My mother taught me how to crochet when I was five. For years I was happy making incredibly long chains that I'd recrochet into jumpropes. When I was about eight I became bored with jumpropes and begged my mother to teach me something new. Her solution was a granny square.

I love granny squares. Over the years I've made countless 12 patch granny-ghans, pot holders, and lap robes. In fact it wasn't until I was 22 that I finally decided that although granny squares were lovely maybe it was time to learn something new.

I made my mother sit down with me and show me how to read a pattern. In fact I was an absolute brat about it and wouldn't let her leave my side until I understood every single abbreviation and instruction. I'm sure she wanted to murder me.

The first non granny item I made was an afghan crocheted on the diagonal with a complicated lace edging and crocheted grapes. That kind of cured me for a little while. Back to granny's for a few months. Then I discovered mittens. Whooooooooo hoooooooooo! Everyone got mittens for Christmas that year.

That same year I also figured out how to make a granny square into a granny rectangle which stopped me from having to piece things together. Since I hate to sew this was a godsend.

Crochet has always been an on and off thing for me. I can go months and occasionally years without picking up a hook. Once I'm back in it though, I'm a stitching fool.