Update # 1

So thought I would quickly update while I had a chance.
First update is what I've been doing craft wise.

Still plodding on with this piece. I could easily have had this finished, but I've been distracted.
Anyhow here's where I am at the moment.
Just have the bottom border to finish and then it would be finished, except I decided to add a couple of heart buttons to the two spaces above the bottom flower arrangements.
Do you think that will over load it?

I tried to get the metallics to show up better in this picture, but I don't think it's worked. :(  These are clickable pictures though and hopefully you'll be able to see it a bit in the larger version?

I've been distracted because I have been having another try at teaching myself crochet!

 

A neighbour of my mum's has lent me this book, so I'm doing my best to follow it, with the help of youtube tutorials on bit's I find hard to work out/understand.

Most of my efforts have been so bad they hit the bin, these are what have survived the cull so far!

A big problem I seem to have is going up a row in the round. I understand what it's telling me to do, but I'm not sure I'm inserting the hook in the correct place. My tension leaves alot to be desired as well.  SIGH!

I will carry on though and just keep trying. Surely it has to click into place in my head eventually!

I think I'm ok on the actual stitches, as long as I have the book to refer to, to remind me ... as I'm getting mixed up with American and English stitches, having discovered I've been trying to learn with tutorials on both!  Oops.

Well I have a big ball of this white wool to practice with, I'm saving my coloured yarn for when I can actually produce something worth keeping.

Any tips on learning to crochet that you could pass on, would always be welcomed and very much appreciated.

:)