One of the crochet skills I have developed over the last twelve months is the skill of doing C2C crochet. (For those of you who are not in the know, that means corner to corner crochet.) With this type of crochet I create a grid pattern on graph paper of whatever design I plan to make. I then crochet tiny blocks of color, starting in one corner of the design and working diagonally across the remainder of the project.
The catch to making this work is the use of small "bobbins" of yarn which I add in each time I encounter a new color in the design. Because of the intricacies of some of my patterns I sometimes find myself working with several bobbins within a single row. The upside of this type of crochet is that I can create a blanket with almost any design I wish, as long as I can create a graph for it.
One my most difficult graphs to date was a police car blanket I created for a dear friend of mine. It was a true test of my patience and my sanity. As I worked my way across the graph I drew lines and labelled how many stitches of each color I would need in that row. Even with my careful graphing and counting, I still managed to mess up. The problem with that was that I did not catch my mistake until I was 5 or more rows PAST THE MISTAKE! This required me to pull out all of those rows and to back up to the point where the problem was.
So.... why do that? Why not just crochet a simple little blanket with straight rows of color? Surely that would be just as appreciated..... While that might be true, I enjoy the challenge of the whole thing. How much detail can I put into the graph? How far will I get before I do make the inevitable mistake? How long will it take for me to actually finish the project? Some people would definitely say that I had lost my mind, but I love to test myself and see whether I actually can complete the project.
The personal payoff for me is twofold: the personal satisfaction that I get when I actually pass the "test" that I set for myself and the joy that I see on the recipient's face when they receive the finished project. Just look at the photo below....
How could I NOT attempt something that would make someone so happy?
Pardon me now.... I have to go prepare my bobbins for this "test". I will post pictures when it is finished.
Wow! What an impressive blanket! Great job on the both the crocheting and the writing! I'm visiting as your FMF neighbor today.
ReplyDeleteChristy (christycabe.com)
stella, i love the blanket:) i like to crochet. can't get coordinated enough to knit at all! well, i shouldn't say i like to crochet...only compared to knitting. i quilt more than i crochet. i was trying to teach some grands how to crochet scarves but wasn't good enough to do it. i was disappointed. it shouldn't have been that difficult!
ReplyDeleteI'm in awe! I've seen people do some amazing things with graphs but I haven't attempted this. But oh how I know the pain of having to rip out row after row in order to make things right. Of course, I often have thoughts of,"Oh, it'll be okay, no one will notice except me." Well, that's often true but I always find that if I try to be ok with it, I rarely am and I'm grateful for the nudge to strive to make things right rather than trying to ignore mistakes. Happy crocheting. Praying peace and healing for you and your little one. May God continue to make His presence known in big and small ways so that you can more easily feel wrapped in His healing love. Visiting from FMF#43.
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