Crochet

"The life so short, the craft so long to learn..."

Chaucer wasn't thinking about crochet when he wrote that line, but doesn't it apply to everything we try to master? I can't take credit for making the doilies in this picture-- I bought them for a few dollars at thrift stores. Doilies are useless, but still pretty. I get them out now and then and wonder about all the ladies who did this exquisite work, only to have it thrown in the Goodwill bin. Our grandma's homes used to be full of lacy doilies.

I like to crochet, but I'm not very good at it. I don't especially like following exact directions, so this makes things like crocheting and baking harder and more frustrating than it needs to be. I make loopy Afghans that aren't quite square, thick scarves, pillow covers and baby hats. Crocheting is the perfect activity for a droning TV football game. I can keep John company, and when something happens (which isn't too often) I can glance up and watch the replay.

When I was getting started, I wasted money on crochet pattern books and later found some of the best instruction was free on the Internet. For example, there are hundreds of "how-to" videos on U-Tube. And I especially liked the free crochet and knitting stuff on Bevscountrycottage.com where I found a truly easy pattern for Nova's orange baby hat.