i have been really into making things the past couple years. now, i haven't been someone who has been super talented in crafting my whole life. no, no, no! i had 3 different people try to teach me how to crochet when i was a kid to no avail! i am a leftie, and they were all righties, so it just never clicked more than being able to make a simple long chain.
fast forward to just a couple years ago. my sister had recently learned how to knit. i was actually there when she first learned, but i didn't have interest in learning for myself. i think i was probably discouraged from the fact that i could never learn how to crochet, so i didn't even have interest in trying.
but about a year after my sister learned, i went to her and asked her if she would try to teach me how to make a very simple scarf. even though she is right-handed, somehow she just knew how to teach me how to do it and it did click for me! i successfully made a few scarves and was having so much fun doing it.
the following year a friend told me that she learned to crochet a hat by watching a you tube video. i thought that sounded completely crazy! she told me i should try it, but since people couldn't even teach me in person i wasn't sure how it would work to just watch a video on the internet. the more i thought about it, the more curious i became as to whether it would work for me or not. i finally took the plunge and started searching for online videos to teach me how to crochet. i didn't know a thing, so i had to watch and learn everything from the simplest first step, but in the end i successfully crocheted my first hat! a video or two (or ten) were able to teach me what no one could teach me in person in the past.
we didn't have very much money for christmas gifts that year, and my family always does a big gift exchange, so i started feverishly trying to learn how to make more and more. i decided to try to do a homemade christmas. i wasn't the fastest crocheter, and probably had bad technique as well, but i did it! i was able to give everyone gifts i had made.
i cannot believe how quickly i learned as an adult when it so difficult as a child... i really have to credit it to my sister teaching me how to knit because i think it made even crocheting make more sense. very soon after learning how to do a simple hat, i started making up my own patterns and making things i just thought of in my head like coffee mug sleeves, leg warmers, gloves, and iphone covers.
however the love of knitting - the craft that i was interested in first - never went away though most people can crochet so much faster and easier. so i have slowly plugged away at teaching myself new stitches in knitting and trying to learn how to read a pattern.
just recently i decided, since i have enough time til our new baby is born to do something slowly, to knit a more complex hat for our little one. i looked for a pattern idea on ravelry and went to michael's to get the right size needles to do the job.
*money saving tip - don't ever buy anything at michael's without a coupon. you can print them online or they also have an app for the iphone that they will just scan the coupon directly from your phone. brilliant!
so, here is the little aviator hat that i knit for my new baby. it is by far the most difficult thing i have ever knit and i had quite a bit of frustration trying to figure out how to even read the pattern and look up what they different stitches were that the gal was referring to in it. but it worked! and it is cute! i am starting to feel like a legit knitter!
sorry for the low quality pics - i just took them quickly with photo booth on my computer so i could post them on facebook as soon as it was finished. oh, and sorry for the deformed looking baby doll! ha! i have no idea where this baby's clothes are and he really doesn't look that funny, it was just the way i was holding him up for the camera.
the moral of the story: it is never too late to learn something that you don't know how to do! even if you failed at learning it before, maybe if you try now it will click. it happened for me. i teach piano and have had students from 5 to 75... and usually my adult students are my most disciplined and make progress the quickest. it is so silly to think that we are only able to learn well when we are young though i admit i have thought the same thing about myself.
if there is a desire on your heart that you have never explored, maybe today is the day. you will never know what you can do until you try!
go try something new!
still counting gifts to 1000...
493 - 509:
493. money He provided to pay the bills... yet again.
494. our internet is working better!
495. sweet friends who surprised me with my favorite chocolate and tea for heart day.
496. 12 jars of blessings from a dear friend - encouragement right when i needed it.
497. a great worship set - the Holy Spirit stirred my heart once again towards falling more in love with my Jesus.
498. the warmth of my comfy bed.
499. laughing and laughing with bill.
500. walking with my kids and hubby while they ride bikes on the river trail and enjoying the nice weather.
501. the cute little strut of my 18 month old simeon was he walks across the sun dial bridge feeling like a big boy.
502. watching david dance his heart out like no one else was in the room during our family worship time.
503. late night talks and asking questions... still getting to know my husband better as we approach completing ten years of marriage.
504. all three of my older boys earning a dollar a piece for reciting psalm 3 to my mom. i love that they are hiding His Word in their hearts.
505. hearing some good doctors' reports for a couple different people i have even praying for these past couple weeks.
506. the opportunity to give our tithe to the Lord and the reminder of how much He has provided for us every step of the way.
507. the way simeon plays with my hair as he sucks his thumb and cuddles.
508. a new tiny grey wool hat that i knit for our new little one in the belly.
509. a little more drizzles of rain today - we need it. i love that God is watering our earth, but also love that it hasn't been solid rain either.
i am linked up at a holy experience.
if you have a blog, let me know if you have a list of your grace gifts so i can visit! if you don't, write something you are thankful for in the comment section. i love hearing from you!
charis
