Tomorrow evening I get to pass along a little passion for crochet to some young women in my area. I tend to get a little over-excited when I start talking crochet. Hopefully I don't get too silly with them--I've been known to do that.
I spent a wee bit of time today thinking about what little project would be a good starter for them.
Considerations:
Time -- we only have about an hour
Varying Levels -- I don't know that we'll get much past chaining. But if we do, and if we have some proficient or ambitious learners,I want to keep everyone interested and progressing.
Real Product -- I want an actual "something" they can take home besides a long string suitable merely for shoelaces.
Stitch complexity -- By learning to chain, single crochet and double crochet, you can get pretty far. I want something with enough interest and texture that they can see the possibilities of what they can do with different stitches but without strange stitch placements or unusual stitches that might cause confusion later if they try to finish at home.
So here is what I decided on
It's been one year since my little mishap. Although my hand will never be quite the same
Yesterday I ran the half marathon I had promised myself I would complete this year. It was such a crazy, emotional experience. I had actually run thirteen miles on the treadmill several weeks ago so I knew that I could make the distance. But what a catastrophe! I went out WAY too fast (it was a really steep hill), felt horrible after only the first three miles, and spent the next ten struggling with self-defeating thoughts. I feel so mentally weak--not to mention physically! My pacing was horrible, and my time was embarrassing! But through it all I learned some things . . .
Don't start out too fast!! (You know, that 'don't run faster than you have strength thing'.)
Run with a friend! (If I could have been more distracted from the discomfort I would have fared better, I think.)
Enjoy the beautiful scenery!! (Wow, it was gorgeous!)
Focus on my blessings!
Enjoy your friends! (Cathy Davis took me down, let me stay in her house, and bought me meals. We talked, laughed and cried a lot!!)
Run shorter races! (I really do not find the long stuff enjoyable, or addicting, like so many other people. I really enjoy the shorter faster stuff. I suppose I really am a sprinter, huh?)
Take more Gu--at least three for a half-marathon!
The night before I wrote a list of who I would run for each mile. It goes like this . . .
1. Shannon
2. Luke
3. Past, Present, Future
4. Kay
5. Lanette
6. My talents
7. My blessings
8. Cathy
9. Eric
10. Lizzie
11. Larry
12. LeeAnn
13. The Savior
I suppose it can be said that I did it! Maybe it was meant to be a humbling experience for me. Yet another one to let me know that I really am as a grain of sand.
I am carrying some baggage that needs to be put on the carousel and not picked up! I am doing that now. Can you see me? I am going to let some other poor sucker carry that around for the next twenty years or so, like me. How stupid! What is that baggage, you say? It is the baggage of being afraid to write anything down permanent-like. Because what could happen if I do? Someone might use it against me. They have evidence! And my words can be twisted! And I might be hurt, or even embarrassed. Did I already say, "How stupid!"?? This happened to me many years ago--someone I loved and trusted read my journal while I was gone. And I didn't hear the end of it for about 10 years. But I am here to say that I am leaving the baggage on the carousel, stepping on the tarmac, and jumping on the plane. I am going to journal. You realize this is only out of obedience to the prophet, though. I am not planning on making this a journal for the world to see. Maybe I will share my password with my husband so he can let my children read it when I am gone.
