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Crochet

Karen wanted to be crafty, she really, really did, but she was never any good at it. Even when she was a kid she could tell that her scribbles and macaroni art were just so below par. Her parents were always kind about it and, for a while, so were her teachers, but Karen always knew that her calling would never be with art.

This didn't mean that she didn't appreciate art though. She loved going to museums and art galleries and sculpture parks. She'd soak in the art and feel so inspired by the brush strokes or the camera angles or the intricate shapes the artists could create. Sometimes, she'd even get inspired to sign up for another art class, but then she would just find out she was as abysmal at art this time as she was the last time.

When she was dating, she always found herself drawn to artists and crafty people. Her first serious relationship was with Joanne, a photographer for the local newspaper. They hadn't lasted because her work took her too many places. Her next one had been with Billy, a sculptor. He had been so talented, but it turns out he wanted to be with someone he could create with and Karen, while talented in many other ways, was not artistic enough for him. Luckily, Karen then met Dakota. Dakota worked in a tailor's when they first met, but eventually worked up to being a well-known local fashion designer.

After Dakota and Karen had gotten married, Dakota kept trying to get Karen into arts and crafts. Dakota knew that Karen really loved art and wanted to have a hand in it. Karen loved Dakota and so she kept trying. She tried to do collage, but found the whole thing a giant mess. She then tried her hand at photography, but found she could never figure out the camera settings to actually capture the moments she wanted. She tried splatter painting and while that hadn't resulted in a great work of art, it had ended up in several very fun paint fight dates with Dakota, so not all was lost.

Finally, Dakota suggested that Karen try crochet. There were a ton of things you could to with it from practical items like hats to more sculptural items like creating little figurines. You could also use a real variety of colors and designs and so Dakota was sure that Karen would take to some aspect of it. They decided to do this one together, which normally Karen hesitated to do. She always feared because Dakota was artistic for a living that Karen's work would just pale so terribly in comparison.

They decided that their first project would be scarves. They were simple and practical and could be any color you wanted. To make things easy, they each went with one color. Dakota decided to make Karen a scarf in her favorite color: sky blue. Karen, while hesitant to do so, decided to make one in Dakota's favorite color: sunflower yellow. They bought the yarn, some books, and a few sets of crochet hooks and set off to work.

They mostly worked at the start in silence, but as time went on they began to do their work in front of the TV as they caught up on their shows. They also added some of their favorite podcasts into the mix. Dakota seemed to somehow work with incredible speed and also accuracy. Karen swore that Dakota slowed down when it was clear that Karen was lagging far behind. But, perhaps, this was just Karen's imagination.

As time went on though, Karen was becoming more and more proud of her work. The bright yellow was so lovely and Karen told Dakota that she might have to switch her favorite color to it. Dakota fake-pouted at that and held up the mostly-done sky blue scarf. They both laughed and carried on.

Finally, they had both finished their scarves and made the exchange. Karen happily modeled her pretty perfectly straight sky blue scarf. She twirled it around happily before giving Dakota a peck on the lips. Then came the moment that Karen had been dreading: it was time for Dakota to look at the yellow scarf. Dakota happily took the scarf from Karen and began to model it with Dakota's signature flair.

"I love the edges do this cool wavy thing," Dakota pointed out, holding the scarf up high and examining it closely. "It's also pretty even throughout, how'd you do that?"

Karen, who had no idea that she had done that or how, just said, "Ah does a real magician reveal her secrets?"

Dakota smiled, "You don't know, do you?"

"Nope."

"Well you're a natural crocheter then, my love!"

Karen smiled. Perhaps she was.

(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)

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