As I finished crocheting my 4th scarf over the winter holidays I wondered if I’d simply been wasting my time. There’s not a great need for them here in the desert valley of Phoenix (although I’ll admit that 60 degrees can have me bundled up in layers and an extra sweater).
However, when I moved to a new project (uh-oh…still a scarf but now one combined with a hood), I realized that all of that seemingly mundane holiday work had greatly increased my ability to sort through some techniques that had challenged me before. I feel more confident in counting rows and stitches and joining pieces together.
Because I’d used a different set of stitches and followed different patterns with each scarf, I seemed to have worked through understanding what the side of a row looked like, how each stitch looked (and even how it felt in my hands) so when the more complex pattern had me work into the sides of rows I didn’t panic.
This was a new feeling!
This extra practice really kicked in when I decided to do a trim in an eyelash yarn.
If you’ve ever worked with that before, you know that it can be really hard – nearly impossible – to see where to put your next stitch. I could only finish the last couple of rows by touch.
While all that time I put in during November and December nagged at me that I was creating things that were nearly useless I know I gained some new skills. And I can always donate the scarves or give them as presents.
So the next time you’re picking up a hook and thinking you’ll stick with doing something simple over and over go ahead and do it. Practice makes perfect and you can work on increasing your speed, getting more comfortable with your tension control, work on keeping your stitches uniform and soon you’ll find that you’re ready to try something more complex.
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