The Unsuccessful Crochet-er

I'm not sure why, but while on maternity leave (as if I didn't have enough to do) I decided to try to teach myself how to crochet. My dad's mother, my Annie, was a literal Wiz at crocheting. She made lovely, warm afghans and beautifully, delicate snowflakes and bells that we hung on our Christmas tree. She's been on my mind a great deal lately, so maybe that was what inspired me.

I am sad to say though, that no matter the extent of my inspiration, I have been unable to get the hang of it. I've mastered the chain stitch of course. Easy. But if I try to single crochet, or heaven forbid, double crochet, it all goes... as my English friend Rosie Bee would say, it all goes pear shaped. I even watched some crochet videos on YouTube, which helped, but didn't really convert me from novice to just better than a novice. This is all made even more complicated by the fact that I can't seem to concentrate enough to read a proper crochet pattern. Mommy brain, I guess.

So what to do? I may just take a class! But still, I must find hands free time to crochet. And with a 3 month old, house projects, endless mounds of laundry, etc., I'm afraid that kind of time is not easy to find. I'll be returning to work in 19 days. Perhaps I can start crocheting on the Metro. Thirty minutes-ish back and forth each day ought to give me enough concentrated time to lay down a few rows a day... no matter how slow and awkward I am, yes?