It’s on my list, but I have three afghans to knit for my sister, a blanket for my son, and I’m going to tackle a knit top for myself. I’ve done simple crocheting, nothing more than chaining a loop to hook onto a pot holder, so it’s on My List.
Not to dissuade you from your project plans, but since crochet is about three billion zillion times faster than knitting, it might be well worth the investment of time for what you’d save on Afgans alone!
I’m a knitter from way back and wanted to crochet because of the interesting variety of stitches and the speed of construction. Alas, I was fine with flat items but I never manged to get the shaping right in order to make garments. I made a hat once, which would’ve been great if my head was shaped like Bert’s.
How funny - we might have passed each other and not known it! I went with the friend who taught me how to crochet. She is heavily into it. She wanted to crochet her wedding dress, so she did. And then she found a pattern she liked better, and crocheted that one too. She has some great pictures up here - monster-island.org
Susan
I picked up knitting and crochet when I was a kid, Grandma always had a project in her lap after supper, and it felt right to do the same. I also learned embroidery, crewl, and latch hook, but I never mastered tatting. I taught myself to knit Fair Isle patterned sweaters, and the Mile-A-Minute crochet afgans are fun, quick, and pretty.
I like to work with seed beads now, and if one culls the beads, one can work a crochet doily pattern in beads, they are very pretty!
Okay, obviously I [del]love beyond all reason[/del] like to knit. I actually learned to crochet first, when I was about 8. My grandma does and my mom knows how, but she’s more of an embroiderer. I learned to knit because I wanted to make socks, and stopped crocheting because all I could find were granny patterns, which even my grandmother refused to crochet because they were too dowdy. Now I like to do filet crochet for pillow edgings and lace motifs for bracelets and headbands. I’ve really gotten into lace lately. I did my first needlelace square a couple weeks ago and it was surprisingly easy.
For “funky” crochet patterns, a la Knitty:
Crochet Me. Check out the sushi toilet paper roll cover. The flower purse is also really cute. I made a little one to use as a powder compact cozy* in perle cotton. They also have articles and tips in each issue.
*I realize this is a dirty word for some people. Embrace the cozy. Please. You really should. Soon everything in your home can have its own whimsically shaped cozy, including (but not limited to) your SO. Who wouldn’t want their beloved to look like a flamenco dancer, complete with a knock-off Barbie doll for a torso?
I’ve been thinking about picking up tatting. Do you have suggestions or recommendations for learning how?
I love crocheting. It is soooo much faster and easier than knitting. As of late, I’ve been working at a yarn store to make ends meet before I get to revel in the glories of grad school, and the other girls that work there have been teaching me to knit. Well, I could do garter stich, but purl what? I still like crocheting much better. Right know I’m working on an afghan for my old roommate, laurelann. I never realized that that small an area could be that dense. Oy, I am not in love with the pattern, but alas, I let people pick their own when I make them something. They’re the ones that are going to have to live with it.
I’m in awe. I notice she made mention of Magic Crochet patterns, which I LOVE and can’t buy in the US. Will you please ask her her source?
The best possible thing would be to find someone who already knows how. Most of it is not difficult, but there is this one little tricky move of the fingers that you have to get in order to produce a tatting stitch instead of a simple knot. I learned out of a book, and it took me about 2 weeks to get the hang of that one motion. I am glad I stuck with it, although it was quite frustrating.
When you first try, be sure to use a reasonably large thread, like a size 10 or 20. By no means start off with the classic “tatting thread” which is something like a size 50.
This previously mentioned site has a video that may be helpful, although it runs a bit too fast.
Thanks, MLS. It’s greatly appreciated. I’ll get right on track of raising my great-grandmother from the dead . . . 
Seriously, I don’t know anyone who tats. Maybe I’ll have to see if there’s anyone at the local nursing home (um, that sounds kind of bad, but I don’t mean it that way) who does. I’d really dig getting a fiber arts circle together there.
Yes, it’s hard to find someone who knows tatting. After my mother died, my sister and I divvied up her stuff. I took the crocheting things, Sis took the knitting materials. Then we found the tatting supplies, and recalled her doing that, too, but neither of us had learned. On the theory that it was more like crochet I got the tatting. I was bound and determined to figure it out, and finally did, so it IS possible to do so from the pictures and descriptions. The video on that one website would give you a head start.
Nursing homes are usually dying (oops, poor word choice – make that “eager”) for volunteers. If you came on a visit and brought your crafts stuff to do while you visited, that might be a start. As you probably know, there are lots more women than men in most assisted living facilities, and many have physical rather than mental problems. If you’re serious, many facilities have a volunteer coordinator or community resource person that you could contact.
I’ve begun to teach myself most of the fiber arts I know from books and the internet and nothing has really clicked until I sat down with someone who knew how.
My grandmother, who is still going strong at sixty-mumblemumble, volunteers at the nursing home during their annual Balloon Fest (there’s a parade and hot air balloons), so she should be able to hook me up with contact information. I haven’t gone lately, since I’ve been in school on the other side of the state, but everybody was always so happy to have people visiting them. And I’m sure visiting would count towards the volunteer hours I need for my degree.
That sounds like a plan.
You don’t happen to live in or near New Jersey, do you?
No, I don’t. I’m solidly in the Midwest, only an hour from the Mississippi. I was tempted earlier to wail, “Why can’t MLS live in Wisconsin? Whyyyyyy?” Bummer.
I have been giving wistful glances at tattling shuttles recently, too, but I am so overwhelmed with the things I want to knit… of course that didn’t stop me from buying nine yards of quilting fabric yesterday, but you know 
I’m bad for that. I start a project, then I’m distracted by the shiny quilting fabric or the pretty new yarn.
I would like to state for the record that Baker is a goddess. She mailed me patterns, and I’m just aching for them to get here. Yay Baker!
Crocheting is where it’s at. It’s wonderful to be able to complete a project so quickly, especially when you use a “Q” hook[great big blue plastic thing] Baby blankets can be done in two days, one, if you really push it. It’s too big of a hook to do a double or triple, IMHO, makes a pattern much too open. We do want to keep out the chill, don’t we? Adult-sized afghans take a week or two, I like to make ‘em REAL big. The smallest metal hook I ever used was a “K”, better for the multi-stitches, but it takes so long to see anything get done. I haven’t bought yarn in about 6 months, told myself I’d try to use up almost everything I had on hand, before re-stocking. I’ve been crocheting furiously lately, so a shopping trip is on my fall calendar. I learned to crochet, after much sturm und drang in order to have a handwork project to take along to my weekly quilting bee. Sometimes I don’t feel like dragging my machine et al for just a coupla’ three hours, a plastic bag of yarns and a hook are much more portable and sensible. I’d advise any crafty person to give it a shot, but beware though, it is addictive.
Baker, thanks a ton! The patterns arrived this morning. Thank you thank you!