Crochet

Filatura di Crosa, Cambridge. Do you have any? Shade 4 Lot 20.

No. She took my number down and promised to get her manager to look in the store room and call me back by Friday. Bugger. If i'd have known that this crochetting business was going to be so much of a hassle I may not have taken it up. In Sydney, JPB took the wool label to the Tapestry shop on York Street to no avail. At the very least down here at the Tasmanian Woollen Co they have it albeit in a different colour. Finally I might be able to get my green scarf finished.

She joked about the "manly pursuit of crochetting" and, considering I already belong to an exclusive group of enlightened males, those kind of comment even meant in a negative way rolls off me like water off a duck's back. But then she goes on to tell me that knitting was started by men anyway, sailors stuck below deck needing warm clothing and something to pass the time. Seems reasonable, really - men are always at the forefront. Knitting and crochetting is basically glorified knot-tying and it is the most red-blooded of men that are good at that, especially the sailing types that like to make knots in their ropes.

So everyone stop knocking me when I get excited about wool stores. Its so appropriate that I'm staying in an old converted woolstore.

Tags: Crochet

A couple of doors down, TG was teaching SP. Across the lawn YB, having already sent E on her way, was busy learning how to play her harmonica. There was a spare hook and ball of wool lying around so I snatched them up and had a go. I had learnt how to do it years ago and after going through a quick refresher course, I was on my way.

First a loop. Then hook and pull. Hook and pull...

And from that first starting chain I began to crochet, though quite clumsily. Wasn't too sure what I was going to make, I just wanted to get the hang of it. Its funny how a relatively simple procedure can be so mesmerising: insert, hook and pull... but with one dancer in my room utilising the in-room broadband on my computer and random people still hanging around from the barbecue just outside my open door, the sound of harmonicas and televisions I was intensely focused on the task. My hands were hurting because I was still trying to get a grip on the technique and holding alot of tension in my fingers. But soon I had a few lines of crochet, neat and tidy. It was time to work out what I was actually doing. The starting chain wasn't very long but, with time, I could have made an thin scarf. But the wool wasn't mine and, besides, I don't think I'd have the patience. YB suggested I make an iPod sock; all I had to do was crochet a shorter rectangle and stitch them together. And so it became an iPod sock. The second rectangle ended up being a bit wonky but, oh well, not a bad start...

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