Back in March, I taught myself to crochet. I saw a lovely hat that was based on Rapunzel's braid [Tangled] for sale on Etsy. Not only did I not have the $70 to buy it, the braid itself only would fall to my hips. What was the fun in that? My real hair was longer! I then decided that I had to teach myself to crochet to make that hat and to make it floor length. So I did.
With some hooks that had been my grandmother's (and no one in the family used since no one could crochet in the home; all knitters), some spare yarn from my mother, and a book (along with YouTube videos), I taught myself to crochet in three days. From there, I set off to make the hat: a feat that took me only two days to complete and another three to four for all the felted flowers that were put on it. Ideally, I will make this hat again later and then crochet the flowers and put them on instead of the felt one.
It was a few more months before I was able to find the time to dedicate myself to learning more about crocheting. I had gotten several patterns from online (free and paid for) and some books. With lots of studying, I was able to read patterns easier and began to learn how to do different stitches; even when they confused me by having the same stitch have two or more different names!
While I am making great progress with my Amigurumi projects (little dolls and animals) in terms of a unicorn and Derpy Hooves, I am still having trouble with my Amigurumi Rapunzel. She was the first pattern I got for the dolls way back in late March and I've held onto it all this time so that I could learn to crochet better and thus actually make her. Well, she is giving me a lot of grief. I cannot count the number of times I have attempted to make her, but the whole slip stitch then chain stitch when it comes to making her skirt has me adding additional stitches on accident and messing up the rest of the pattern. I keep putting it away, trying to ignore it and work on some of the other patterns I have started, but this doll... I have to finish her... I will finish her... I can do it!
