Damummis ~ Those baby clothes are just Precious!! I have several patterns of thread crochet christening dresses & layettes, but I just have not committed the time to them yet. Did you find yours took quite a long time to finish?
insiderart ~ That doggy dress is cute! does it velcro on?
Writer of words & Smitty's ~ I was also taught by a loving elderly lady, though not my grandmother ( she taught me embroidery .. & class ;-D). When I was about 12 or 15 or so, One night for our youth group, a very brave & sweet elderly lady in our ward taught about 20 of us how to do basic crochet. I started learning with thread, and made little bells & angels & balls for our Christmas tree. but then I left it for about 20 yrs, and raised kids instead. Lately, however, with my oldest turning 18, and she & my 2nd oldest ( who is 16) heading off to college, I've started thinking that perhaps putting away a few baby goodies might not be a bad idea. That whole ~Be Prepared~ thing.
One thing that has been a tremendous help in learning new crochet stitches, believe it or not, is a Japanese Crochet book. It goes over the basic stitches in such detail that you simply cannot mess them up! I don't read a word of Japanese, but the books & patterns are all done in diagrams, & I have a wonderful book that tells you exactly the diagram legend and matching stitch. I got it off of
ebay, and I have to say, this book is, for me, anyway, better than the Harmony Guides.
Here is a link, and here are a few pics of the book:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110489231379
See the little symbol in the top left-hand corner of each stitch? That is the diagram symbol. For me, it makes reading a pattern so much easier. Plus, with a diagram, you get to see the whole pattern laid out, so you have a good sense of what the finished product will be, and how that will fit up with the rest of the project. ( like shaped sleeves, or necks.)
~Red
