Hooked

  My friend Dana was unable to come to my annual birthday lunch. She did send along a present with someone who was able to attend. It was a crochet hook, a tapestry needle and a book on how to crochet.
  I wondered why she had done this. I was just getting into knitting. There were still so many things to learn. I hadn't even begun to scratch the surface.
  I decided to open the book and at least try. It wouldn't hurt. I learned to chain and then advanced to other stitches. It was sort of fun. I was still partial to knitting though and spent most of my time doing that.
  Then I brought up the subject of the granny square to Dana. "Those are easy," she said. "Let me show you." I didn't realize that I had started down a dangerous path. It wasn't hard, but was going to take time and concentration. As I worked on the granny square she taught me to crochet, my mind began to spin. I could make a lot of little granny square in all sorts of colours. I could crochet those squares together and make a blanket, shawl or scarf.
  A couple of weeks ago C and I took our annual trip to downtown Minneapolis. We like to stop in the Barnes and Noble store there. I decided I was going to look to see if they had any knitting books.  I didn't see any knitting books that caught my eye, but I did see something else. It was "Teach Yourself Visually Crochet". I owned the knitting version of this book and liked it a lot. It has lots of pictures in it and step by step instructions. It also has directions for projects in it. I decided to leaf though it. I had taken yet another step on dangerous ground.
  The book looked like it might be useful so I bought it. When I got it home I  looked over it some more. I didn't realize how many cool things I could crochet once I learned how. I could make different kinds of blocks. I could make balls and animal shapes and even a funny little stuffed creature.
  I also learned that I could crochet using things other than yarn. I could use cassette tape. (Does anyone remember cassette tapes?) I could use twine. (May need to wear protective gloves.) Best of all, I could use rags. Yes, the book has instructions for how to turn things like T-shirts and old sheets into "yarn" for crocheting. According to the book I can make rugs or baskets with this. My ears perked up. I like baskets and have always wanted to learn how to make them. I can use up things that I don't need anymore to make baskets that I can use. How cool is that.
  It's clear that I've found another way to indulge in my yarn addiction.  I guess this means I'm hooked. (It's a crochet joke)