I think I wanna crochet. Am I nuts? UPDATE

[MarisaSF]

Update:
I fell in love with a baby hat pattern in the book "Stitch and Bitch," so I am now officially (well, once I cast on!) a knitter (again). With help from the ladies in the yarn store, i decided the crochet hat I had would be too difficult for a beginner. Wish me luck. Thank you so much for your help and advice. I'm gonna join the BBB knitters yahoo group too!

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Just wondering why I know so many people who knit and not many who crochet.

I've got a spreadsheet tracking all our friends' pregnancies and realize I've got more time than money these days.

I loved knitting when I learned nearly 10 years ago, but I've lost it. I thought about taking it up again, but discovered that one of the hats I loved on Jazz was actually crocheted, not knit. Soooo... I thought maybe I could make some of those.

Is this crazy thinking?

1) Is crocheting easier than knitting? Harder?

2) Is either more expensive? It's the same amount of yarn, right?

3) Is either more fun? :)
TIA!

[tarabenet]

No, you are not nuts. And you can absolutely learn to crochet.

I think it is easier than knitting, but I enjoy both. Easier beause there is only one implement (hook) to work with at a time. Also, you only have one or two working loops at a time, not a whole row of open stitches.

I don't know about costs -- I'm bad about using the art yarns from our local store, Bluebonnet Yarn Shoppe, so there is no cheap project for me! LOL!

Although my grandmother taught me basics when I was little, I forgot all of it and had to teach myself later. It was very easy to pick up from a book. I think I used "I Learned to Crochet in Just One Day" or something like that.

Have fun!

Benet

[mmaimp]

I just started to crochet this summer. I also was taught by my grandmother as an adolescent but lost the skill. I purchased a kit at AC Moore and was crocheting in a day. The most help I received though is from a monthly class that is held for free at the local library. It is very helpful to see someone crochet and explain what to do.

Yarn can be expensive but if you purchase on sale and only what you need it's not too expensive. I made this blanket for my new nephew in about 3 evenings. It is a thicker yarn and you use a bigger hook so it works up quick.

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/ch...ryBlanket.html

I've been buying lots of neat yarn including wool and also found a yahoo group for discount yarn. Let me know if you want to know about the group.

Have fun,

[MarisaSF]

Thank you both so much!
I'm gung-ho into the idea of this and stayed up doing some online research last night. One drawback seems to be that there are more knitting books than crochet books (at least so it seemed on Amazon), but I like the look of crochet. Any other suggestions for books/websites would be most welcome.

I'll look into the classes. It would be great if I could find free ones! ;)

I'll check back into the discount yarn group if I find I have an insatiable appetite!

[mmaimp]

Here is a really good one-

www.stitchguide.com

There are tons of free patterns on the net. I also like some of the freebie pamphlets in the craft stores or the patterns on the back of the labels.

[tarabenet]

Also, Hancock Fabric stores are doing a clearance of some of their yarn. They are going through some chain-wide reorg, I think, so if you have one in your area, they may have some great deals just now.

Also, when looking for patterns, don't forget the yarn companies. The PP linked to Lion Brand, which runs several freebies! And hey, if someone were giving you a handmade afghan, hat or whatever, would it mena any less to know that she made several other just like it? She still put the time and love in, right?

ETA: I was just at Target, and they had a lot of acrylic yarn in their $1 section. It felt pretty decent -- certainly plenty nice enough to learn/practice with! These days, even the cheap yarns are better than anything our grandmothers used!

[californiagirl]

Crochet tends to use more yarn for the same area, and be a bit stiffer. This is a bad thing for clothes, but usually a good thing for hats, which I think are WAY easier in crochet. And for cute baby hats, a nice, highly washable acrylic is a good thing, and cheap.

[MarisaSF]

You guys rock! I think I'll go to a yarn store tomorrow, bring in the hat I like and see if they can help me figure out how to do it. ;)

I'll let you know how it goes. I'm "hooked" (ha ha) and I haven't even started!