Getting Out of My Crochet Slump

Hi guys! I’ve been in a crochet slump, or funk, or whatever you want to call it. I think it’s a combination of the warm weather, lack of focus, feelings of uncertainty and self doubt (What am I doing with my life? kind of questions) and everything that is going on in the world (the environment, anti-abortion laws, etc.).

BUT I’m starting to find my groove again, and slowly tackle my half finished projects. I’d like to say that I snapped my fingers, and was able to crochet again, but that’s not real life. My renewed sense of purpose didn’t happen overnight. It was a series of small decisions that got me back into crocheting, so I thought I would share it with you, along with the project I am currently working on.

Identifying the Roadblocks Holding me Back:

Losing your drive to crochet can creep up on you. One second, you want to crochet, and the next second, you don’t. And once your mindset shifts, it can be really hard to shift it back. The first step is figuring out what is holding you back from crocheting.

For me, I hit 4 roadblocks that held me back from picking up a crochet hook:

Lack of Direction and Focus: I didn’t know what to spend my time working on. I jumped from project to project, always starting something new, and never finishing anything.

Comparing Myself to Others: Every time I opened Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, or Pinterest, I would see all of these amazing things that other crocheters and designers were making. So I made myself feel small by comparing my work to others. I told myself, “You’re not doing enough. You’re not creative enough. You’re not doing this, that, and the other thing, so you shouldn’t design anything at all.” What a nice pep talk!

Not Enough Yarn to Finish a Project: I think we’ve all run out of yarn at some point. And it’s as simple as placing an order, or making a trip to the craft store. Easy peasy, right? Well, not for me. Instead of ordering more yarn, I debated with myself on spending money: Is it worth it? Where can I get the best deal? How does it fit into my budget?. I also thought about the environmental impacts, like How does buying more yarn effect the environment (consumption, the production of the yarn, the shipping, etc.)? or What will happen to the project after I finish it? Will it be used, gather dust, or end up in a landfill?

My Body: Crocheting for long periods of time hurts my body. I am 27 years old, so I am still considered young and healthy. However, I experience pain when I crochet. If I sit for long periods of time, my sciatica flares up. When this happens, I have a hard time sleeping, walking, sitting, and any small jerk of my body can send shooting pain down my butt and legs. So it’s hard to crochet when I’m in pain. Sometimes, I crochet through it, but I don’t think that’s the smartest decision haha.

In short, I spend a lot of time overthinking things, and this brings me to a standstill.

Small Steps to Change my Mindset:

Now that we have identified our road blocks, we can figure out ways to move past them.

My Roadblocks:

Lack of Direction and Focus
Comparing Myself to Others
Not Enough Yarn to Finish a Project
My Body

My Small Steps:

Social Media:
- Limiting the amount of time I spend on social media.
- Unfollowing some crocheters on Instagram, and unsubscribing from emails/brands that no longer serve me.

Competing with Myself Instead of Others:
- Recognizing that crocheters are doing amazing things that are unique to them, their style, and their brand. And so am I.
- Focusing on what I am good at and what I like to make.
- Making sure that each pattern meets the standards that I have set for myself.

Finding a Focus:
- Making a list of patterns that need to be published, and projects that still need to be crocheted (see picture below).
- Allowing myself to jump between projects on my list, but not allowing myself to start something new.
- If I have a new idea, I can write it down, make a sketch, and set it aside for next year.
- Giving myself time to complete each project/pattern to my standards. No rushing to meet an unrealistic deadline.

Recognizing the Limitations of My Body:
- Giving myself permission to rest on days that I am hurting.
- Developing a realistic schedule that I can handle.

Only Buying Yarn that I Need:
- Calculating how much yarn I need to complete each project on my list.
- Searching online for the best deal, and only buying what I need.
- Using the best yarn that I can, so that the projects last for years.
- Weaving in my ends properly, so projects don’t unravel and end up in the garbage.
- Only making projects that I need, or giving projects to people that will love and use them.

There are a lot of small steps that went into changing my mindset. It was only when I worked through all of my problems, and came up with a plan, that I was able to pick up my crochet hook again.

My Current Crochet Project:

This is one of the projects that I am currently working on. I’m calling her the Polka Dottie Blanket. I have a drawer full of leftover skeins of Lion Brand Skein Tones yarn, so I thought granny square circles would be a great way to use up these scraps.

If I did the math right, I have to make 252 of these squares for a 42″ x 54″ blanket. So far, I’ve made 155 circles and attached 35 squares. So we’re getting there haha.

I am using Ivory (a creamy off-white colour) for the border of the blanket, and 9 colours for the center circles. If I need 252 squares, that means I should have 28 circles for each colour. To keep track of my progress, I made a list of each colour and the number of circles/squares I’ve made so far (see picture below).

I find it easier to make a bunch of circles at once, and then start attaching them to the blanket.

Did I mention that I am using a join-as-you-go method to attach the squares to the blanket? I know it’s not for everyone, but I find this method easier and more secure than sewing the squares together at the end. I don’t trust my sewing skills, but I do trust my crochet stitches.

Number of Granny Squares Needed to Make a Crochet Blanket

In the next few days, I will be sharing the pattern, join as you go method, and video tutorial for this blanket. So if you want to gather your scrap yarn and crochet along with me, we can do it together!

In the meantime, here are some progress pictures.