Do you have any crochet regrets?

[Titus2woman]

I know we shouldn't live with regrets, but I do so wish I had learned to crochet earlier! Of course not everyone is interested as a young person, but how AMAZING would it have been to crochet for my wedding? Or table cloths and blankets and SO MUCH MORE for my home? Or preparing for each baby? Learning while homeschooling four children is certainly not a sob story, but it's also definitely not my season to be able to do all I wanna for my household!

 

Anyone else feel the same way~with just a teensy tinge of sadness? (((((HUGS))))) sandi

[Pyroteca]

I would say that the only regret that I have (and it is a very small one) is that I always told myself I could never try a complicated pattern, and I waited a long time to learn more and to attempt more difficult things. But, thanks to DH, who really encourages the craft, I now buy books and have tried all sorts of neat patterns, and have wonderful finished items because of it. So, I guess the bottom line is to never doubt your ability and always try...worst case scenario it doesn't turn our, and best case scenario you end up with something you are really proud of.

[mythunderbird]

i don't have that regret but wished i had done more for my mom, she loved my work soo much:(

[SlowCrocheter]

I should of learned thread crochet first while I was young and my eyes could see it. lol

[Empress Busy Bee]

Yeah I guess I do.

I wish I'd done more (dresses/booties/etc) for my daughter when she was a baby.

I also wish I'd done more for my mom. I bought not one, but two doily pamplets to make her a doily and never got around to it. There were a couple other things I'd made a list to make her.

[sorefingers]

That my wrists refuse to cooperate and I can only do small amounts of crocheting a day because of them. Darn wrists...

 

Sore

[RoseRed]

Yeah, I have a big one.

 

My Grandmother taught me to crochet when I was very young. I was very good at it (she made sure of that). I could do all the basic stitches but I never made anything more than some little barbie clothes.

 

After I had my daughter, I was 22, a stay at home mom and picked it up again. I bought a sampler book. The first thing I made was lapghan for my Grandmother. Her legs were always cold in her wheelchair and she was always complaining that the big afghans were too big and clumsy.

 

She loved it! She used it everyday and insisted that she be buried with it (and she was).

 

I'll never forget when I first gave it to her tho. She opened up the box, pulled it out and her eyes filled with tears and she just rolled away and went in her room. No one understood what was wrong.

 

Even tho she loved it she was still incredibly hurt by the fact that I picked up a book and learned it on my own instead of coming to her and asking her to teach me. I thought she would be very proud of me for accomplishing it on my own and after some time she was.

 

I lived about 5 minutes away so I was over Mom's all the time keeping my Grandmother company during the day. I was lonely at home with an itty bitty baby too. I remember one day we were sitting at the table and I was frogging again because my row count was wrong. She says to me "I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. It's killing me to watch you tear out all that work. This is how you do a dcdec. You fix the row below while you're working on the you're on."

 

About that time me and Mom went and got my Godfather (her brother- my uncle) He came home to die from cancer. If anyone's lived thru a later stage diagnosis you'll understand the amount of stress and running and doctor's and ER visits for blood transfusions and family disasters - uhmmm, I mean visits, and the absolute chaos that goes on. It goes on for quite a while before you get settled into a routine.

 

My Grandmother was almost 90. Dementia runs in her side of the family in the women. Watching her son die took an incredible toll on her physically and mentally.

 

We were having coffee and she said to me "There was so much I wanted to show you how to do. I was so upset and offended that you went to a book instead of asking me that I decided you could learn it all from a book. I may not have liked it but I understand it and I am proud of how much you learned but now it's too late to teach you anything. My hands are crippled with arthritis and I can't even remember how to start a pineapple anymore."

 

My uncle died and she followed him less than a year later not knowing who any of us were.

 

I never understood why she was so upset when the rhuematism took her hands away until now. At least carpel tunnel can be fixed.

 

So, yeah, that' my big crocheting regret.

[CroJulee]

My Crochet Regrets: That I haven't made more 'ghans. That's probably it. I've been a MAD crocheter since I was 5 or 6 so I don't have any regrets related to starting crochet earlier in life although if there was any possible way to learn at 4 years old I would have loved that.

 

Julee

[CroJulee]

Yeah, I have a big one.

 

My Grandmother taught me to crochet when I was very young. I was very good at it (she made sure of that). I could do all the basic stitches but I never made anything more than some little barbie clothes.

 

After I had my daughter, I was 22, a stay at home mom and picked it up again. I bought a sampler book. The first thing I made was lapghan for my Grandmother. Her legs were always cold in her wheelchair and she was always complaining that the big afghans were too big and clumsy.

 

She loved it! She used it everyday and insisted that she be buried with it (and she was).

 

I'll never forget when I first gave it to her tho. She opened up the box, pulled it out and her eyes filled with tears and she just rolled away and went in her room. No one understood what was wrong.

 

Even tho she loved it she was still incredibly hurt by the fact that I picked up a book and learned it on my own instead of coming to her and asking her to teach me. I thought she would be very proud of me for accomplishing it on my own and after some time she was.

 

I lived about 5 minutes away so I was over Mom's all the time keeping my Grandmother company during the day. I was lonely at home with an itty bitty baby too. I remember one day we were sitting at the table and I was frogging again because my row count was wrong. She says to me "I can't keep my mouth shut anymore. It's killing me to watch you tear out all that work. This is how you do a dcdec. You fix the row below while you're working on the you're on."

 

About that time me and Mom went and got my Godfather (her brother- my uncle) He came home to die from cancer. If anyone's lived thru a later stage diagnosis you'll understand the amount of stress and running and doctor's and ER visits for blood transfusions and family disasters - uhmmm, I mean visits, and the absolute chaos that goes on. It goes on for quite a while before you get settled into a routine.

 

My Grandmother was almost 90. Dementia runs in her side of the family in the women. Watching her son die took an incredible toll on her physically and mentally.

 

We were having coffee and she said to me "There was so much I wanted to show you how to do. I was so upset and offended that you went to a book instead of asking me that I decided you could learn it all from a book. I may not have liked it but I understand it and I am proud of how much you learned but now it's too late to teach you anything. My hands are crippled with arthritis and I can't even remember how to start a pineapple anymore."

 

My uncle died and she followed him less than a year later not knowing who any of us were.

 

I never understood why she was so upset when the rhuematism took her hands away until now. At least carpel tunnel can be fixed.

 

So, yeah, that' my big crocheting regret.

Rose red, That's so sad. I so want to cry. Now I've gotta make an afghan for my grandma. I think that would really mean alot to her. She taught me how to crochet and that means so much to me but I'm afraid I've never really just made something for her. Well, I've made small things and they alot to her but I think She would love a lapghan or something just for her!!!

 

Julee

[RoseRed]

Well, girl - you better git started right quick while you still have time.

[Titus2woman]

AW (((((RoseRed))))). That is A LOT to carry around. I wish I knew the exact words to comfort you! (((((HUGS))))) sandi~with a little prayer

[CroJulee]

Well, girl - you better git started right quick while you still have time.

Yes Ma'am!! I'm planning on it!! Just gotta decide how I want to make it then buy the yarn and off we gooooo!!!!

 

Julee

[RoseRed]

Thanx Sandi. I've been carrying it around a long time and it's so great to have a place to share this with people that understand. It's also really nice to finally let that out. I really appreciate the prayers. hugs.

 

Julee - I can't wait to see what you're going to make!

[sorefingers]

Aww Rose!

 

I was also taught by my grandmother and she never seen anything I made as an adult before she passed away. You just reminded me of that. I'm glad you got that off your chest.

 

Sore

[hookdonU]

That for the life of me I haven't been able to figure out filet

[Hookerangel]

My biggest regret is not having found this site and all the amazing patterns I have purchased from the net sooner. Here in Belfast there are very limited patterns for crochet and the internet and Crochetville have really opened my eyes to all the goodies that are available. The only drawback is I would need to live to be about 200 to finish them all. Just wish I'd found them sooner!

[The_Virginia_Hooker]

I'd say not asking for help with it sooner, so could have spared myself 4 years of working on 2 afghans made entirely of slip stitches, when here i'd thought it was single crochet. What a headache.

[butterflie]

The horrific afghan I made for my maternal grandmother. I made her one when I first started (she was a demanding woman, it's how she showed her love to people.) I can't even begin to explain how horrible it looked. I hope my mother threw it away after she died this year. I really do. It was my 2nd or 3rd afghan I think, 1st one in dc.

 

I was 14, we were up there for 2 weeks visiting and she said she'd like an afghan before we left, so I got the aran colored yarn and started away, 3/4 done I realized that the blanket that was over 100 stitches at the beginning was now 40 stitches across! I just increased each row after that for awhile. It looked like an hourglass. The next year she asked me to 'fix' it. With limited time again, I didn't want to start over so I made patches to go up the sides or something. I can't remember what it looked like, only what I did to it. *sigh*

[dianejerry]

delete

[chrispersmom]

My regrets really aren't about me, but are about my mom. She always ended up selling or giving away what she made. My dad was a drunk, so she put food on the table and christmas under the tree with crochet. But, by the time I had my son, she was no longer able to crochet. She was blind and crippled in one arm from surgery for her dialysis. So, my baby never got to wear one of her beautiful sweaters or have a pair of her booties or one of her blankets. I have not one single thing that she made. Now I wish that years ago we would have thought to put up a baby sweater and booties and even an afghan. The good thing is that she taught me so Christopher did have all of those things made by me. But there are people I know that have things she made and no one will give or even sell me one thing. I understand why they would want to keep them and even pass them on in their family. But what I wouldn't give for even one granny square that she made. She never used patterns and all her things were made up.

 

One christmas she dressed several dolls in homemade clothing for the salvation army. One was even a bride with everything down to the flower bouquet. She was very talented and giving of her art. But, learning from this, I have tried to make everyone that I love something . That way, one day whenever I am gone they will have it. I also plan to make some things for Christopher and put them up for his adult life.

[cdschlea]

My grandmother taught me to crochet and I regret that I never was brave enough to enter my itmes when she was alive. I did make her a blanket and she loved it and displayed it, but she wasn't around to see me win with the skills she taught me. This year when I called my dad from the state fair to tell him I'd won, he said to me "Wouldn't Bubba just be busting out all over to know you'd won?" I think she really would've.

 

:hookColleen

[Reneva]

Um, I regret that there are not enough hours in a day or years in lifetime to finish my work-in-mind list. Also, I regret not being a person who can crochet while on the computer (I buzz between sites too fast, my hands are always in use!) and I regret not being able to crochet faster, with my eyes closed or in the dark. Or while asleep. I think that covers it, LOL!

[stitchgirl]

My crochet regret is that I didn't keep at it and learn when my Aunt showed me the first time. That was when I was in about 7th grade. I already knew how to knit and wanted to crochet, but I'd leave her house and then forget how to do it. So there were many, many years that i could have been making things and enjoying this craft that are now lost to me. I wish I had more time to crochet. I'll never get to make all the things I want to make.

[mva5493]

my regret would be that when I first learned and was interested in it (when my 20 year old daughter was a baby) I didn't stick with it. I put it down until about 2 or 3 years ago. When I see now the reaction I get when giving handmade gifts, I think of of the things I could have made in those years. Also, to have been able to give things to people who are no longer here.

[Lady_of_Roses]

I wish I had been able to learn at an earlier age and had someone to sit and do crochet with. I didn't know a soul that I could spend time with who could crochet for years.

 

I'm sorry that I took such a long break from crocheting. I think the last thing I made before my long break was a bed doll for my mom when I was 17. I finished the doll at 3 a.m. Christmas morning. I think I temporarily burned out finishing it, because I didn't pick my hook back up until maybe 3-4 years ago!