My 20ish year painful struggle to learn to crochet and how I hope to be one of the few people on Earth that can knit AND crochet!
I can't tell you how many people have seen me knitting and exclaimed how it's always something they've wanted to learn but can't seem to grasp the concept of having to use two needles at the same time while wrestling with yarn and the correct tension. They usually proceed to tell me that they can only crochet, which then leads me to explain how I can't crochet to save my life.
Every time I see adorable crochet patterns I think to myself, "how can this be so difficult? one hook and that's all!" After all I've used regular knitting needles, circular needles, double pointed needles (you use 4 needles at the same time!), and I've even made a blanket using my arms as needles! Despite this level of knitting skill, crochet has always alluded me ever since the day I was shown a hook.
My grandmother gave me a crochet hook and taught me how to do a single chain just before she passed away years ago. I remember being so proud of those little single chains I'd make up and then unravel for fun. However, I never made it past that single chain.
One summer during high school I decided to take up knitting and absolutely loved it! All I had was a learn to knit kit from Michaels and maybe a couple Youtube videos. Before I knew it I had a scarf to show off and from there I began knitting up different types of items: a bikini, scarves, socks, hats, baby booties, a sweater, a cardigan, baby blankets, face scrubbies, washcloths, and probably more that I don't remember.
I decided to give crocheting another go the day before our scheduled c-section for our second daughter a few weeks ago. I guess the nesting instinct took over in a bizarre way and I found myself becoming very frustrated watching Youtube videos on the slowest speed possible to try and understand what they were showing. My goal was to crochet the face scrubbies that I sell in my online store because I was (and still am) convinced I can crochet multiple in an hour vs. knitting one per hour! After hours of frustration being taken out on every living thing and object within my reach I finally realized my struggle was futile at this point. The tension was all wrong, the slip knot kept falling off the hook, I lost count of the stitches so many times, and the videos claim that this was an easy pattern were all lies! Finally I decided that stepping on a lego was less painful and stressful than trying to figure out how to crochet a "simple" project. I carefully stored away the hook and yarn that I had just bought and made my peace with the fact that this new learning adventure would have to come after the arrival of our new baby. With that said, I think I'll start with something that really is easy, like a baby blanket, especially since the recipient won't care if there are imperfections!
Eventually I expect to master this skill, but for now I'll have to deal with treading through the stitches and annoyingly slow Youtube videos as a parent treads through a minefield of legos scattered on the playroom floor.