Back to Clue #1

My yarn came in on Friday, yay! 

Brick Brown, Classic Blue, Butter, Aqua Frost, Greek Sea

Clue 2
Left: wrong side, Right: right side

Rather than start in with the new colours and finish clue 1 right away though, I opted to finish clue 2; I'd finished my first square on Thursday, and was already partway through the second. I'm now happy to say I'm completely done clue 2! 

Second part of Clue 1

Then, Sunday, with my mom's help I rolled my first skein of Greek Sea (contrast C) into a ball, and started back in on clue 1. Here's the first of four completed squares. 
I really like these colours together (Classic Navy and Greek Sea). 
I'll start on the second square today, and if I can have all four done by Thursday, I'll be on track with the clues; 2 clues in 2 weeks. 


I've also added a little bit to the title of the blog, since I've now decided to learn how to crochet. I bought a 6 pack of Boye crochet hooks (sizes E-J), and tried it on Friday... to unsatisfactory results. I found my biggest problem (among others) was knowing where to put the stitches in a pattern. Sometimes, like when they say "in the third chain from the hook" was fine, but others I ended up lost. Most of the videos I saw on youtube were either too small, too fast, or spent too much time on things like crocheting in a hole (which I found superbly easy to understand). After many frogged attempts at flowers and bracelets, I went back to my knitting for the night. 
On Saturday, I returned to the crochet hook with a new tool on my side; the Bernat forums. Before I went to sleep on Friday night, I found a thread on there called 'Learn to Crochet' and found a beginner dishcloth pattern and videos specifically for that project. The videos were easy to see and follow, not too fast, and overall incredibly helpful! The forum also had questions from other new crocheters, and I know if needed, I can ask for help there. 

My first crocheted project!

Now, I haven't finished the dishcloth, and I don't think I actually will. While working on it, I got much better and faster at crocheting, and figured out the difference between sc (single crochet) in another sc, and sc in the hole beside an sc. I'm still not sure though about the first stitch when you flip your work over... my edges go in (and occasionally out) as it goes on because I'm not sure how to see where the first sc is. Once I figure that last part out, I'll frog my current progress and redo the dishcloth! Then I'll have a whole little set (3) of dishcloths all made in Bernat Handicrafter Potpourri Ombre yarn. 
I'm nowhere near being anything beyond a beginner in crochet, and many "beginner" crochet patterns confuse me, but I'll keep at it, as there's a particularly cute/fast pattern I'd like to make for myself, my mom and my grandmother when I get better at it.


Anyways, time to start my 6/8 square for clue 1, and think about working on the crocheted coaster I've been asked to do!


Things I learned:

• how to single crochet
• how to double crochet
• to see the difference between where to put the hook if a stitch is made in a sc or the hole beside a sc
• how to hold the yarn when crocheting that works for me (I think)
• how to join a chain with a slip stitch to make a circle in crochet 
• how to crochet in the circle
• how to make a slip stitch in crochet
• the awesomeness of Ravelry