My goal by this week was to complete the bulk of my toque and I am glad that I was able to complete it entirely! I had to redo the same section over 3-4 times as I kept losing a stitch as the rows progressed. I’m still not sure how this can happen when I’m using stitch markers. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if I’m just increasing the tension or losing a stitch, either way I noticed the shape getting gradually smaller and I had to frog many rows and start over.

Here is a visual I created to represent this process. 

I’ve also noticed that the more I kept frogging the yarn the harder it became to work with, and the easier it knotted. This increased my motivation to minimize my mistakes along the way. I also began to worry that I made the rectangle too long (76 stitches), and I was right. The completed toque is a bit larger than I had hoped for, but I am still able to wear it proudly on my chilly February walks! I’m glad I’ve been recording all these hiccups along the way so I can prevent the same mistakes in my next project. Here is a photo of the bulk of my toque before I shaped it, and the completed product!

I didn’t learn any new crochet terms this week so I found one on this website. 

Amigurumi is the word for crocheted stuffed toys. The word is a portmenteau of the Japanese words — ‘ami’ meaning ‘crocheted or knitted’, and ‘nuigurumi’ meaning ‘stuffed doll’. 

Next week I plan to start making a toque for my partner, challenging myself to incorporate 2 colours and try a new pattern.