I’ve started crochet and I’m not perfect

Would you love to learn to crochet? It has been on my list this year and I’ve finally taken the plunge!

I love anything crafty! This year I planned to really expand my crafty skills and try new projects and techniques. So I enrolled in a few classes, both online and with groups. I’ve been reading, researching and learning. And pinning too!

And recently I tried my hand at CROCHET. My mum started me off with a few tips and pointers one evening. But I think we had a few too many wines and I ended up getting a bit confused. Please tell me I’m not the only person who does that?

So I joined a class at my local quilting store – The Quilter’s Angel. I have had only one lesson, but I was surprised that I was able to pick up the idea of it pretty quickly. Having said that, it will take me a lot of practise and determination to create the beautiful projects that I keep pinning on my Crochet Board on Pinterest! It’s only early days, but I’m looking forward to learning more techniques.

Here’s my very first attempt at crochet. I’m calling it a dishcloth!

the beginnings of crochet

It’s a little scary, hey? Far from perfect. And not something I’d usually photograph. But I thought it was an important image to share. Why? Because we’re saturated with images of perfect sewing, perfect crochet, clever ideas, and pretty styling.

Everything that we pin, or share, looks perfectly appealing. But sometimes it also looks like it’s a little out of our reach. Just a little too perfect! And it kind of adds a bit of pressure. It makes you feel like what you create isn’t good enough. Is this making any sense?

It took me the better part of an hour just to work out how to manoeuvre my crochet hook and create tension with my yarn. In my first class, I didn’t achieve much. But I just kept practising the technique. My hands were hurting and I kept laughing at how silly I looked. I’m sure I was holding my tongue in a funny way, and holding my breath. Some people in my class picked up the concept very quickly. Others (like me) needed a little more time.

And then when I went home, I kept crocheting while the lesson was fresh in my mind.

So why am I sharing this with you? Well, I guess I just wanted you to know that despite there being a lot of amazingly talented and clever crafters and sewers out there, they all started at the same place – the beginning. And a lot of what I’m learning this year has also brought me back to the basics.

It’s ok to be a beginner and make mistakes. It’s ok if your projects aren’t as polished as you would like. So long as you are giving it a go and having fun, right? If you really want to master something, it takes time. To quote my mother, it also takes ‘consistence and persistence’ (this is also her go-to piece of advice for new mums). But she’s right.

So don’t be discouraged if on your first attempt, you don’t get the result you are after. I’ve been stitching applique now for years. I love it and I feel like I have a really good set of skills that help me produce beautiful applique. But it took time, patience, persistence and just a hint of perfectionism (please don’t judge, I was born that way).

So I’m being realistic about crochet. Maybe in a few years, I’ll have some really lovely pieces to be especially proud of. But in the mean time, I am happy to keep trying, and sharing, and working on it. After all, that’s the only way I’ll get better!

So I’ll keep crocheting! And I’ll share some lovely tutorials and ideas I find along the way. If you want to give it a try, it’s relatively cheap. Materials are readily available. And there are lots of tutorials online and on YouTube. You can learn so much from the comfort of your own lounge room!

And if you have any beautiful tutorials, links, patterns or pieces to share with our readers, I’d love for you to get in touch. Feel free to pop by the Molly and Mama facebook page and share there too!

Happy crocheting, Lauren.

This post was written by Lauren Wright and appeared first on http://www.MollyandMama.wordpress.com

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