Crossing to the darkside

I took an intro to crochet class at KDO this year. I learned to crochet before I learned to knit, incidentally.  I took a few free classes at my library, but i often left class with a giant headache. I didn't understand how to make the stitches, I was working with icky acrylic yarn with a metal hook, and I felt defeated. A month later I took knitting classes, and the rest is history. 

There were about a dozen of us in the class. The majority of the students wanted to learn crochet in an effort to embellish their knits. My reason?  To learn granny squares, so I could use up stash. And to understand crochet stitches.

Our teacher was very informative, showed us up close how to make the stitches. She gave us time to practice on our homework squares. I learned a lot in those three hours, but the class really could have been an all day class.  

Since then I've been working on blanket squares for Schuyler's blanket project, and I started a shrug:

This is just one of the blanket squares I made. I completed squares of single and double crochet, and hope to make triple and half double crochet squares. Then...fancy pattern crochet squares!  

I know there are as many crochet snobs as knit snobs, but I've never found either craft to be superior to the other. I crank out more squares crocheting than I ever did knitting (and I am a slow crocheter!)  I crochet seams together becos it seems easier than whip stitching or mattress stitching them together.  Crochet also consumes more fiber than knitting, so I hope to stash down as I make the charity squares. 

Being a pretty staunch knitter, crocheting makes me feel deviant. I hope that changes soon,  I like having new crafting skills!