granny gone wild

In the midst of growing a human being, I decided that I also needed to acquire the mad skill of crocheting.  It has come more naturally than knitting ever did, but the patterns have proven to be quite humbling.  They make me feel completely inadequate in the realm of counting.  Yes, counting.  I apparently calculate simple numbers differently from a) everyone else or b) everyone who writes crochet patterns. 

tiny newborn pillowcase dress with wonky booties...that look perfectly even in this photo

At any rate, I've fumbled through some itsy bitsy baby booties for soon-to-be-baby-girl to wear home from the hospital (or to wear after being born at home...this is currently a topic sparking many hours of internal debate) and this baby blanket.  Or is it technically an afghan?  What it is for certain is a big 'ole granny square in some very exciting colors.

giant granny square (but still baby-sized) afghan

This blanket has refined my double crochet stitch through the simple act of constant repetition, and it looks pretty fancy (from a novice's standpoint).  And by that I mean that it isn't a solid rectangle of fabric.  One of my beginner books starts out with pages of dishtowels, which makes sense but seems so incredibly boring.  There's a single crochet dishtowel and a half-double crochet dishtowel and a double crochet dishtowel...snooze town.  I got through a three inch strip of the single crochet dishtowel and threw it in my yarn box to be tossed at a later date or factored into a future project.  I prefer the method of learning that involves running before walking.  Patience is no virtue of mine.