Of crochet, basting cotton and a magazine

I can't help it. I just can't settle on one thing to do, so I am trying out everything - and finishing nothing!!

Ages ago I bought myself the Chicks with Sticks knitting book (yes I shall review it soon). Oddly a younger colleague gave me their crochet book 2 days later. Her mum had been sent 2 copies in error by Amazon and she thought I'd like the spare one - I do!

Well, I found a crochet hook and some wool (don't ask, my stash is over 20 years old and not all of it started life as mine) and gave it a go!

I'm not sure I am cut out for it really! That loop thing you start with had me flummoxed for at least 5 minutes. I finally got my left hand to stop moving and my right hand to stop grabbing the wool and then....

... well I did the first chain and then went back along the loops to add a row and then got stuck! How do you continue?? Huh?!?! Then I realised I had sort of knitted the loops onto the needle - you don't do that in crochet it seems! So I unravelled it and started again and and again and again and again! I stopped when my eyes felt full of grit and my left hand ached like a big achey thing.

I went out this morning and bought a slightly bigger hook, I might have more of a chance of seeing the loops now :D

I also finally got round to buying some basting cotton! It has been a good excuse for long enough. Now I should get on with tacking together some of the stuff I cut out ages ago! Then I can sew it all up. So you see - no basting cotton = no completed projects. Clever aren't I??

I shall take some photos of the project as I go so you can see just how out of practice I am!

I also found a copy of Sew Eco (mycraftstore.com), it's a special issue that has lots of beginners tips. I bought it, I don't know why! It has some simple clothes alteration tips that I won't use as I don't own any of the clothes they alter and some odd stuff on making bags out of jeans - which I have been doing forever! So why I bought it I have no idea! I shan't be doing it again!