Fusion Blanket Crochet-Along: Progress. Sort of...

Here's the thing: When Corey approached me about co-hosting this crochet-along, I jumped at the chance. Wouldn't you? It's Corey from Little Miss Shabby, after all! I loved the thought of combining favorite fabrics with crocheting (original tutorial here). I had taken up knitting in the last year, and thought, pffft, crocheting--piece of cake. In fact, I was pretty sure I had crocheted in a "past creative life." I even had crochet hooks in a drawer to prove it.

And that's when things started to go downhill for me. Apparently everything I ever knew about crocheting....I had forgotten. I bought a new book.

I watched crocheting videos (lots of beginning crochet videos on YouTube).

I found other tutorials (including this one found by S.O.T.A.K.! handmade--thanks, Svetlana!). Over on Cassie's side bar be sure to check out her "On the Edge" tutorials. Very helpful information with lots of pictures. Oh, and Cassie rates the degree of difficulty for her tutorials based on how much chocolate she needs to stop and consume. Gotta love that, right?

If you are following along, Corey has already posted the supplies you need, and how to start making the block and completing the blanket stitch around it. So here are my supplies, which I took along in my carry-on bag to a quilting retreat in Minnesota so they would be handy.

During my layover in Seattle, it turns out I also needed to learn from the beginning refresh my memory on how to do the blanket stitch. When reading about how to do the blanket stitch was just not enough, YouTube came in handy yet again; this video showed how to add an edging around a placemat, beginning with a blanket stitch, which seemed the closest to this project.

Moving on. The quilting retreat weekend was fabulous. But by Sunday morning I had still not actually started my crochet project. Bummer.

Five-inch squares cut out and crochet cotton ready to go. Check.

Blanket stitch completed, but not before eating a piece of designer chocolate (as recommended by Cassie) to help me out (thanks, Rene'!). Check.

Every printed tutorial, along with A to Z Crochet, along with YouTube video on learning to crochet. Check.

Getting Amanda Jean to start the actual work. Priceless!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of it and that I'm going to really enjoy this project. It has required more of a learning curve than I anticipated, and I think by the time I finish my first block, I will probably have crocheted, ripped it out, and started again about four times. I wish I had more progress to share. But actually, my progress is that I have made it this far, and you can too. The A to Z Crochet book has this quote on the first page: "Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it." So that is what I have done. I have begun.