Since my last update, I have tried switching to the navy blue yarn and continuing to progress through the pattern I chose. Sadly, I’m disappointed with how it is turning out. I’d like to improve on creating a smoother transition between the yarn colours. I think I will frog the majority of what I’ve done so that I can re-do the colour transition section. I found this video which may be helpful for learning how to switch yarn colours. The shape of the toque also seemed very small for an adult size head, and I had reached the point where my rows were no longer increasing in size so the circumference of the toque was going to be too small. To correct this I tried to add in some more rows with increases but the toque began to take a strange shape. I’ve been hesitant to start frogging the project at this point because I know how tangled this yarn is going to get. Overall, I’m feeling discouraged but I’m hopeful that I can learn from these mistakes and try again eventually. Below is an updated photo of my project, which will require some work to correct the mistakes I mentioned.
On a more positive note, I am really proud of myself for using a pattern this time instead of a YouTube video. Feeling more confident using a pattern has opened a lot more doors for me in terms of projects I can try in the future.
I think if I had chosen a brand new hobby for this project, I may have enjoyed the learning process more. Instead I decided on a hobby that I had recently started and wanted to develop my skills in. I already knew that I enjoyed crocheting, but doing it for an assignment did take some of the enjoyment out of it for me. I was easily frustrated and lost patience when I was making mistakes, and not making any visual progress on my projects while also trying to meet a deadline. I felt like I needed to have something to show every week and felt discouraged when things were not going well. Whereas when crocheting on my own time, I was able to give myself the time and space I needed to take a break, and come back to the project when I had the desire. As I mentioned in my first blog post, I found crocheting was a great way to quiet my mind, and I never wanted it to become something that caused me stress or frustration. However, this process pushed me out of my comfort zone and because of that I learned a lot in a short amount of time. The tools I found most helpful as a beginner were definitely YouTube videos. It was very helpful to be able to watch someone demonstrate each step, and I could slow down, rewind and repeat the video as many times as I needed. Moving forward with crocheting I am grateful to have found websites like Lions Brand, that provide tons of free patterns for projects in the future.
My advice for future students would be to try something brand new. This is a great opportunity to explore and find new hobbies. I would also recommend doing something collaborative. For example, Christina made a new recipe each week and shared a treat with our class on Tuesdays. I looked forward to this every week! It was fun to be a part of her inquiry journey, and I think sharing it with us would help motivate her as well.
Overall, this was an enjoyable experience and I’m proud of myself for developing my crochet skills. This assignment challenged me and though it caused me frustration at times, I’m leaving with some valuable skills that will support me in my future crochet projects!