Long Ago and Far Away...

Not long ago I was participating in a local knitting/crochet group when the conversation came around to the first item we'd ever knitted or crocheted.  A couple of the members still actually had that first sweater or scarf!  I couldn't claim that, but I knew there was a picture of me wearing that first finished project, and I found it while rummaging through old pictures this weekend.

I wrote a bit awhile back about how I first started crocheting, but I didn't mention what I'd crocheted first.  The McCall's magazine that touted crochet as an accent to sewing offered a free pattern for both a hat and a scarf, and this is the hat in the picture.  I decided to make the hat first and went to Woolworth's to buy a skein of their classic yarn in orange, since I was in high school and our school colors were orange and black.  It was Christmastime, and I wanted to be sure I could make this first test hat before making hats for others.  I worked on it at home, but then brought it to school.  I couldn't crochet during class, of course, but we were in orchestra rehearsals for our annual Christmas concert and I snuck in as much crochet as I could during downtimes for that.

The hat was cloche-style, mostly double crochet with some single crochet around the small bell-shaped brim.  It was a sturdy, warm hat, and one I wore for some time after that.  I have no idea what finally happened to it over the ensuing years, but I remember it fondly as the beginning of my own journey in crochet.  That was indeed long ago and far away; 2020 is my 50th year crocheting!  And here I am, teaching, but still learning something new all the time.

As mentioned elsewhere on this blog, classes have been suspended for now, due to needed social distancing from the coronavirus.  I don't know when we'll be able to start again.  I am considering virtual classes and have not yet decided on that option.  But at this point I intend to keep up this weekly blog, and if you crochet or knit I recommend that you continue your craft as we navigate through this stressful time.  Crochet is indeed therapy, and one we need now more than ever.

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