Creation

A friend texted me a couple weeks ago on a Saturday morning, saying, "I want to give you a bunch of yarn. Can I bring it tomorrow?" That inspired me to head straight to Michaels to buy more yarn. It's like a disease. What you see above is a blanket (the fruit of Michaels, almost done now) and flowers that will become a scarf.

I haven't been crocheting much lately, but I'm all the more thankful for the creative outlet it provides when I am able to find some time to do so. It's funny... who would have thought that a centuries old craft would unlock my 21st century creative streak?

I took the Strong Interest Inventory, a commonly-used "test" to help people choose careers, in grad school last week, and my primary interest type was "Artistic*." I smile as I type that, because I'd never been able to own my creative side. Until now.

*In case you're wondering, my other two types were "Social" and "Enterprising," types I've been owning all too well for years.

Blanket

Why is it that I get inspired to crochet as the weather warms? Perhaps it's something about the rebirth of spring inspiring creativity. Whatever the case, the advent of warm weather has led me to start work on a very warm blanket. I was initially inspired by all the rippling happening on CrochetMe and other sites.


The intent of that whole endeavor was to clean out one's yarn stash. I bought a bunch of yarn. Oops. But I love it. It's Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Chunky (read "washable") and in all the colors I've been wanting to use for a blanket.

It's wider than I intended, as wide as a double bed (on which it is pictured, as have been many of my crochet projects). But that's OK... it will end up taking me 14 balls of yarn when I'm all done, and should be amazingly warm.. perfect for snuggling under once the weather turns cool again. For now, I'll enjoy the fact that it's just a little too warm on my lap as I work on it.

Granny

With apologies to Kim, I confess that this weekend I have fallen in love with the granny square.

I've been crocheting for 15 months, and these are my first squares. I bought the yarn to make a poncho for Mom, but lots of unsuccessful swatching convinced me it was too scratchy for her.



At some stage, I got the inspiration to make a blanket, inspried by the "Modern Afghan" pattern in Erika Knight's Simple Crochet book to think that granny squares can be modern, sophisticated, retro-in-a-good-way, and chic.



I'm not sure if I've achieved any of those things, but I still love these squares. I love the colors, I love how quick they are to finish, I love the soft look of them. But I also feel like I need to apologize for them. I told a friend today, "I don't usually go in for the more traditional crochet, but I think these colors are beautiful together and it's a modern take on the classic pattern." Maybe it is. And maybe it's just an aspect of the craft that has been passed down through generations and it is what it is. It's beautiful because of it's tradition.

My grandmother tried to teach me to crochet when I was nine. I'd learned to knit around that time (it didn't stick), but crochet was difficult for my brain to grasp, especially after my fingers had just memorized the motions required to knit. Now, years after my grandmother's passing, as I've picked up crochet, I feel a connection with her in it. I don't remember if my grandmother made granny squares, but I think of her when I do. I think of the unborn baby girl who will likely receive the blanket they'll make.

I'm reminded of the beautiful women around my life as I crochet the traditional granny squares for this classic afghan as I travel around New York City. Perhaps being on the cutting edge is overrated. I'd much rather just create something beautiful.