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I am a self-proclaimed “dabbler”. I like taking on new projects, hobbies, interests, skills that I could be decently okay at and adding them to my repertoire. Admittedly, I can only teach myself so much and sometimes I will give up, but hey, at least I tried! 

Well anyway, my project for myself during Winter Break of 2012 was to learn how to crochet. I was determined to at the very least make a headband, or something at least slightly more dignified than a string with some knots in it. My friend and former coworker is a crochet aficionado and took me shopping for all of the supplies that I would need. She recommended that I start with a thinner, light-colored yarn and a smaller hook. 

I went to work right away, scouring Youtube for the best tutorial (in case you didn’t know, you can teach yourself ANYTHING on Youtube. Anything.) I single-crocheted (that’s the name of the stitch) a “scarf” for hours upon hours, not getting as far as I wanted with it, but learning from every stitch. I knew I couldn’t pull the yarn too tightly, nor too loosely, and I figured out the best way to unravel the yarn without getting all tangled. Although I do not think this scarf was anything to write home about and was teeming with imperfections, it got me thinking about all of the other combinations I should pursue. 

This brought me to the craft store about a week later. The lush, thick yarn (Wool-Ease Thick and Quick… product placement) was on sale. The rich red, navy, and wheat colors seemed like a great combination to use. I just had to buy it! I knew it would be a very different experience than what I had been going through, but I was up for the challenge. I also bought a Q hook (15.75 mm) which I had heard would work best with yarn of that thickness. 

When I got home I went back on Youtube, looking up new stitches and techniques. I wanted to learn how to change colors and experiment with stitch-type. And so I began to work on this project, vaguely knowing that I wanted it to be really long and wide. I later thought I would make it into an infinity scarf (where the ends are stitched together to make it look like one big loop.) The process took about two weeks to do. The skin on my hands began to get chapped and irritated from the repeated motions, while my joints and muscles became sore from being persistently tense. I distinctly remember laying down on my back at one point, crocheting this monster of scarf and realizing it was taller than me! Probably a good 6+ feet. It got me thinking that this had the potential to be a great blanket and maybe I could make a blanket one day (if I had a mere month to spare.) I also came up with this arbitrary color pattern which came from experimentation and I am ultimately fond of. 

So needless to say, this scarf is a labor of love. It made me appreciate what work must go into other articles of clothing/fabric goods. It is something that I am really proud of and love to wear as a reminder of all the hard work I am capable of doing. Oh, and it keeps me warm. So there’s that, too.