Well I am well and truly hooked on crochet. Don’t get me wrong, I still love sewing, but crochet is still at the learning stage so is just for me rather than for my shop. At the beginner’s crochet 2 hour course at ‘Wool’ in Bath (run for Bath WI) I learnt:
- a slip knot (to get started)
- chain stitch
- slip stitch
- treble crochet
The granny squares started improving and I felt I was ready to buy some more expensive yarn (although still not very expensive) and to treat myself to a couple of books to learn some more stitches:

Now I also know:
- double crochet
- double treble crochet
I have moved on from the standard granny square to the daffodil square; have decided it is too heavy with only the border in white, so will make the centres in white too. One day it will be a blanket, sitting on our bed. My hope is that the more I do, the tidier it will get…at the moment it still needs work!
A couple of years back my sister gave me a book on making flowers, and now I think I may stand a chance of making something that resembles the photos in the book.

My first attempts are not quite right – I need to count better and I am sure I am not making my slip stitches in quite the right place, but this week I have a dear friend visiting and she is a very talented crochetist and I will take every opportunity to make the most of her expertise while she is here…and will pay her in lavender scented shortbread!


I am also experimenting with different styles of crochet hook…the steel one is ok, but sometimes my fingers ache (think I am too tense), so I got some acrylic ones (ok, I admit it, I liked the rainbow colours) and managed to snap the one I was using (but I didn’t like the way it kind of squeaked against the yarn anyway), so I will try bamboo and one of the Clover softgrip ones. Yes, a bad workman blames his tools, but there’s no harm in finding the most comfortable style to use! What do crocheters out there recommend?
…in a hurry (to the airport!), but let me just say; Clover soft grips! You will never look back. I have just ordered the new colourful version Clover Amour crochet hooks from Amazon and am eagerly waiting for them.
I have now tried mine and like them very much.
I’m using a Clover soft grip to learn, I’m fine with the hook, it’s the yarn in the left hand thing that’s causing me grief!
I don’t knit, so crochet doesn’t feel unnatural to me.
hi sue! thank you for the sweet offer re the cake! have fun with crochet, there are so many beautiful yarns available now!
Thanks Lori!