A tangled web we weave...sort of....

Since we're currently immersed in my least favorite season, "Chilly and Dark", it seemed like a good idea to use the extra hours stuck inside to start pondering one of my...well, let's not call them Resolutions, because that implies too much commitment. So, Potential Action Items?...nah, too corporate. Self-Improvement Goals? Maybe...eh, let's just go with "stuff I want to try this year, which may or may not work out, and that's totally fine, so no pressure or judgment"...which is a terrible title, but sums it up nevertheless.

First stab, so to speak

Anyway, as I was saying before I hijacked my own train of thought, I wanted to explore some kind of hobby to occupy the longer evenings at my disposal, since all of the activities I normally like to engage in happen outside. One thing I kept coming back to was knitting, but I've never had any interest in learning this skill, primarily because you have to, you know, MAKE things like sweaters or blankets or whatnot, which doesn't really appeal to me. But then...the universe intervened...or at least the Internet. You see, an author I follow on social media started posting all of these cute projects she'd created...with crochet. First, adorable hats and scarves (which still doesn't resonate with me, since I don't wear either of them), and then even more precious wee stuffed dolls and such...until poof, she thoroughly snagged my attention with her rendition of...Baby Yoda.

Even though I still couldn't quite envision what my purpose was going to be for applying this technique, I was ready to give it a shot. (It did occur to me that perhaps I could make little beanies for newborns, and donate them to local hospitals...which actually fulfills a couple of items on my List, so...we shall see...) The next step, at least in my case, was to find and sign up for a workshop of some kind, to get the basics actually shown to me by a live person, in an interactive format. (I'm not sure if it's due to my age or just my personality, but I'm not someone who prefers watching tutorial videos online. Sure, I'll look up stuff if I need to problem-solve or whatever, but not to master something for the first time. For that, I like my instruction to be hands-on...ha! Sorry...)

It turns out that Michael's offers such sessions (no big surprise), so even though the nearest one was in the capital, I considered that "close enough for jazz". (As Husband always says, probably based on the Van Morrison song...which yes, I DID just have to look up. The things you never thought to question about someone you've known for 25 years...until you use them in a blogpost. Sheesh!) Thus I registered for the class, and dutifully purchased my recommended supplies. (Yay! Bonus field trip to craft heaven!)

Playing around at home

On the day of the big event, I headed over to the neighborhood (that would be Northwest Raleigh, for those curious) a bit early to scope it out, since it was new territory for me. And I discovered that Brier Creek is the most fabulous shopping center that I never knew about, just over 30 minutes away--and filed that for future reference. (See? Even more knowledge gained. I'm telling ya, it was an educational day, y'all!) When I showed up at the designated time, there was only one other student, which made for a cozy group. This ended up being super-helpful, since I had an inordinate amount of difficulty grasping the very first stitch the teacher showed us!

Seriously, for about a half-hour, I was frustrated enough to wonder if this was even worth it, if I simply lacked the aptitude to pick it up, if I should quit, excuse myself, and slink out in disgrace. (In such an up-close-and-personal setup this obviously would have been difficult to do without making a scene, but it's a testament to how annoyed I was that I considered it.) Fortunately, it eventually did click, and I was at least able to string together a series of the most basic stitches. Whoo hoo!

I mean, I'm not saying they were particularly pretty, or demonstrated flawless execution, or anything, but let's be honest: the bar was verrrry low at this point in the game. From there (after I think both the instructor and I breathed a shared sigh of relief) we moved on to single crochet and double crochet, both of which I was able to accomplish (again, at the Pass/Fail level) with supervision. (See photo above for the finished...product? I TOLD you it's not that attractive...or neat...or on its way to being much of anything at all. This is one of those times we must remember: baby steps, my friends...)

Making great chains! And nothing else yet...

Regardless of how hard I'd had to labor to wrangle my yarn into that one small accomplishment, when the 2 hours were up I left with a sense of pride and yes, excitement to practice, improve, and create something recognizable and even--dare I hope--useful. Therefore it felt like a success that I could build on by working on it in my free time, which was the original intent, right? So, in order to try and cement some of the lesson in my brain and fingers, I went home and attempted to replicate what I'd been taught...with mixed results. Clearly I proved I can whip off chains of those first building block stitches...which can't actually become anything without the other 2 more advanced add-ons...that I was unable to demonstrate on my own.

Siiighhh...but honestly, that's kind of what I expected. I imagined I'd have to seek out other resources to continue to progress, because let's face it, a couple of hours one time isn't likely to be enough to just run with a new skill...unless you're some kind of prodigy, which we've already established that I'm most definitely NOT. But having completed this introductory step, I now have other options available to me, such as the aforementioned YouTube, but also playdates with pals who also partake in the yarn arts, and local meetups with other crochet groups--all of which might be able to show me again how to do those pesky stitches I'm struggling with, and nudge me along when I inevitably get stuck.

So, yeah...in terms of how this fits into the Big Picture for 2020...let's say, at the moment I foresee an undetermined end...and a winding path...and no expectations about the outcome, but just enjoyment of the journey. Yep, sounds about right for the new year--okay, let's do this thing!