I can crochet!

I can no longer say that I don't know how to crochet.  January saw a lot of raining days down here in Houston, which I took advantage of on one particularly rainy and dreary afternoon.  I taught myself to crochet!  I started by following the directions for a sample granny square in the book Granny Square Love by Sarah London.  I used scrap yarn leftover from my potato chip scarf and a size G (4.0 mm) hook.  It was somewhat frustrating at first because, well, I was learning something new.  

Next up I crocheted a dishcloth using some really old stash yarn.  The yarn is Tahki Cotton Classic and the stitch is half double crochet (hdc).  The pattern was from the Granny Square Love book and is simply called a dishcloth.  I'd link to the pattern but it's not listed on Ravelry or anywhere else that I can find.  I've put the dishcloth to use since making it and while I love the look of the stitch pattern, the yarn isn't that absorbent of a cotton yarn.  I think it would make a better washcloth or scrubby towel.

I can honestly say that I am enjoying crochet.  Enjoying it enough that I'm jumping all the way in and am crocheting a cowl.  Yes, I am crocheting a cowl as part of the shop's (Park Avenue Yarns) first CAL of the year.  It's been a little bumpy crocheting the cowl, but I'm making progress and trying not to worry too much about my mistakes.  The hardest part so far has been joining in the right spot at the end of each round.  I may have accidentally decreased stitches, but I'm considering it all part of the learning process!  And until I get an in progress photo of the cowl, my project bag will have to do :o