Here at Knit Picks headquarters, there are a lot of talented folks. Between us, Connecting Threads (our quilting division) and Artist’s Club (our painting division), there are lots of different skills represented. Recently we started having some lunchtime classes to share these skills, and over the past two weeks I’ve been learning to crochet!

Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve learned to crochet. I believe this is actually the fourth. Each time I try to learn, I inevitably do something really wonky, and give up the failed attempt. But this time, I’m determined to make it stick.

I grabbed one of our Harmony Crochet Hooks and some Brava Bulky, and set to making quite a mess of things. But after two lessons and a lot of “no, no, through that loop,” and “you’re going the wrong way!” from Jenny K and Kim, I managed to make my first granny squares!

They’re not stellar, but it is the first time I’ve ever crocheted something that looked like the thing it was supposed to be. I even got the hang of reading the charts, and started poking through the massive stitch library I have looking for some crochet inspiration. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of Crochet with Color, which has lots of really cute ideas for embellishments that are simple enough for a beginner like me!

I love the little flowers and fruit in the book – they’re really basic and totally cute, which is great when you’re still figuring the whole crochet thing out.

But those are still a little out of my league – I think I need to really get the hang of this Granny Square business, and then move on to the granny-square-like flowers and hexagonal motifs in the book. But I’m getting there, one stitch at a time!

Got any pointers for someone learning to crochet? I’m all ears!