Glastonbury Festival!

I have just come back from Glastonbury Festival! Absolutely brilliant I must say! I've watched the festival many times on the television, but the atmosphere isn't quite replicated the same as when you are there in the flesh. I wasn't sure if it would be my type of thing, but I found out.. that it is. 


I started off the day seeing Stornoway, which is an upcoming folk influenced band that I would be happy to hear more of!
Next I tried to see Bruce Forsyth - haha no luck... He sounded like good fun though!
I got a great place though seeing Of Monsters and Men!
And finished the evening with some jigging with Seth Lakeman, and singing with the headline act, Mumford & Sons.


What does this have to do with crochet?
Well, I made a top! 
As part of  the Glastonbury spirit, I felt it was the occasion, and also a reason to complete a project that needed completing.

It's a really basic top and I'm going to make further embellishments. I'll give this top a proper explanation in the future, but for now here is a picture!

Keep Crocheting!

Start off Simple

To anyone who is looking into crocheting, when you start learning more than just a chain, its good to start off doing something that is square. I don't mean literally, but things such as headbands and scarves are great as its a case of getting that initial foundation sorted, and the rest is easy.

Just a reminder from my previous post, here is the image that shows my ambitions to make a scarf. At first the changeable edges had something going for it, but as it went on it slowly got thinner and thinner... and made less sense as a scarf.

The reason I failed is because I didn't count! In the video from my previous post, the lady talks about counting your stitches, but I didn't take notice and for some time struggled with why I couldn't get it right.

When I look back at this photo, I realise how disorganised my stitches are, and there was no hope really! At the time, no one knew of my crazy hobby and I wanted to surprise them with it. By fate my niece was to turn 1 and I was desperate to show off my skills (that I didn't quite have yet).

For me, at that point, I need that motivation to give me a reason to make something. I practised and practised... and YES! A simple headband on its way!












....I did need help from my mum, though.

Let's talk Slipknot, but not the band...

I remember being taught them back when I was at guides, I have a badge to show it, but actually I remember nothing about them...

Their role in crocheting is the starting point. It's a simple loop knot which is adjustable, and pretty hard to get wrong.

• Take 10cm of wool 
• Wrap it round your finger
• Feed the wool through the circle you have just created
• Don't feed all of the wool through.. This will just create a normal knot
• Insert the crochet hook and use the end to tighten into a Slipknot...

It's quite difficult to explain,  easier done than said.. 
So here is a video instead! 

Actually this video is great because it shows you how to hold your crochet hook - which for people who knit it is very strange - but if you started out brand new like me it wasn't so bad at all! But you have to remember that the purpose of the left hand is to create the tension of the stitch - this is the part that takes loads of practice...

You can also use this video to learn to Chain and create a Single Crochet Stitch. 
When I first started I really didn't do very well... and it's quite hard when adding an extra row, to get that right too. I have photos to prove it!

This image on the right, believe or not was never meant to be this shape! As I was crocheting I was giving my made up creation different purposes as I went along. That's the beauty of crochet, to have the option to "kind of" make it up.I think I settled with finger glove, but there were ruder suggestions made!


To the left is my second attempt - trying to keep those edges in line is so difficult. You just have to keep practising! It's easy for me to say now I've got past this stage, and at the time it was a bit of a joke because I wasn't a natural.

Apologies for the a long, detailed post, but these aspects really are needed together, and are good to learn. Just watch the video. Trust me.
By the way, if you have photos to share then please do! I'm always interested to see others' creations!

First Post...

I am absolutely new to the world of craft. My introduction to crochet came as an unexpected one, and following in the same way for no reason at all it has decided to stick with me as a hobby, of all things! There are some people I have met on my journey when learning about crochet, but most follow the woolly craft from having learnt knitting, or being taught back at school in subjects such as Textiles...

I have decided to create this blog from the perspective of a complete newbie. I have had no lessons, and so far have been learning for a few months, but will slowly show you the process of how I have been learning - with plenty more to come!

Well - How did it all begin?....

Currently I work at a community radio station, and get to meet some fascinating characters - and work with some of them too! - some that you will get to know over the course of this blog I'm sure. But, it was on a non-peculiar day that I complimented a Youth Worker for her adorable head band. It was green, with some cute details of flowers, and looked nice and warm. Her response was simple "I made it!". Completely intrigued by this, our conversation continued for some time, and by the end of it, my conclusion was that I needed to give it a go. 

We all have these conversations from time to time, and quite often they don't materialise, or you just cannot copy someone else's enthusiasm for something. However, a situation came my way where I had a voucher -  so I purchased some crochet hooks.. and some wool! For me it was win - win, if it didn't work out then I hadn't lost any money on it, but if it did work out - then that's great too! And lucky for me, it came out as the latter, and I have been able to appreciate crochet as an art, as a money saving way to get new clothes and to create something unique to you and as a way to gain inspiration from others!

This blog is going to feature some of my tips that I have already discovered as a novice "crocheter", videos that I have found in particular to be helpful to me, as well as showing you some of the things I have made so far to help inspire you!

Join me as we learn about the World of Crochet together!

Selina x