It's Calling Me. . . .

I’ve had this strange calling over the last few weeks, and it’s not my knitting needles. It’s my crochet hook.

I picked up the crochet hook years ago. I worked in an office where a secretary avidly crocheted. At night, she sat in front of the TV making granny squares. When someone had an event, such as a baby shower, she would sew the squares together to make a blanket. I really liked the idea of being able to throw together a homemade gift.

I took crochet classes at Michael’s, and later I took a few private lessons with the instructor. After a few lessons, the instructor stopped returning my calls, and I lost her address. I feel a little guilty because I still have some of the crochet square samples and a book that she loaned me.

Despite the lessons, I never really took to crochet. Granny squares in dark, bland colors just weren’t that exciting. I never have been a big afghan fan (I sleep with comforters). Lace doilies also didn’t interest me. I crocheted a few baby blankets for friends, but that’s about it.

Then came Ravelry. I started looking through the patterns available and realized that many of the patterns I admired were crochet. For example, I found a great little Christmas tree ornament in the shape of a Christmas tree. Being Jewish, we don’t celebrate Christmas in our house, but what a great gift for friends! Recently, I saw a pattern for a children's rug in the shape of 4 crayons. It was all I could do not to run out of the house to buy the yarn.

The final straw is the clown my grandmother made for me years ago. I absolutely adore him even though he’s in desperate need of repair. I took him to a knitting group to find out how he was made. An experienced knitter explained the pattern to me after looking at him for two minutes. Of course, it is a crochet pattern.

Crochet seems to be an art form on the rise. It is no longer restricted to granny squares and dark afghans. I am excited by the patterns I see on Ravelry and by the artistic windows crochet opens.

Having resisted my impulse for weeks, I finally grabbed some yarn, a hook and crocheted a doll leg. (I was going to show you a picture, but the leg sitting alone looked obscene.) I also am ordering a book of crocheted yarmulke patterns to make gifts for various family members during the holidays.

At the risk of sounding trite, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.