Month: October 2024

Now that I have learned all of the foundational stitches, it is time to move onto the fundamentals that I can use for almost any plushie. This week I tackled the magic ring/loop, slip stitch, front loops only, and back loops only techniques. The magic ring/loop was the most difficult technique out of the four (the other three techniques I did are slight variations of stitches I have already learned). The magic ring/loop is held together only by your hands at the beginning and can fall apart if you lose hold of any part of the yarn. Once you get your fingers to cooperate and create the anchor point, you then have to create whatever number of single (us)/double (uk) crochet stitches that your pattern asks for. This part is difficult because the circle you have now created can turn, wiggle, and warp in whatever way it wants. You just have to deal with whatever it throws at you. However, the last step makes the struggle worth it because pulling the loop closed is insanely cool and magical. Watch the compilation video below to see me demonstrate these new skills.

This shows the base row of chains and the first row of double crochet (us) in a v formation.

I had a lot of success this week with learning all of these techniques, hence why I learned so many in just one week. Granted, these techniques do not require a bunch of steps in order to learn, and the source that I used was very straightforward. The Woobles company is well known in the crocheting space for creating such a large and widely accessible library of crochet tutorial videos. The videos target people who have never done crocheting, and I think that the videos they created can teach most people anything from the simplest stitches to the most complicated techniques. The videos were made to be teaching tools and would be really helpful to someone just starting out. For me personally, they contained information that was a bit redundant at this point in my learning journey, but that just means that I am definitely learning and progressing.

Each of the v’s of double crochet has 6, 8, or 10 double crochet stitches in it. this gives it the rounded petal look.

I do want to warn people about one thing though. The Woobles plushie kits are insanely expensive. When I was looking for sources that I could use to create plushies, I remembered that Woobles existed and wanted to at least check it out. Single Plushie kits cost anywhere from $35-$45 Canadian, and the cheapest bundle I could find had four plushies at a price of $140 Canadian (plus shipping costs probably). That is insanely expensive when you can just find free patterns and use the Woobles tutorials for free. Once I realized that the tutorials were free, I definitely was not going to spend that much money. I did spend roughly $55 dollars on cheap yarn and stitch markers, but I can use those materials for far more than just 4 plushies.

Here is a side view of the finished rose.

However, this week’s events are not over yet. I really wanted to create something by crocheting, and I happened to stumble upon Hopeful Turn’s How to Make a Rose Video. It was easy to follow, and I was able to execute new stitches alongside her. The video could even be used to create different sizes of roses. You just had to adjust how many of each stitch you were doing in order to create those different sizes. I just did the size she demonstrated in the video, because it was the middle size and I was unsure how difficult making it would actually be. However, there are some cuts in the video. Hopeful Turn does not show themselves doing all of each row, and you really have to know your terminology in order to understand each step. Hopeful Turn also writes out the pattern abbreviations of each step, so I got a bit of practice with reading and deciphering patterns (I’ll definitely need that for the plushies).

Top view of the finished rose.

The process of creating the rose did take some time, but it went smoothly once I had figured out how to do for each row. I finished the rose within 2 hours (I think), and I think it turned out pretty good! I am proud of myself for trying it and proud that it also looks good. It makes me feel like I will be able to tackle plushies easily enough once I finish my list of must-do plushie techniques. I really can’t wait to start the plushies at this point. I had so much fun doing the rose, and I just know that the plushies will be a fun challenge!

Up Next: Stitch Increases and Decreases for the single, half-double, and double stitches, invisible versions of increases and decreases, and how to use a stitch marker.

Rose cat says, “Have a good day!”

This is how a video with music, voiceover, and captions looks in the mobile editor.

As the title states, I decided to use Instagram Reels to vlog my learning progress this week. I doom-scroll on there all the time, why not try to figure out another aspect of the app? I used this Riverside webpage to guide me through the video creating and editing process. I first used the webpage to see how easy it would be to figure out Instagram, and I chose to do it on the app since the process was outlined very well on the webpage. The webpage has up-to-date pictures as of writing this and clear instructions that made recording and editing right in the app easy.

This timer was the bane of my existence for a bit.

However, I did encounter a number of roadblocks and issues. First off, I had issues with the video cutting off before I wanted it to. I realized that this timer in the left-hand-side menu on the recording screen was automatically cutting off the video at a certain time, which was creating a great deal of frustration for me. I set it to 90 seconds (I assume) and I had no further issues. I could now cut off the video at the exact time I wanted to. What was convenient was that I could choose the speed at which certain sections of the video would play at any point during the creation of the video. I could change it in the editing phase or set it to 2x speed before I even began recording.

See the very top of the photo for the obscured captions.

Then came the issues with the captions. Instagram can auto-generate captions, which is an amazing feature. However, the auto-generation has its faults. It can generate the wrong words (wait instead of weight for example), but that can be fixed manually word by word. The biggest issue I ran into was that the captions refused to generate during the first 15 seconds of my video, and I could not find a way to fix it. I could not add them manually, and I could not find a video to guide me through that process. As far as I understand, it’s just the auto-generation not working as intended. This issue made me wonder whether or not it would properly pick up on the words of people speaking with different accents. The other issue I encountered was the placement of the captions. The editing tools ensured that I did not place the captions behind the information that usually covers the bottom of Instagram Reels, but did not tell me that it would be covered by text on the top. The video I linked below shows the most readable version of those captions, because the app will not let you go back and edit the video after you passed the editing stage or after you have posted it.

I also was not able to download the video to my Camera Roll after it had been posted. This can only be done during the editing stage apparently, and I forgot to download it before I posted it. I tried to find a way to go back so that I did not have to screen record a worse version, but I was unsuccessful. So, the video I posted to YouTube for easy access is a screen recorded version.

The bottom shows the volume slider that adjusts the music’s volume.

The volume button is on the bottom-left, and the delete button is cut off on the bottom-right.

What I think is a great feature of the editing deck is the ability to adjust the volume of the music that is added to the background of the video. All you have to do is select the music so that it has the yellow outline, select the volume button at the bottom left of the screen, and adjust the volume on the slide. I needed to use this feature as the music I selected was way too loud and nearly drowned out my talking. I turned it down to 5 (probably a little low but I wanted my voice to be heard easily) and it worked beautifully. The only issue is that I had to select a new song for the last 15ish seconds of the video as Instagram won’t let you play a certain piece of music for more than 90 seconds even if it is copyright free. When you select the music, a voiceover section, or video section, there is always the ability to delete it in the bottom right and choose/record something else.

Despite all of the faults I have outlined, Instagram Reels can still be a useful, and fun to use, tool once you have a bit of practice with it. Generally speaking, it is simple, straight forward, and easy to use. I am certain that I could have fiddled around with the editing deck and figured out everything on my own even if I did not have that helpful website. Also, Instagram Reels are easily accessible to a lot of people regardless of whether you are creating or just scrolling. If you have a phone and an Instagram account, that is all you need to get started.

In the Classroom, I think that something like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, or TikToks could be used for short videos that succinctly show a student’s understanding of a concept, topic, etc. Depending on the assignment, this form of content could be used regularly at both the Modification and Redefinition stages of the SAMR model. It could be used to create short news videos for a journalism class, movie trailers for novel studies, a method of advertising for an entrepreneurship class, used for a science-related PSA, used in place of a short reflection on a part of history the student has learned about (this would be at the Augmentation stage), and more. Social media is a powerful tool that our students will likely be engaging with for long periods of time every day. Why not integrate lessons on how to use it into our teaching? We already should be teaching them tips and tricks to use for them to be safe on those platforms, why not help them to practice those skills during an assignment? Plus, I think that these assignment options could be more fun for students to do and can bring some much-needed variety into the assignment pool that you, the teacher, are pulling from.

Note: The resource I used for my learning project was Bella Coco’s wonderfully informative videos once again.

Up Next: Magic Ring, Slip Stitch, and maybe Stitch Increases and Decreases

Once I had mastered the chain and double crochet stitches last week, I moved on to the treble and half-treble crochet stitches (known in the US as the double and half-double stitches). Bella Coco’s videos were, once again, very informative and decently easy to follow. However, I began to learn the treble crochet late at night when I was running on fumes, so I did not quite grasp every step that I needed to do at the time. I was also getting frustrated frequently, because learning a new pattern with several new steps and sleep deprivation isn’t exactly easy.

The incorrect square is on the left, and the corrected square is on the right.

The next night I foolishly decided that I had grasped every step, and, without re-watching the video, I created my 1^st treble crochet square. I realized that I had messed up on the first square when I moved on to learning the half-treble crochet stitch, so I went back and re-did it to ensure that I understood the process. As you can see to the left, the 1^st square has edges that are a bit wavy compared to my 2^nd treble crochet square. There were two critical errors that I made. For the stitch at the end of each row on the failed square, I grabbed a whole stitch instead of a loop. This caused the row below it to be pulled upwards and back into itself, which contributed to the wavy sides. The second error I made was where I started each row. I was starting the stitches on the closest hole instead of the second one over. This caused there to be too much yarn on that side of the row, making it so that the area jutted out of the piece. The newer, more correct treble square has softer edges and corners, and the waves that appeared on the incorrect one are noticeably absent.

My Half-Treble square with no issues (I hope).

I took a couple of nights off from crocheting before I went back to properly learn the half-treble stitch and commit to creating a square with it. I wanted to be sure that I was well-rested and mentally ready so that I could cope with my frustration and be able to grasp what I needed to do. My pre-planning seemed to work as the process went a whole lot smoother than the treble crochet incident. Once I had fixed the mistakes I made with the treble crochet stitch pattern, I had already prevented the mistakes that I could have made with the half-treble crochet stitch. The half-treble stitch is the same as the treble, except you just pull through all of the loops at the same time instead of going through them by twos. I created the half-treble square soon after I had started practicing, because I felt more than confident in my abilities.

I am happy to report that my stitch-counting abilities have improved greatly since my post last week. I can now confidently count how many stitches are in a row. My row counting abilities are getting better but are not where I would like them to be yet. I still get confused and am still mostly relying on the fact that I remember how many rows I counted out when I created with them. I hope it starts to get better, because I will have to rely on those abilities when I am trying to follow patterns. I am also getting more comfortable with the flow of crocheting. I no longer feel like my hands aren’t working the way I want them to, and I am starting to turn my hook in the same way that Bella Coco does. I just started turning the hook to face the bottom of the loops I am pulling through, because it made it easier to get the hook all the way through. I realized that that is also what Bella Coco was doing during my half-treble learning session.

As I mentioned last week, I learned about different types of yarn. This week, I figured that I should determine what types of yarn I would need for the plushie patterns I have selected. I am going to the city this week, so I wanted to know what yarn to look for when I am there. I know that I did not want to buy anything for this project, but I am finding that I really like crocheting. I am sure that I will want to continue learning and creating things after this class is over. Plus, the plushies that I want to create will look really bland if I only used the white yarn that I have.

My list of yarn types for the plushies and colours to look out for.

Most of the patterns I have chosen ask for 8 ply/Light Worsted yarn, which I have learned is a pretty standard size for most crochet things. I will be buying all or most of the yarn in that size due to its ability to be used for many creations (and the fact that I do not need a huge cauldron plushie). The last thing I would want is to buy a bunch of yarn that I do not end up using. If I buy any other yarn, it will be one or two spools of different colours in the 3 ply/Sock/Fingering yarn size or 4 ply/Fingering/Sports yarn size.

However, I ran into some trouble while attempting to figure out what I needed. Some patterns referred to the yarn needed as being “DK”, “Weight 3”, or “3-Light Weight”. Those terms weren’t on the Crafty Arts Table from last week, and I was really confused. I decided that I needed to look it up and stumbled upon the Herrshners’ website, which explained that these were even more terms used to refer to 8 ply/Light Worsted yarn. So many terms to learn about and keep track of!

Once again, I can’t wait to tell you about what I learn next! As long as all goes well, I will be starting to move into phase two of my learning journey. I only have one more basic stitch to learn before I move on to plushie-specific stitches!

Up Next: Double Treble, Magic Ring, (maybe) Slip Stitch, and a Yarn Haul (if I can find it and it’s not too expensive)

Bella Coco’s playlist was the resource that I used to begin my learning journey this week. I watched her chain video first, which also taught me about slip knots, how to hold the piece I was working on, and, most importantly, which hook to start with. (Yes, I did not even know what all of the different hooks were for.) I picked up the packaging the white yarn came in, like she had told me to do, and found what hook I needed on it. As I picked up my 6mm hook, I wondered if it would even be big enough to hold onto the thick yarn. I fumbled with the yarn long enough that it certainly felt that way.

The crochet hooks from Mom. Second one from the right is the 6mm one.

This is the hold that works the best for me.

I completed my first slip knot quite easily (although I still struggle with remembering how to do it), but learning how to do the chain properly was interesting. The process made logical sense to my brain, but translating that into my hands was a challenge. My hands are quite small (like smaller than most of the kids I teach kinda small), and I had to adjust my tension hold on the yarn since her version was not working for me. Through much practice, I finally got my hold and technique acceptable enough to create the chain without much difficulty. However, the chains were sometimes completely different sizes and some had to be redone along the way due to them being too tight for the hook to pass through. This means that I could not get my yarn tension to be consistent. I went back to the video and noticed that she used the widest part of the hook to size the loops, and I found that the trick worked wonders! With my clumsiness lessened through practice and the yarn tension issues resolved, I was able to create long chains with consistent loop sizes very quickly.

The top looks longer than the bottom. (i.e. it is warped)

After taking my time with practicing the crochet chain, I wanted to go to the next step. According to Bella Coco’s playlist, the next thing I should learn was the Double Crochet stitch. The whole square started with a chain, so I was off to a great start there. But, I still had to figure out how to adjust my grip to a piece that was now more than just a single row. That hurdle stumped me for a while, and I felt like a child trying very hard, but mostly failing, to refine my fine motor skills. All of the new yarn volume was throwing off my groove. Additionally, I was making my chain row way too tight to fit my hook through, so the extra chain practice actually hurt me in the end. The too-tight-chain also warped that edge of the square and was impossible to fix unless I went back and redid everything. The theme of too-tight-ness continued as my 1^st double crochet row became too tight for me to create the second row. Loosening the tension on the yarn felt wrong at first, but it helped me to actually move past row one of double crochet and create something that looked better overall.

Side Note: Bella Coco’s videos were clear and concise and partnered well with my way of learning, although her hands did get in the way at times. If we had technology that could make a crochet piece hover and not have anything obstruct the view of it, it might have helped me a little bit more. Also, there was no distracting music in the background, so I was able to focus on what I had to do pretty easily.

Once I completed the first double crochet square, I decided to challenge myself by using the smaller, pink yarn to do another double crochet square. However, the packaging of the yarn did not tell me what hook I needed to use this time, and I had to look up “what crochet hook to use with 3 ply yarn”. I stumbled upon a very informative table on the Crafty Arts website, which shows the UK, US, and the AUS and NZ term equivalents for yarn weight, that solved my problems. I found my 3mm hook and got to work.

The table also made me wonder whether or not I had the right yarn weight for the projects that I wanted to do. What yarn weight/thickness would I even need? (That’s a topic for another week 😉.)

My two double crochet squares. Less heavy/thick yarn=more difficulty.

Transferrable Skills I Need to Keep Working On:

• Counting Stitches: Counting stitches is very important in crocheting, because you will not know what point you are at in your creation if you do not keep track. (I am slightly dreading the point at which I will be creating circles for plushies, because circles don’t exactly have edges.) Currently, I have to count the stitches as I go and take all of them out if I forget what number I’m on. I am hoping to eventually be able to recognize all of the stitches and count them without having to do all that.
• Counting Rows: This is very similar to counting stitches, although I straight up cannot do it yet. The one thing I have learned is that I should not count the chain line. I accidentally did this when creating my double crochet squares, so there are only 9 rows in each square instead of the 10 I was aiming for.
• Learning the Difference Between US and UK Terms: Besides the chain, there are different terms that the US and UK use for stitches. For instance, the Double Crochet stitch that I have been mentioning is the UK term. In US terms, it is called a Single Crochet. I will be using UK terms throughout this blog, but I will always try to point out what the US equivalent would be. I also have to be careful when watching videos or following patterns as the US and UK Double Crochet are very different things.
• Keep Practicing the Stitches: Simply put, I will hopefully get better at the stitches as I continue to practice them.

Next Up: Treble Crochet and Half-Treble Crochet

I am genuinely so excited to continue learning about crocheting, and I can’t wait to let you know about what I do next!

P.S. I also want to credit Caitlyn Hartman for inspiring me to create and imbed my own video examples!