Day Two went so much smoother than Day One. I’d already had my tea (a necessity if you know me), came to the yarn and hook with fresh eyes and an open mind – with only a slight bit of resentment. I started my project and made my 72 chains, started row one and got 70 (yes, I counted both to make sure they were right), then chained 2 and turned my work.

This is the part where I made a mess of it every single time. For some reason, I absolutely could not get the first piece down! Not ideal when the pattern just repeats itself for the entire blanket and there are a minimum of 48 rows for the length of a lapghan. However, I was not going to get discouraged this time. I was ready to tackle whatever it threw at me. I opened the video, watched the section I needed help with about four times, then gave it a go.

Row 2: 70 chains.

Row 3: 70 chains.

Row 4: you guessed it, 70 chains!

Woohoo!! I did it! I was practically jumping for joy. My husband and cats looked at me like I was insane, but I didn’t care! I was excited, surprised, impressed and yes, even proud. I accomplished one of the easiest things in crochet, yet I still felt amazing (just goes to show what perseverance and determination can do 😉 ) My husband told me he was proud that I stuck with it – my typical response is to get frustrated and walk away from a project for a ridiculous amount of time – and both my cats gave me a cute little slow blink (not sure if that was related to my crocheting or to giving them treats, but I was so happy I didn’t really care).

This project feels like more than just crocheting a blanket to me. It feels like I am starting to turn a new leaf in terms of how I respond to challenge. As much as I don’t like to admit it, I often back away when things get too difficult. I’ve used the phrase “this isn’t for me” or “I’m not good enough” for a lot of things in my life. I know a little crochet blanket that is only 4.5 rows long (I finished my first ball of yarn) doesn’t seem like it can be much, but it feels symbolic to me. I was disheartened and annoyed and wanted to say “this isn’t for me” but I didn’t. I gave myself a break and kept at it the next day. And you know what? I really enjoyed getting into it! I wouldn’t have felt that way if I had thrown it in a bag, stuffed it away, and forgotten about it for a while. I wouldn’t have the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment for finally getting the hang of it.

I wonder how many other things in my life I can put this mindset to and overcome? I guess there’s only one way to find out.

But first things first, I need to buy more yarn!