Not What I Had In Mind

You may remember when my support for the nascent women’s movement inspired me to walk in protest marches and to crochet pussy hats. Well, my enthusiasm for both the women’s movement and crochet have not diminished. My skill in crochet, however, continues to leave something to be desired.

I’m pretty good with toques (or beanies, or bobble hats), and I’m brilliant with blankets (or throws, or afghans), but I am less than exemplary when it comes to clothing.

I have already donated a home-crocheted grey cardigan to a thrift store, but I am afraid to go back into the store to find out if anyone actually bought it. At best, another crafter might have thought they could use the yarn if they picked the garment apart to unwind it. Actually, that is my hope. If they do, they will gain a lot more value in balls of yarn than they paid for the cardigan.

Then, a few weeks later, I received in the mail a kit for a knitted blanket/throw/afghan. It came because I had intended to order a crochet kit, but erred in my ordering. So now I was the recipient of several skeins of bright green yarn and a pattern I couldn’t follow. I was formerly a knitter, but now through a combination of wrist surgery and osteoarthritis, I prefer to crochet.

“No worries,” I thought, “I can make this work.” This has been a lifelong mantra which has proved to be a lot more productive than “Happiness is an act of courage” or “I am not my thoughts.” Not that there is anything wrong with either of those concepts, you understand. I just like to focus on what I can do, regardless.

Long story short, I made a cardigan again using the same pattern, but this time in bright green yarn instead of grey. I also adjusted the pattern so that it fitted me better. It was not so long in the body, the arms were shorter, and the front border was not so wrinkly. All-in-all it was everything the grey cardigan dreamed of being.

Brilliant!, I thought. I have made a wearable garment in an uplifting hue. Who could ask for anything more? Not only that, but I had sufficient yarn left over to make a small blanket; enough for a crib, perhaps. Boo-yah!

Then, the cardigan hung in my closest . . . for a long time. I have tried it on once in a while, but I have never actually worn it outside the house. It fits. It is quite well-made. It ticks all the boxes. But … I don’t like it.

Today I donated a few bags of items to the thrift store and among them was the small green blanket. I considered including the green cardigan, but I didn’t. I took it out of the closet, held it up to look at it, laid it on the bed, wondered what to do about it, and then I put it back. It didn’t go to the thrift store. I was half-afraid it would meet its grey cousin and they would swap notes on my ineptitude, so the green cardigan awaits future decision-making.

It you know of someone who might like a crocheted green cardigan with short sleeves, please let me know. I will happily pass it on to them. No charge.