Your first Project?

[MarriedtoaTrucker]

What was the first project you completed when you learned to crochet?

 

I'm just curious

 

I thought my first would be a scarf, but it's turning into an afghan, I made about a dozen 3.5 x 3.5 squares the past 3 days and I'm planning to make some more and connect them into an afghan!! (I'll be posting photos when it finally gets done!)

[mudpie]

My first project was a pineapple butterfly insertion for a towel at the age of six. I'm an oooold woman, and I learned to crochet with thread, not yarn, as most do now. And believe it or not, I could read a pattern very well at the age of six.

[susandoty48]

About 30 years ago, give or take a few years, my oldest sister came for the hoildays and bought an afghan she was making out of granny squares and she tried to teach me how with no luck at all, I think she got upset with me because I could not get the hang of it:think . So when she went home, I went and bought my own yarn and hook and taught myself how to make granny squares, oh and by the way you know that I had to show her what I learned when she came down again, lol

[Hello Again]

My first project was a scarf -- I just tried all the different stitches I could find until I'd used up a skein of Wool-ease. Some of the stitches include single, double, triple, half-double, double-triple, sc cross, dc cross, triple cross, cluster, single in the back loop, double in the back loop... there might be others in there I've forgotten about!

 

That was last august.

[crochetkel]

I learned to crochet dishcloths and I made lots of them at first. It was very strange to switch to regular yarn from cotton. But now I love crocheting just about everything.

[funkyreporter]

First project was a kit from Herschners (sp) and it was a shell afghan! I liked it a lot, so I ordered four more kits in the other colors they had and I ended up with four afghans, one shaded green, one shaded blue, one shaded in browns and one shaded in rose colors.... I have not made shell afghan since:faint 'cause I really think that was a bit excessive!

[CityGirl]

My first project was a series of women's headcoverings (basically doilies--we used thread and size 11 steel hooks, IIRC) that my mom and I made for guests at my Bat Mitzvah between the time I was 11 & 12. We did 250, I think, and it took about a year. I have no idea how many I completed versus how many she did.

 

For a long time after that, I did graph crochet with thread. My first project with yarn was a mohair scarf.

[MarriedtoaTrucker]

I think this is so interesting to learn, as I hear about the differeint ages you started at and the different projects you made

 

So far I've only learned "Single Stitch" But my goal for tonight is to master something new!

[Twinnish]

The first things I worked on when I learned to crochet as a pre-teen/teenager were probably granny square items. I don't think I made any finished elaborate projects then. For some reason, I just didn't find it compelling enough then to make any significant projects.

 

Fast forward 28 years or so. My first finished crocheted item was a scarf for my daughter that started out as a practice swatch. It's a little misshapen, but it was a start. From then on, I was a machine: the fleuri purse and a little girl's hat from crochetme, a baby afghan made with (72! eep!)flower squares, three--count 'em---three martha stewart ponchos (after solemnly vowing I never would make one), a retro hat using 70's colors from the ancient McCalls Crochet Treasury made at my oldest daughter's request and now my latest and biggest project to date, the 63 squares afghan.

 

I don't know if it's my (ahem) maturity or maybe because my environment isn't saturated in crochet like it was when I first learned. My mother was big into crochet. She made many afghans. I had three ponchos: a day-glo pink one, a striped day-glo orange and white one and a red white and blue one (for the US bicentennial). I had a granny square top that I wore over turtlenecks. She made dozens of doilies. Perhaps in that crochet-rich environment, I just subconsciously rebelled against it by not getting into doing it myself. Who knows.

 

But I'm sure making up for it now.

[irikel]

I learned how to crochet with thread..#10...and believe it or not my first completed project was a tablecloth and it was in a symbol crochet.

[barbn77]

The first thing i made was a Granny Sq. and for the longest time that was ALL i could do, my mom taught me when i was 9 or 10 and i taught myself from a How-To-Crochet book when i was about 18 or 19 how to make a chain, sc, tr, etc...

[AidanM]

The first thing I ever made was a beanie made in the round, and since then I've been addicted to hats and anything made in the round!

[Redhead Deb]

I don't remember really "finishing" anything when I was a little girl first learning a few stitches. But in the early 70's, I made a granny square vest that I wore when I was doing my student teaching. I just happened to wear it on "picture day" so will have the vest documented forever!

[mythunderbird]

i made a scarf, that my brother still has, in fact he wore it at moms service and memorial, he said she always liked it so wore it for her

 

:manyheart :manyheart

[jacqui]

I made some motifs to teach myself how to read a pattern. Then i bought a pattern with baby clothes and did a dressing gown for my son. I kept it for many years for sentimental reasons until i decided to give it away when we moved 5 years ago. I was so proud of myself because i didnt know anyone who crocheted and my dh even helped me figure out the pattern when i got stuck. It seems like such a simple thing now but back then it was a huge milestone for me in crochet and because i was able to MAKE something for my son.

[dhaunae]

My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was very young but I never actually *made* anything until my sophomore year of college; I was home for Christmas and my mother kept saying that she wanted an afghan. Specifically, she wanted a granny square afghan, with small squares with bright colored centers and navy blue for a background. Her birthday is February 28th; I went back to school after Christmas break and made her that afghan for her birthday. She still has it ... and I have kids in college now. I'm guessing she liked it

[funkyreporter]

I learned how to crochet with thread..#10...and believe it or not my first completed project was a tablecloth and it was in a symbol crochet.

 

Wow, girl!!! Talk about baptism by fire... a crochet thread tablecloth:eek are you nuts???

I bow down in deference to your fortitude and patience:nworthy ... I guess it's all downhill from there~!

[AidanM]

irikel, your post reminds me of an article I read where the author confessed learning to knit by knitting lace medallions.

[CrochetMonkey]

My first project was a dishcloth that I made during a 2.5 hour class held at Michael's. It was a great introduction class (I had a wonderful instructor), and I was so proud of that dishcloth - I still have it!

[Empress Busy Bee]

I don't know what my first finished object was. I was in 5th or 6th grade when I learned. I didn't make too many thing afterwards because I don't remember them either. When I was a teen I made a giant granny baby afghan. It was really pretty. Several rounds of varigated pink, several of pink, and so on.

[seagull1993]

>> What was the first project you completed when you learned to crochet? <<

 

Wow -- that's a whole lotta time you're talking about -- at least for me. :-D

I do remember completing several pieces to wear that were popular back then -- a simple vest done in double crochet and trimmed along the bottom hem with fringe, several belts that were crocheted in single and double pattern stitches and, of course, fringed. I also did simple purses with long shoulder straps done in single crochet and trimmed in fringe. The straps I would single crochet in three strips and then braid together, leaving fringed ends. As you can see, fringe played a huge role in most of the crochet I did back then, as did adding lots of beads (aahhh, it was the mid-60s and everyone loved fringe and beads). I also remember getting bored with too many rows of the straight line stitches, so did throw in crossed doubles every few rows to break up the tedium. I taught myself how to do the shell stitch and the love-knot stitch and enjoyed using those in several pieces, too, mainly shawls and vests. I wish I had done some scarves and hats, but never got around to those back then.

 

I have to say that I do not remember doing a lot with granny squares, mainly because I found them to be somewhat limiting as to design back then. I did make some to use in a few pieces, but not many. The grannys today are much more interesting than the ones I saw and made back then, but I just am still not that interested in doing them.

 

My mom taught me some basic knitting stitches, but I taught myself crocheting in my early teens but did not begin with simple dishcloths or scarves. I would see patterns and styles I liked and just jumped in to reproduce them as exactly as I could to match the pictures. I have to say that I did try to pick what looked fairly simple to me to do, but I did not think too much about my lack of experience -- I knew what I wanted to make and set about doing it by trial and error to create it. And that approach worked fine for me. I was able to match the look of the stitches and finished piece in the photos and that was all I cared about.

 

Today, I am still intrigued with trying new stitches and patterns and hooks and yarns -- definitely new yarns :-) -- and am happy to say that there is always something new to learn in this wonderful craft. I am currently enjoying learning and completing patterns for boleros and shrugs and hats and scarves. I usually have five or six wips going at the same time. Everyone who tries this marvelous craft will fall in love with it, I am sure. :-) And the great thing is that you have all the time in the world to learn and do as much of it as you like!

[Sabra]

I do not for the life of me remember. Knowing me, it was something for a Barbie doll, that I designed myself. I've never been real big on patterns, or afraid of stuff like increasing & working in rounds.

 

Of course, my favorite first project story comes from my mother-in-law. Back in the '70s, she taught another woman how to crochet. That lady's first project was a PANTSUIT. Also not from a pattern. When I think about how many women these days confine themselves solely to projects requiring no shaping whatsoever, it makes me roll my eyes (again!) at the trumpeting of how much better "today's crochet" is.

 

ETA: I have no idea how old I was when I actually bothered to finish a project. I learned to crochet at age 11, but I was easily distracted back then.

[AidanM]

I do not for the life of me remember. Knowing me, it was something for a Barbie doll, that I designed myself. I've never been real big on patterns, or afraid of stuff like increasing & working in rounds.

 

Of course, my favorite first project story comes from my mother-in-law. Back in the '70s, she taught another woman how to crochet. That lady's first project was a PANTSUIT. Also not from a pattern. When I think about how many women these days confine themselves solely to projects requiring no shaping whatsoever, it makes me roll my eyes (again!) at the trumpeting of how much better "today's crochet" is.

 

ETA: I have no idea how old I was when I actually bothered to finish a project. I learned to crochet at age 11, but I was easily distracted back then.

 

The real test: Would that woman still wear that pantsuit today?

[viggie]

My first project was an afghan. In fact, my first 8 projects or so were afghans. I hadn't thought that you could crochet other things...lol. Nowadays I see crochet possibilities everywhere. I found my mom wrapping a teapot with a towel last week and my first thought was why haven't I made tea cozy yet?

[liz31]

My first project was a granny square which I made bigger and bigger until I had a throw.