12/16/14

15. Learn to Knit or Crochet and Make a Scarf

15. Learn to Knit or Crochet and Make a Scarf || sarahesh.blogspot.com


Knitting and crocheting was not for me. I gave up on both before I even tried to learn. It was too girly, too housewife-y. I threw it into the pile of domestic skills I would never attempt. Gardening, canning, sewing, knitting and crochet - they all ended up in that pile.

"Just admit it, you were a bit feminist..." my sister said the other day as we were reminiscing our childhood. Her point was valid; the only reason I refused to learn any of those skills was because it was considered woman's work and I hated that term with a passion. It felt so unfair, so degrading. Why was cleaning and laundry and preparing meals tasks that I had to do, but my brothers didn't need to help out at all? They contributed to the mess, they added to the laundry pile, they ate their fill and then some.  Unfair I tell you. Unfair.

Years have gone by and I've become less vocal in my feministic ideas. I still hate the term woman's work and I cannot stand when someone is referred to as a housewife simply because they are not pursuing a "professional career" at the moment. I still firmly believe that learning to clean and do laundry and cook meals are equally important for both male and female. My sons will have to help out with those chores. But my attitude has changed in regards to refusing to learn those domestic skills simply because they are considered to be woman's work, which brings us to number 15 on the 23 before 24 list.

18. Learn to Knit or Crochet and Make a Scarf

I have several friends who are super talented at knitting and crochet. They make the cutest little hats for babies, the warmest chunky scarves for themselves, and the overly ambitious ones even make throw blankets. I see their gorgeous creations and I feel intimated and inspired. I want to be like them.

I chose to make a scarf because it seemed fairly straightforward. Because I am left-handed I decided to search Youtube for videos that could teach me the basics instead of asking my right-handed grandma or my right-handed friends. There are countless tutorials, some are long and detailed, others are short and to the point. I like short and to the point. This is the tutorial that I used for my scarf.

I worked on the scarf after Thanksgiving dinner while chatting with my aunts. I worked on the scarf in the evenings while Herm watched Duck Dynasty or Midwest Whitetail. I worked on the scarf while waiting for a batch of granola to finish baking. I worked on the scarf while traveling. I worked on the scarf while... okay, you get the idea. Maybe this domestic stuff isn't so bad after all.

I am pleased with the finished project. If I had it to do over again, I would make the scarf slightly wider and not quite so long. It's an infinity scarf, so instead of wrapping it twice like I had planned to, I wrap it around three times. It's super chunky and warm. And it's red. I love red.

A second scarf has been started with the leftover yarn. It'll be a gift for someone... and the next time I get to a craft store or yarn shop, I will be stocking up, because, um, one can never have too many scarves. Especially if you live in the north where winter lasts for six months, like I do.

Also, my aunt offered to teach me how to knit a beret style hat with Alpaca wool. I'm so excited!

If you are a newbie to crochet, like me, I would recommend choosing a light colored yarn. It was hard to see the stitches with the dark red. Also, your project won't take nearly as long as mine did if you go with a chunky yarn and large hook. Hindsight is 20/20.

Do you like to crochet or knit? Are you a conservative feminist too?
I would love to hear your thoughts!






2 comments:

  1. You know I love this post! I'm on the fence about whether new crochet-ers should use big hooks or smaller...because with big hooks I think the stitches get a little mkore confusing because they are so loose. Also, if you go with chunky yarn...go ahead and get like 4 skeins right away. :)

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    1. Chunky yarn is a bit harder to work with. I am figuring this out. I also figured out the one skein doesn't go very far... which is why I'll probably be heading to Michael's for more tomorrow.

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