Upon the suggestion from a good friend, I'm going to post how I got started doing anything I do. She thought it might be nice to share it.
First came knitting. I originally started way back when I wanted to quit smoking...I needed something to keep my hands busy. So I bought "I taught myself to knit" at Walmart and went to it. It worked...I quit 6 years ago and finished my first blanket...it was huge and I had pieced the whole thing together...I didn't pay attention to dye lots or anything like that so the thing is rather strange but again, it's huge and holds sentimental value b/c it was the very first. I still have the blanket sitting in the closet. Didn't do much knitting for a long time after that. I didn't know how to purl and I didn't know how to follow a pattern. So I just kind of stopped.
Next I taught myself to crochet. This went on for some time although I still didn't know how to follow a pattern. I made several baby blankets and each got better than the last. Did probably 10 baby blankets and then stopped crocheting.
Then came sewing. Never had sewn more than a button until about 5 years ago. I got a sewing machine for Christmas. My first project was a memory quilt for my sister's wedding shower. I got out some old pictures and made some other things to add to the quilt like "The Log" (you just had to be there and no I'm not talking about poo). I was just kind of winging it since I had nobody to teach me how to use this machine Santa had brought me. Somehow I got this quilt together and since I'm a rather large perfectionist I had to come up with a way to fix anything that wasn't perfect. So ribbon was sewed on and worked 'ok'. That was 4 1/2 years ago. I've sewed some over the years...when friends/sisters had babies. I was flattered last year when a friend who liked the two blankets I made for her girls asked me to sew a blanket for a friend of hers. With every blanket I learn something new about my sewing machine or another way to use it or stitch with it. Every blanket gets a little easier and quicker. Recipients seem to like the blankets so I
think I'm doing an 'ok' job with them. I just keep trying to improve!
A few months ago I found a group of ladies that knit/crochet/bead...just about everything! Love the group and look forward to it every single week. It was a few months ago that I attempted my first baby hat. It didn't turn out great but I can see vast improvement with each hat I make now. I've learned abbreviations and basically the "right" way to knit. I had no clue that way back when I wasn't even doing it right! I can now follow many patterns and have a group of ladies that I can ask if I get stuck. Each hat looks better and better!
So, that in a nutshell is how I started doing everything I do. Nobody has taught me how to do these things which is why they are not perfect or perhaps not the most precise. I try my hardest though and hopefully people really are enjoying when I make these for them and not feeding me a line of bull! :)
Working right now on more of an actual quilted blanket. We shall see how it goes...will post when it is complete.
