Category: Learning Project

When I reflect on this learning project, I can conclude that I am not very good at crocheting… BUT I did learn a whole lot about the Internet, technology, and the world of online learning. 

One of the first things I learned is how difficult it is for me to follow directions that are only written. I knew I was more of an auditory learner when it comes to information processing and memory, but I am surprised with how much easier it was for me to follow instructions when I could visually see the steps being done. I found that the easiest patterns to follow were ones that were demonstrated visually and spoken. The most difficult patterns to follow were ones that were just written. The differentiation in my own learning reinforces the importance of providing variance when delivering instructions to students. 

Another aspect of my learning through this project is the development of my video editing skills. I have wanted for a while to learn how to better edit videos, but one of my problems was what? What can I film so that I can learn to edit? Insert learning project. I had something to film and a space to learn something, fail, try again, and develop techniques in the video editing space. Through what I have learned, I have been shooting, editing, and posting other types of content which brings me so much joy (here is a link to my most recent TikTok that is not about crochet, but demonstrates what I have learned about editing). I have been having a lot of fun with video content on social media! Social media proved itself to be a great resource for learning a new skill, and I continue to use social media as a place for inspiration regardless of the avenue. 

One last concept I learned about is that it is okay if things don’t work out. Failure is a blessing and a lesson. As an ‘I need to be good at everything I do’ person, this is a big step. I am not good at crocheting, but does that mean I can’t just enjoy the process even if my projects look like balls of tangled up yarn? No. I can make tangled yarn messes if that’s what my little heart desires! 

All in all, I learned quite a lot through this process, both about technology and about myself. 

 

Thanks for following along friends, cheers!

It seems that in the hubbub that is Winter semester, I forgot to post this absolute masterpiece*! How could I? 

*in my, humble, opinion

I remember working very diligently on this square, and I am delighted with how it turned out. I adore the dimensional detail in the flower petals and the overall style of the square. I followed a Youtube video for this retro granny square that was unbelievably informative. I remember thinking that if someone entirely brand new to crocheting picked up a hook and watched this video, they would likely be able to follow along. The creator explained and demonstrated each step in detail; it really was like making the square with someone there to guide you. 

If you are new to crochet, I would definitely recommend checking this video out! 

I have recently been working on making Sully (my dog) a hat! Since the bandana went over so well with him, I decided to work on something else for him. I have been enjoying these projects because I am making them for someone other than myself, and because they are smaller in scale and easier to work on with the busy schedule of a student. 

The pattern I am following is written and not a video like I usually like, but it is somewhat easy to follow and is helping me retain the crochet lingo and abbreviations. I also adapted the pattern a little bit to better suit my skill level, such as only using one colour instead of switching yarn colours and creating an unnecessary mess that has the potential to become frustrating. I am also trying to remember to not get caught up by the small stuff. Creating is the goal not perfection. 

I haven’t quite finished the hat yet, but I will likely get a chance once finals and spring cleaning have both wrapped themselves up! 

Here are some photos of the unfinished hat, so you can kind of get an idea of what it is going to look like. I think Sully will approve, but what do you think? Will the hat be up to his standards?

After my little pause on crochet projects, I was inspired to return to the basics after watching this TikTok video explaining some crochet basics. I decided to crochet a few rows as a fidget while being mindful of the basics, and WOW I improved! It’s interesting when something becomes easier by simply hearing it explained in a different way. This is something I often think about when working on skills with kids, but rarely apply to myself. It’s definitely something to be mindful of in the classroom. 

The TikTok that I watched was awesome, because the creator went slowly and fully explained each step. There were so many tips and tricks I either picked up or forgot were necessary, like holding the proper amount of tension on the yarn. I definitely prefer learning crochet through TikTok or Youtube because of how easy it is to pause the video and rewind if necessary, as opposed to Instagram reels. 

When I started feeling confident in my basic skills again, I looked up a tutorial on how to make a dog bandana. I came across this video which caught my attention due to the title claiming it was beginner friendly. I definitely agree with the title, because it was super simple to follow! I really liked that the creator emphasised throughout the video that it’s okay if every stitch doesn’t line up, and “try your best to…, but if you don’t that’s okay”. I definitely gained confidence in my skills and didn’t feel like if it wasn’t perfect I’d have to start again. Perfectionism is likely a culprit in my previous crocheting aversion, but no longer is. 

Now, please enjoy this photoshoot of my doggo (Sully) in his brand new, adorable bandana!

Friends, I have been totally neglecting my crocheting… At first, I wasn’t exactly sure why I was struggling so much with actually spending time crocheting, but I think I’ve finally put my finger on it. When I began crocheting, I was just practicing stitches and repeating patterns to consistently improve upon the basics of crochet. After practising these things for a while, I tried to advance to more complicated patterns and have been really struggling with these. I do have a bit of a tendency to get frustrated when things get tough, and I think I just need to push through the mud and keep attempting these more complicated patterns, or I need to go back to the basics. 

Another reason I’ve been procrastinating my crocheting is because I am having a difficult time finding patterns that are informative enough for me as a beginner, but more challenging than the patterns I began with. For example, I have been working on this turtle pattern for a little while now, and I am having a difficult time getting the sizing and stitch count to be exact. One issue might be the bulky type of yarn I am using. It is pretty challenging to determine where the stitches are with this type of yarn, so I find myself having to restart and recount my stitches quite frequently. 

So far, I only have two flippers complete, but I will update here when I have more of my turtle done. 

Cheers! 

This week I tried using AI for the first time! I thought I should film the process for this class, so behold, my reaction to ChatGPT!

For those not wanting to watch a 12 minute video of me saying “wow” and “oh my goodness” repeatedly, here are the highlights. I found my way to ChatGPT and asked for recommendations for facial cleansers, hair products, and lipstick! I set parameters for all of the products that they had to be “affordable” and available in Canada. I went further for the facial cleanser to ask for ingredients that are similar to one another. I was shocked with the results! After I asked for the lipstick and lipliner recommendations, I was running errands anyway and decided to purchase what ChatGPT recommended and compare it with the product I asked for a similar option for. Well, ChatGPT did warn me that there wouldn’t be an exact match, but I think I could have found a closer match and you can see my comparison at the end of the video. 

To record my screen I used Screencastify and I used my phone to record myself. In hindsight, I should have used the tool within Screencastify to record both my screen and me, because I had quite the time editing the video. I edited using iMovie, which I am somewhat familiar with, but I do want to get better at editing video content, so I enjoyed having the opportunity to do so. To make the thumbnail, I used Canva which I am very familiar with and choose to use over and over again because of the simplicity of the entire site. I think it took less than five minutes to make the thumbnail, although someone new to Canva may require additional time. I will definitely be using all of the tech/platforms that I used in the process of making this video, but I won’t be using my phone to record myself again if I want to film my screen and myself. 

PSA: This post is going to talk about mental wellness. We all know why our reading week in February falls when it does and this year I really felt it. While part of my brain is always waging a war against me, I felt the battle raging this week. I had plans to film and edit a crocheting vlog, as we were advised to take advantage of the extra time the break allowed us to showcase our project in a way we have not yet explored. I actually did begin filming a vlog, but I barely crocheted in it and while I know that crocheting is not the be all end all of this project, what I did film was hardly coherent and editing it seemed too big of a mountain for me to climb. What I did instead was give myself some grace. I did tasks that brought me joy and didn’t seem too exhaustive in mind. I worked on a puzzle, painted a hallway in my home, painted and hung shelves in my living room, and walked my dog a lot. These tasks were unrelated to coursework and therefore felt attainable, as I did not have the mental struggle of perfection weighing down on me. I focused on myself and did what I needed to do in order to feel better. 

I have a few “rules” for myself that I try to adhere pretty strictly to in order to maintain my mental health, which are:

1. Take my medication before 8:00am. I see a massive difference in my day when I do this. 
2. Shower everyday. Personal hygiene is one of the first things that falls to the wayside when my mental health dips, so maintaining it is important for me to avoid freefall. 
3. Eat. Again, my eating really dwindles along with my mental health, so it is important for me to keep eating to stay mentally and physically healthy. Of course, not eating greatly contributes to negative mental health, so I always need to remind myself to “feed the machine”. 
4. Walk everyday. Exercise greatly contributes to a positive mental state. I heard a reference once while listening to a podcast with Jason Segel where he said something along the lines of, if your dog was depressed and you took it to the vet, the vet would ask how often you walk your dog and if you replied never, well maybe that’s where you should start… I take this advice and apply it to myself. Fresh air and exercise are critical, and my dog deserves a good walk every single day.

I did attempt a crochet project this week, but it didn’t turn out which was frustrating and I decided not to continue pushing it. I initially found this blog post that detailed the pattern for a crocheted vest. The blog referred me to another blog with a pattern of a specific granny square. The pattern/post was not as detailed as I typically like them to be. For example, the creator would neglect to mention specific steps even though the pattern was labelled “classic granny square”, which I incorrectly assumed to mean “easy” or “beginner”. My square turned out all disproportionate and lumpy even after restarting the square a few times and counting and recounting my stitches. 

All in, this week was a bit unproductive in regards to my learning project, but while I may not have accomplished what I set out to do, I did make a post. I also prioritized my mind over my coursework which is a big accomplishment for me in the recognition of what is going to benefit me most. I do still want to make a crocheting vlog at some point and I am excited to still have the opportunity to do so! 

Take care out there friends!

I know I’m extremely late to the party with TikTok and truth be told, I did have an account for a few days, but I personally was not interested in the constant scrolling and the way the algorithm zeroed in and would not serve me content outside of one or two topics. That aside, I decided to try using the TikTok app to create content. I have used Instagram to edit reels before and I found TikTok similar to my experience with Instagram only SO MUCH EASIER! Trimming clips is so much easier on TikTok than it is on Instagram, and adding sound was also much easier than I expected it to be! The TikTok I created is by no means a masterpiece, but I tried something new and no one is very good at something the first time they try it anyway… 

Here is the link to my TikTok. 

Here is the link to a video about editing TikToks that I watched, but didn’t really use any information from due to the fact that my video was very basic, but the information is good if you by chance find yourself creating content on TikTok. 

This week I decided to try working on granny squares! I found a YouTube video that was easy to follow and I made my first granny square. The creator of this granny square video is also the creator of the video I watched that taught me to make the flowers I posted about previously. Once I had the overall concept of the granny square mastered, I decided to move on to something a bit more daunting… 

I was eager to try and follow this pattern of a granny square top, but there was no video! The only resources I had were the blog post and the drawn out pattern. Following written instructions and a pattern was initially a bit confusing for me because usually when I stumble over a stitch I’ve never done before, there is a video showing the creator doing the stitch, but with this method I had to figure out how to do certain stitches using other sources. I had to look up how to do a treble crochet and the difference between a cluster and a shell. 

In attempting to use only written instructions, I found that while I was able to complete the pattern, I had to use other resources, so I prefer watching a video tutorial. I also found that it was difficult to get my square to look similar to the one on the blog post because I wasn’t able to see how far the stitches were to be pulled, or how big or small to make the chains. I ended up having to re-make this square a few times and it still looks a bit wonky (it kind of looks like a hacky sack)! I think I am going to go back to videos and maybe reattempt this pattern in the future! 

I also would like to make a bit of an update on my flower garden. It’s growing into what I think is going to be a table runner! Making these flowers is a really nice way of taking a break when doing school work where I am not on a screen at all since I now have the steps committed to memory! 

This week I began my crochet journey! First, I organized my little crochet basket with all my yarn, hooks and sewing needles, and then I looked at it and thought to myself “wow… now I have to actually make this stuff into something”.

I can’t believe how nervous I was to start! I think my nerves have to do with this being a school assignment. It brings me back to middle school gym class where if you can’t throw the ball far enough you fail the assignment. I know this assignment is not about the outcome, but still, I had nerves.

 

When I decided to actually begin, I googled “crochet for beginners” and stumbled upon this video which I chose because it had the word “absolute” in the title and that reassured me. This video was such a wonderful resource! The creator did an excellent job of explaining every step and provided terms that were useful for me when I moved on to other sources. I am very glad that I started with a video tutorial, because I would not have understood a single instruction unless I had a provided visual. I am also quite surprised at how quickly I improved while practicing with this video.

Once I felt confident enough in my stitches, I searched “free crochet patterns” on Instagram and scrolled through, saving patterns I liked and thought I could try. I came across a reel (short video on Instagram) that I thought looked like an easy level-up from what I had been practicing. Although, what I found was that the video went way too quickly for me to see every detail. The pause mechanism on Instagram requires you to hold your finger on the screen, so it was difficult to pause the video to get my work to look like the video. The creator also just had music playing over the video, so there were no instructions either verbally or written, which I found to be too tricky for me. I ended up scrapping that project and looking for something else to try. 

Not wanting to give up on Instagram, I found an account that posts free patterns! I used their link that took me to the blog and I chose this flower pattern called ‘Mollie Flowers’. The blog post had a video tutorial which I was quite thankful for. While there weren’t voice over instructions, the written instructions were easy to follow because I could see the creator working, as opposed to having written instructions and just a still image, or a video and no instructions. I was able to attempt and re-attempt these flowers until they held together and were presentable. I am definitely going to keep practicing these flowers and possibly use them to make a table runner! I also think this particular pattern lends itself perfectly to showcase improvement. I can see my technique getting better and better with each flower I finish. 

I can’t wait to try another pattern!