Uses for Crochet 3: Pin Cushion

When I made my 3D Christmas Tree back in high school, I had leftover yarn, so I crocheted another pattern from the same book the tree pattern was taken from.

It's a pin cushion this time. It's stuffed with fiberfill. I even placed a lovely ribbon, embellished with some flowers I recycled from a Christmas gift package, around it.

Pattern for the Pin Cushion was taken from the "At Home With Crochet"  book ("Quick Pincushion Bonnet," p.69) and designed by Shobha Govindan.

I think working on this book honed my crocheting skills. I crocheted a lot of patterns from it. Back then, it was my only crochet book so I was stuck to it and I was somehow "forced" to crochet any pattern out of it - I worked on the Christmas tree, a doily, picture frames, a pin cushion, and even crosses. I was able to explore different stitches and techniques, and from then on, it was easy for me to follow other patterns and even make my own.

Maybe that's a good takeaway for all you aspiring crocheters (for any reason, whether to pursue it as a hobby or as a business): focus on one book as a start. You may be too distracted jumping from one book to the next and might even end up with unfinished projects along the way. I learned a story about a friend who's pretty good (and kind of famous now) making music. He said he learned everything he knew about music by playing all the Beatles' songs, and because of that he figured out how to make his own. It's also true for me somehow. As grandma-ish this book might be, I guess I owe what I know about crochet from it.