Crochet provides a clear “before and after ” demarcation to my life.

Before I learned to crochet, I had no idea what a consuming occupation it would become for me. I was unable to look into the future, and see all of the ways in which it would change me on some very fundamental levels, but now, 22 years into my vocation, there is no winding back the clock.

And, I wouldn’t want to.

One of the things I have learned from crochet is how to transform my personal vision into a useable object, be it a purse or a toy or a blanket or a binder strap.

All that is required is a hook, yarn, an idea, and determination.

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One of the other things that has happened as a result of my fondness for crochet is that I have enough yarn to insulate an entire house–this despite having downsized my yarn stash considerably, and I came face-to-face with this truth over the weekend.

While I was looking for yarn so that I can move forward on another crochet Viking helmet, I came across this long ago project:

Some of the squares had been rehabbed for what ended up being “A Thousand Rehabbed Squares” project I created for myself, but then I was left with the three in the above photo.

However, no sooner did I get them frogged and wound into balls (as evidenced by this after photo of the “before and after” photos I took) than I found another square in need of repurpose or reclamation:

So I got out my current front burner project: the first two of what I expect to be five very large crochet granny squares made with the scrap yarn I have accumulated over the past 22 years. Here are the two granny squares before I worked on them today:

And here they are after I got to spend some time working from my munificent stash of yarn scraps:

Before I learned to crochet, I did not have an outlet like this–one where I could envision a future finished thing–but now that I have crochet, I continue plying my craft, one stitch at a time.