Author: Alyssa Hildebrandt

Well… I might have shot for the stars and fell back onto Earth. You are probably wondering what I mean and what this has to do with me learning how to crochet. Let me explain…

I think I overestimated my ability to make a pumpkin. I was so confident about finally finishing a project that I thought I could do anything now. I got a pattern online, watched numerous videos, and spent many hours on this over the past two weeks, and I have nothing. This picture below is probably the best representation I have of my pumpkin-making process.

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So, I was pretty discouraged because I thought my newfound skill would continue to progress, and after this week, I hit a halt. I think I might have overestimated myself, so now I am going to take on a smaller project with less complicated steps. I am going to make a coaster. I have yet to decide about the shape, whether it is going to be a circle or a square. I have been watching multiple videos and reading multiple articles. I just started crocheting randomly this week to remind myself of the steps and gain back confidence while doing this. I had been looking for tips to gain back confidence, and I have found some. However, if you have any tips to gain back confidence, I would appreciate them.

So, it is finally here… A finished product of mine. It only took me like seven weeks, but hey, I did it. My potholder is not perfect, but it does the job of not burning the sides of my counter. I will have to make my mom one, so maybe she will become a little less mad at me.

There is definitely room for improvement, as some of the stitches did not turn out the nicest, and in the picture, you can see how, on the side where I joined the two pieces together, it is quite messy. However, I feel like if I were to make another (for my mom), it would be done nicer, and I might be able to finish this quicker. I think this took me about 14 HOURS! I know it’s pretty long for something so small. But I remind myself every day that I am learning. It took every once of me not to trash it as I am not overly proud of the look but I continued, and now I have my first finished product.

 

I now apologize in advance for how bad this video is. I thought this was the best way to record myself stitching this together. However, as you can see, I was wrong. I also do not know what happened with my video and why it is very small on the screen. If you know why it went like this, please let me know!

Now that I am gaining confidence, I am going to try and create a pumpkin. A little ambitious. However, I will see how it goes! I am going to try and have it done before Halloween or right afterwards!

FINALLY! I hit a breakthrough and decided with my finished pink rectangle, and I made a pot holder… well, half of it. So, I accidentally burnt the side of my mom’s counter (she was unhappy) with a pot when making food. So, I think a pot holder would be sufficient to have beside the stove at my apartment to make sure I do not damage the counters.

Here are some of the steps that I took pictures of this week:

Well, this week, I decided to try looking at pictures and small videos to help remind me of the steps, which I often forget when I start crocheting. It seems as though my mind goes blank, and I forget what I have learned, I think I am relying on YouTube videos too much to remind me of the steps. Maybe I need to practice more or just sit and struggle a little bit before running to something that is comfortable for me. So, instead of a full-blown video, I found this great article that has little snippets of videos and some pictures that helped jog my memory. 

Now, to finish off this product, I have to stitch it together… Now, this will hopefully go smoothly (fingers crossed). Next week I will finally have my first finished product! After finishing this, I want to make a cute pumpkin. Since I have been seeing so many videos on TikTok for Halloween, I just have to try it.

You may be wondering why I used green with a variety of pink colours… Here are my reasons why:

• I only had the green and pink yarn (as I did not want to buy so many yarns and not use them)
• I thought of using the pink again but I got bored of the colour
• Lastly, I was too lazy to go out and buy something that would match the pink.

 

 

 

 

This week I had a challenge, when it comes to new apps and tools, I really struggle. Trying iMovie was definitely a challenge, and I can say I do not know all that is to know about this tool.

To get into this thing… this is what iMovie looks like at the beginning:

You start by creating a movie, which takes you to all these different settings. You can upload photos and video clips, create transitions, add audio amongst many other things.

 

All the tools are up at the top of the page where you can select what you want to add next, which makes it easy for students to upload from their Macbooks. I will admit it took me awhile to be able to figure this out and put the backgrounds and music exactly where I wanted it but overall it isn’t a bad tool once you know what you are doing.

My learning project took a hit this week, as I still have not been able to figure out what to do with the straight line I have. However, I have been practicing and coutinuning to work on the skills I have now.

SAMR Model:

Subsitituion:

• Using this in my classroom for subsitituion purposes, I would create videos for my students to watch on topics, at any point in the year. Instead of letting them watch a youtube video they can watch the iMovie that I have made.

Augmentation:

• For using this for augmentation purposes, I would have my students create a video as a class with my help. We can begin to go through the steps and tools together for students to have a better understanding of the app. We can decide as a class what needs to go in the iMovie for a certain topic and incorparate everyones ideas.

Modification:

• For the purposes of modification, students can create their own videos with peers or by themsleves giving them a chance to use the tool and create their own visual and audio study guide on a topic. They can have it for the whole semester, so when it comes close to a test it can help with their studying on the topic.

Redefiniton:

• For the purposes of redefiniton, students will create their own videos by themselves or with peers and can gain feedback by uploading them into youtube (on teachers account) to gain more knowledge on the topic that we are discussing and share their knowledge around iMovie to the rest of the world.

 

 

 

This week, I learned new tips and tools to continue my crocheting journey. Three major lessons were taught this week and have made me grow as an individual, not just in crocheting…

1. Never get too flustered while making a mistake.
2. Pay attention to the crocheting, which will help reduce the number of mistakes made.
3. Be proud of the skill that you are working on

I decided to try and make a granny square, which turned out more like a thicker line. At first, I was frustrated with all my mistakes and how they did not turn out how I wanted. But compared to last week, when I couldn’t even do a single line of crocheting, I am pretty proud of my progress.

As complex as this may look with all the multiple colours, I can assure everyone that only one ball of yarn has these multiple colours in it. As you can see, it did not come out as a square, but I might see if I can make something with this thicker line of crocheting I have done.

It amuses me to think that I do not learn well by reading steps and looking at instructions. However, I thought I would give it a try anyway. This week, I read an article on beginner crocheting to try something new. I think that videos are my best friend so far in this process. Being able to watch someone go through the steps over and over again for me to do at the same time has helped me retain the knowledge.

This week, I aim to finish this thick piece of crocheting and make it into something if I can!

Hey everyone,

For my learning project, I decided to learn how to crochet. I know how to knit, and I learnt from my grandma back when I was ten years old. She tried to teach me how to crochet but I never caught on, so I thought this would be the perfect thing to try and learn again. Not going to lie it’s been hard and I find it very different from knitting.

As of right now, I have just started to try and make stitches and see how far I can go without messing up. I am trying to make it take less time to make basic things than it did with this bit of crocheting. My end goal is to make my son a blanket for Christmas as a present. I started with a long video that I think took me about two hours to get through as I kept messing up. Hopefully, I will have something worthwhile to show of my process of learning. As of right now, I have ten stitches made.