8. learn to crochet a blanket

i actually crossed this off my list back in 2000.  my junior year of college, there were a few senior girls that passed along their knowledge of crocheting to us underclassmen.  i was literally hooked.  in the first three years, i made  about a dozen blankets.  almost all of them were gifts for other people.  i also taught 6 other people how to crochet.  my knowledge was confined solely to 2 types of blankets.  i could make granny squares or long rows.  i didn't feel the need to learn anything else.  it didn't get old because there was enough variety in the colors and thickness of different yarns.  i loved the ease with which hooking came.  it's something i could do while watching tv, riding in the car, or even sitting in class listening to a lecture.  i made baby blankets for showers and full size blankets for those cold nights in colorado, north carolina, and texas.  so what happened in the next few years to change things?  well, there just wasn't a need for the blankets in hawaii or qatar.  but now that i'm in southern california (which i realize never gets that cold) i've found myself pulling out the one blanket i kept and considering making a new one.

i recently learned how to crochet beanies from a dear friend adeline.  she made the most precious pink and yellow beanie for Saraya and i asked her to show me how to make them too.  it was suprisingly easy and since then i've made 5.  i also have seen these rugs that i think would be really cool to make.

i still don't know the "language" or how to read patterns but i think it's more fun to get a personal lesson anyhow.  and so i leave you with a picture of my sunshine blanket, as i like to call it.