The Journey Begins
This photo was the first post I published on my crochet Instagram account @cillacrochets on 22 January 2020.
It came with the text:
“Hi there. My name is Cilla. I’m new to this crocheting thing, but I am loving it so far.
I decided to start this account to share my crochet journey with you all, share tips and tricks that I pick up along the way, learn from more experienced crocheters on Insta, but also hold myself accountable and share my finished projects with you all. So far, I have all of zero completed projects. But I am optimistic!
A bit about my crochet journey so far:
- I first picked up a crochet hook sometime in 2018.
- Ever since, I’ve been a casual crocheter. This is changing…
- My first project? I chose a double crochet throw that I found on Pinterest. I still haven’t finished it…
- My current project? A wee monkey teddy. I have stuffed the body so far and imagine he will be my first ever finished crochet project. Woohoo!
- How I’ve been learning? I have a wee collection of books that have been really helpful, but YouTube has become my best friend.
- What I’m most excited about? I have to admit, I’m a sucker for cute teddy bears, and am super excited to make amigurumi (can someone please tell me how to pronounce this word?).
- The stitch I find the hardest? Don’t laugh, but it’s definitely a standard chain. Tips welcome!
That’s enough from me for now, but I can’t wait to meet some more fellow crocheters on Insta, and those who are just curious about craft. Speak soon!”
You can check out the original post here if you fancy it.
I feel like whenever you try something new, it’s important to reflect on where you’ve been. This helps us learn from past experiences, but also helps us move forward. This blog is new for me, and my crochet journey certainly didn’t start with my Instagram account. As such, I thought I should use my first blog post to reflect on my crocheting journey so far, and let you know why I’ve decided to now start this website.
My name is Cilla (Hi everyone! *waves*), and I was first introduced to crocheting sometime in mid-2018. I somehow came across the idea of crocheting when I was googling hobbies online that could keep me entertained. Still to this day I can’t remember where or how I came across the idea of crocheting, but I proceeded to buy some beginner crochet goods from Amazon to help me give it a go.
When my parcel of goodies arrived, I was super excited about learning to crochet. Yet I gave up almost immediately because well, something wasn’t right, and I just couldn’t get the hang of it.
A month or so later, one of my good friends visited me for the weekend. We got talking and I discovered that my friend already crocheted! She asked to see the crochet stuff I'd bought, and after having a good giggle to herself she explained to me why I was finding it so difficult. It was the yarn I'd bought! For any existing crocheters, it was essentially single string cotton - a nightmare to use even for proficient crocheters. The lesson I learned here was, don’t believe every item title on Amazon that says ‘Beginner crochet xxxx’.
My friend and I ended up going to a yarn shop over the weekend, buying the right yarn, and she showed me a couple of crochet how-tos. She also showed me where to find some good, free, and easy crochet patterns online (*cough* Pinterest *cough*).
When my friend left, I continued with crocheting for a while. I found a free stunning crochet blanket pattern online (this one from Daisy Farm Crafts here), bought the right yarn (or so I thought) to make it with, and then got cracking.
Still to this day, I haven’t finished that blanket. Here’s a more recent picture of where it’s at.
I learnt another valuable lesson here. If you’re starting to crochet, please choose a small item to make first. Otherwise you’ll get bored, impatient, and just won’t finish your project. That was my experience anyway.
Essentially, I didn’t crochet for months on end. It was realistically probably closer to a full year. Then when I went to visit my Dad over Christmas, he surprised me with some new crochet goodies, which included some Amigurumi crochet pattern books. This gave me the exact boost I needed to get back into it again.
In January 2020, when I returned home, I picked up my new crochet goodies, and was back at it. A week after starting my first Amigurumi project, I started my crochet Instagram account with the idea that it would give me the motivation to keep me going by logging my works in progress and my completed crochet projects. And, it worked!
To date, I’ve completed seven projects so far. I’ve learnt so much! I also feel like I’ve discovered an awesome crochet community on Instagram that shares the same addiction as me. I love it.
This brings me to why I’ve started this website. Firstly, since starting my Instagram account, I’ve had requests from quite a few friends and family to make them certain crocheted items. That’s where most of my ‘to-make’ list has come from. Secondly, since this COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown, I’ve had friends ask me to teach them how to crochet online. I thought by starting a blog, I can not only log my projects and lessons learned in more detail, but share some of my insights to fellow beginner crocheters to get them started.
I hope this helps, and of course, if you have any feedback for me as I head out on this blogger crochet journey, I would love to hear from you. You can get in touch with me here.
