Learn something new.

When I was a teenager I remember Nana Lucas was so excited she had been going to crochet classes. Now she had been crocheting and knitting for years but she learned all kinds of new things at her classes and I still remember how excited she was! That's when she showed me how to crochet roses and I still do them often now. I posted pictures of them on Christmas parcels at Christmas time.

Then I remember Nan learned to spin wool and she got her own spinning wheel. She loved that so much and used it for many years, making glorious yarn, dying it with natural dyes, teaching others, knitting it up. My Dad would save Nan the coloured fleeces at shearing time and she would get so excited! These are the times I remember Nan being the happiest too. She was content when she was busy working on these things, which was most of the time.

I remember these same feelings when I learned to embroider. It absorbed me and I was so excited. Creating something lovely from nothing is beautiful and feels wonderful.

When reading Laines Letters she always said to keep on learning, learn everyday. Learn the things your family need to make life better, save money, look after our health etc. She would go off to the library to get books to learn what she wanted to learn next. 

I think we associate the excited feeling to learning something new to when we were kids. Learning to ride a bike, learning to write and being allowed to use a pen instead of a pencil! Remember that! But it is just as much fun now and over the weekend I learned a new crochet stitch and as silly as it is it was as much fun as anything I can think of.

From a comment by Bridget I thought I will give the links to the lessons I have used. This stitch I learned on You Tube by The Casting Couch and it is called Pineapple Stitch. The lady shows a raspberry shawl/scarf in this stitch that is gorgeous.

I just love it. It took me several rows to get the hang of it and now I'm fine. I sit and watch the video and do a test strip of a few rows and I write down notes. Also start, stop, replay where I am like WHAT??? lol and then move on. 

Yesterday I went to have a cup of tea with Mum. Mum is a prolific knitter/crocheter and has been for close to seventy years! She gives enormous amounts of items to charity. Anyway she loved this stitch and was excited to learn it. It is always fun to learn something new.

In my weekend of finishing stuff off, I finished a blanket in a stitch I learned last year, in the same way. This is the same as the pink one I gave Kath. It is on You Tube by Yolanda Soto Lopez How to crochet romantic lacy shawl. It is a blue shawl and a fantastic easy stitch to learn once you know chains and double crochet, that is all you need.

This is going to Sister Christine who looks after Mums and babies with no where to go...

I started it last year, hence the finishing off this weekend. It is big enough for a single bed or large cot and is really heavy and warm. I am so glad it is finished and can be put to use.

What ever it is that would be handy for you to learn or you would just love to learn there is a blog or You Tube video to teach you. But you might have classes near you or a neighbour or relative who can show you how to do the next thing. You just learn the bit you are up to then learn the next thing and before you know it you know what to do. Besides being fun it is so absorbing and distracting (good for relaxation) and good for your brain. Patterns in crochet or knitting are like crosswords as brain exercise. They just increase your happiness quota and contentment.  When you see a child absorbed in a book or in making something it is a wonderful thing, rather than bored and irritated! We are just the same, you can be happy and content anywhere if you have something to work on.

A lady I knew taught herself cake decorating and became so good at it this is how she made her living. Her cakes were beautiful. She also knitted tiny doll clothes, using the finest needles I have ever seen. They were exquisite. She was always happy too, absorbed in her next project.... there is something in this! 

Winter is coming and having projects on the go is so good, instead of being frustrated with the weather you are happily using the time to work on your project. This has helped me the last few winters lots. Last winter I was almost sorry for it to end I had made so much! Previously winters had depressed me a bit, I crave sunshine and the end of winter has often been a bad time for me. I got into any sunshine at every chance, exercised and had projects I loved on the go and got through that time perfectly last year. Hoping for a repeat this year. Learning new things definitely helped.