With all the free time in the summer, you have to find some way to spend the time. Whether it be running, biking, painting, drawing or another of one of the many assortment of potential hobbies. This summer, the hobby I decided to pick up to combat summer boredom was crocheting.
I had been wanting to learn how to knit or crochet for some time, mostly for the incentive of making little animals for my friends, but having so much free time was the final push. My mom gave me a piece of paper with different types of stitches, a crochet hook, some yarn, and left me sitting on the couch to figure it out on my own. I attempted to make a small square. After a few rows, however, it morphed into a shapeless blob and I changed course. I rounded out the shapeless blob, built up the sides, and formed it into a cinchable bag of sorts. Shortly into learning how to crochet, I had already created a pinterest board for the hobby, which was the ultimate mark of my interest.
The first real project I decided to make was a snake. I followed a video tutorial and created a yellow snake (who I later named Banana). The trickiest part of crocheting Banana was learning how to sew on eyes, although a close second was finding a way to finish the project without it looking weird.
I learned a lot of new phrases while I was discovering the world of crochet crafts. I picked up the word ‘amigamuri’. My understanding of the word is a small stuffed animal that’s been crocheted. I also learned the names of a few different stitches and how to do them. After my second project, I decided to learn how to read crochet patterns, which opened up a whole new world of phrases, abbreviations and names of stitches. A couple examples of stitches are ‘sc’, which means single crochet, ‘ch’ which means chain, and ‘dc’ which means double crochet. The crochet world is chalk full of different expressions and methods.
I was also introduced to one of the biggest woes of crocheters (and knitters) everywhere; the price of yarn. Just buying one ball of yarn can get expensive, and most crocheters want quality yarn to create their projects with, which can get expensive. Buying more and more yarn, the price will eventually ramp up to a very problematic number.
I’m currently working on crocheting a small amigamuri raven for one of my best friends. It’s the most ambitious project I’ve worked on so far. I’m only 12 rows into the raven and have already gotten stuck on a part of the pattern.
In the future, I have many hopes for projects; I want to make a sweater of some sorts, learn how to read patterns more efficiently, make more and more little creatures, and so, so much more. I would also like to find a more efficient way to count stitches, because that is the most difficult part of crocheting for me so far.
Although picking up the brand new language of crocheting and learning the art has been challenging, the joy and pride I get when I finish a project is one hundred percent worth it.