stitches (chain stitch, single crochet, and slip stitch). But it is a start, and I hope it will inspire my daughter to try again. I forgot how relaxing and centering crocheting and creating can be! As I worked, my mind was flooded with fond memories of my childhood, when a cherished babysitter taught me how to knit and crochet. She used to make little outfits for my Barbie dolls and help me make special gifts for my family. Now I hope to do this for my little girl and create for her some special memories! So it isn't always about work. Sometimes it feels wonderful to make something out of nothing and share the beauty with the people we love most.