in large part thanks to this group. :-)
I learned knitting, crocheting, and embroidery from my beloved Grandmama when I was about 8-12 years old. I liked embroidery the best and have never stopped doing it. I didn't take so well to knitting and soon gave-up with that handcraft. I stuck with crochet until I was about 14 or so and then gave up.
I recently realized that my problem with crochet is that I find the abbreviated instructions too hard to follow. Things like "sc 2" just make my eyes glaze over! I think it's no accident that I learned from Grandmama *showing* me how to do rather than from magazines, etc. I find the Readers Digest Guide to Needlework invaluable because of the excellent diagrams. In other words, I look at the purty pissurs! :-)
I was very relieved when I read here that a *lot* of crafters find the abbreviated instructions to be confusing and like to write them out. I'd thought I was some sort of "crochet retard" chick. :-(
I still like free-form crochet the best but I've always loved crocheted lace so I might give that a try over the summer. I finished crocheting a second bowl (like the one in my previous post) last night but haven't felted it yet or figured-out how I want to embellish it. Both bowls are done in variegated dark pink, rose and cream yarn but the larger one has some rows worked in a solid dark pink yarn as well.
Erin