Unraveling My Semester: My Crochet Semester in Review
Hi everyone, welcome to my 11th and final crochet learning post blog. At the start of the semester, we were asked to choose a skill, hobby, or anything our heart desired to learn by using online resources. I took this as an opportunity to finally learn how to crochet because I had seen videos all over my TikTok and wanted to try it out. Although I was nervous, I was also excited to potentially find a new hobby while blogging about my learning journey. Over the past 11 weeks, I have learned the basics of how to crochet, new crochet terms, and more using only online resources. Some of my favourite places to find tutorials include YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest. Although I did have some bumps in the road, such as a couple of late posts due to a busy school schedule, starting with the wrong size crochet hook, and even running into a yarn colour issue, I also had many amazing breakthroughs this semester that I will break down week by week below.
Week 1- One Stitch at a Time: A Beginners Journey to Crocheting
During week one, I decided I wanted to learn how to crochet, why I wanted to learn crochet, what resources I planned to learn from, and what my end-of-the-semester goals were. Did I meet my end goal? In a sense, yes, but also no. I had hoped to create some small projects, such as a headband, washcloth, and small stuffed animal. Then, move to a cardigan and blanket one day, whether in this class or later on, if I continued crochet after this class. Sadly, I never did end up doing all three small projects I aimed for due to my interest in learning more about the techniques, stitches, and other important aspects. However, I did start a blanket!
Week 2- Tangles to Triumphs: Week One Wrap Up
Using this YouTube tutorial, I practiced throughout the week and successfully created a little rectangular crochet piece. I remember finding this tutorial to be a good pace and beginner-friendly. I was so excited to have a breakthrough and couldn’t wait to continue learning how to crochet. I also found this headband tutorial and was going to attempt it.
Week 3- Continuing the Thread: My Ongoing Goals and Aspirations
I was still working on this headband and had also decided to try to make a granny square. I first followed this granny square tutorial from YouTube but struggled to follow it because I could not find out which stitch to insert my hook into. Looking back now, I don’t think that video worked for me because the brightly coloured yarn and bright white background made it hard for me to clearly decipher the stitches and proper areas to insert my hook.
Week 4- iStitches: Crochet Basics with iMovie Tool
This week, we were challenged to use a new tool to help us with our learning project or enhance it. Since it had been years since I last used iMovie, I decided to revisit the app and re-teach myself how to use it. To tie it into my learning project, I made a basic crochet tutorial showing how to make a slipknot, how to chain, how to single-stitch crochet, and how to ‘erase” a stitch if you needed to redo it. This video also became the first YouTube video I have ever uploaded (unlisted) titled Crochet Basics. I enjoyed this activity because I got to showcase the crochet skills I had fully developed up to this point, and I used iMovie to help enhance how I showcased these skills. This week also reminded me why I chose crochet and how excited I was to continue.
Week 5- Crochet Inspiration: Finding Patterns to Start the Next Project
This week, I was lost as to what project to start and torn between a couple of different blanket patterns. I was also still researching different aspects of crochet, such as the different crochet stitches and different crochet hooks. Researching this information was important because the one blanket I wanted to choose required knowing how to double crochet. The two websites I found with information on hook sizes and different crochet stitches were quite helpful.
Week 6- From Skein to Snuggle: A Beginner’s Crochet Blanket Making
I finally decided on my big project. I decided to follow this blanket tutorial, which I found easy to follow as someone who was still fairly new to crocheting. The blanket required me to master double crochet, which I was already a bit familiar with from attempting to make a granny square a couple of weeks prior. I was using fluffy yarn for the first time, so it was a bit weird to get used to since it would fall apart occasionally. I completed one row of my blanket this week and was excited to continue.
Week 7- Blanket Chronicles: Beginner Blanket Update
This week, I was busy working on my blanket and felt confident about the speed at which I was working. My tension control had improved tremendously, and I felt confident when doing double crochet. I put myself and my skills to the challenge by crocheting during class. I wanted to test myself to see how well I could focus in class while ensuring I wasn’t making any mistakes in my blanket. In week one, I mentioned how one of my reasons for choosing crochet was to keep my hands busy because I tend to fidget a lot. I was happy to report that I could keep my hands busy crocheting while being fully attentive in class.
Week 8- Weaving Wonders: A Deep Dive into Expanding My Crochet Repertoire
This week, I took a step back from my blanket updates and talked about my progress in learning how to make a magic ring and read crochet pattern charts. I found a few helpful resources to strengthen these skills while working on my blanket.
Week 9- Wrapped in Progress: Blanket Update and Two Skills Stitched into Success!
This week, I had an exciting blanket update. I officially made three balls of yarn into my blanket, and it looked fantastic. Using videos on TikTok, I learned how to switch yarn skeins in the middle of a row and how to change yarn colours at the start of a new row.
Week 10- Elevate Your Crochet Game: The Magic of Blocking
The last week of my project had an unfortunate ending because I purchased the wrong shade of grey yarn, which threw a wrench in my plans to finish my crochet blanket. I did end up getting the yarn exchanged, but not in time for the post. I also started learning how to do granny square blocking and how to make an easy DIY blocking board at home using TikTok and Pinterest videos.
Final Thoughts:
After looking back and reflecting on my progress from week one to the present day, I am extremely proud of myself and how far I have come along with crocheting. I was nervous when I first chose to learn how to crochet, but I am so happy I did. I find it to be challenging enough at times to get my brain thinking but also easy enough to sit and watch a show or visit with family while actively crocheting. I never really had a hobby, but now, moving forward, I will continue to crochet as my hobby. I absolutely enjoy relaxing in the evening and crocheting. I thought learning how to crochet using only online sources would be a bit challenging as I am not the most technologically advanced, but I learned how to find tutorials that worked well for me and gained more technology skills throughout the semester. Thank you for following along on my crochet journey this semester!