Should I Cange My Point Of View When Crocheting?

[Jempast]

When I start a project I am in a hurry to get it done so I can see the outcome. When crocheting I always seem to think "this is going to take forever to finish" even something as quick & simple as a dishcloth I think that. Is that the wrong outlook?

[arielart]

No, I don't think that is wrong. I think that way myself! (and I have been crocheting for decades, since age five).

 

So I learned to crochet faster and ONLY do the projects I REALLY want to do. If I lose interest in projects, I frog them and start something else I like better. I also stick to kinds of crochet I really SUPER enjoy. I don't mess with the kinds that are for me boring or frustrating.

 

For me, crochet should be fun with a specific goal in mind. If it's not, why bother? For me it is a relaxing but also exciting and creative hobby. And hobbies are meant to be enjoyed.

 

Many might disagree with me, but, for example, if I start making a sweater that is as boring as heck to make, I would rather just go buy a similar manufactured knit one to wear, then crochet something that is really fun and unique that I cannot buy (or buy easily).

 

That is just my two cents.

[eurolyons]

It's a matter of whether you dread crocheting in general or the project you're working on. I have decided to do a particular pattern I thought was very challenging and wondering if I could do it, and also thinking that it might take forever, then be pleasantly surprise when the project practically makes itself in less than a week (of whatever) and then have some projects that I thought would be a cake walk and they would turn out to be a royal nightmare...

 

I do think that talk we give ourselves can make a difference...if you are starting a project and going, "this is gonna be a nightmare," sometimes that can manifest in the project being a nightmare...

 

I agree with the above poster that crochet overall (or any hobby really) should be fun, or at least pleasant...if not, why crochet then? You know?

 

While I can knit and I love many of the knit patterns out there, knitting goes a bit slow for me and I find I'd rather tackle coverting a knit pattern to crochet and making it that way...in the end, that takes less time and is more satisfying than fighting with dropped stitches in knitting...

 

To each his own...

 

However, practice does make progress...

[ArielManx]

I don't know that it's the 'wrong' outlook, but it might be taking the enjoyment out of the process for you. Like anyone, I love the feeling of finishing a project, having that beautiful completed item to show for my hard work. If it's been a big or difficult or time-consuming project, of course there's a huge sense of relief that it's finally done!

 

But even more so, I love the process of making things. Crocheting is very relaxing for me. I love to sit on the couch with the TV or stereo on for background noise (or even in complete silence!) and feel the yarn sliding through my fingers, watching as each stitch appears... and then each row... and the moment where I realize, "Hey, this is finally starting to look like a scarf/bag/afghan/whatever!" I remember when I was first learning, I made what must have been a mile of chain, and I was just happy as a clam to single crochet all the way back across it - yes, it was practice, but it was also so soothing, it didn't matter at all to me that I wasn't actually making anything.

 

The more I worry about "Ugh, I have to get this done!" or "This is taking too long" or something along those lines, the less relaxing and fun it is. And I can instantly tell if I'm thinking about those things too much by the way my shoulders - and then my stitches! - tighten up. (I'm also one of the believers that you can impart good vibes or bad vibes on your work, so I try to keep all my thoughts good, or at least neutral, while crocheting. Usually that's pretty easy, as it relaxes me even on bad days, but if I'm really wound up over something, I sometimes can't even bring myself to crochet. But I'm drifting a little off the topic here... )

 

The finished item is definitely the great prize at the finish line, but I think crochet will be even more fun for you if you start enjoying the journey to the finish line more. Just my thoughts!

[Lady_of_Roses]

I think it depends if you're a process or goal-oriented crocheter. Some people enjoy the actual process itself regardless of the time invested. Others are more interested in simply getting the finished product!

 

However, if you always look at even the smallest projects (like a dishcloth) as something that will take forever and be unenjoyable for that reason, I'd suggest () sticking to smaller projects until your outlook changes to where you can enjoy doing larger projects.

[magiccrochetfan]

I pretty much agree with what everyone has said.

 

I personally I am process-oriented and if I don't enjoy the process, the finished product is irrelevant as it will never come to exist:lol

 

Do you enjoy your crocheting with your viewpoint now? If so, that is great. If not, you might want to try to relax a little more and try to appreciate the process more.

[RoseRed]

When I start a project I am in a hurry to get it done so I can see the outcome. When crocheting I always seem to think "this is going to take forever to finish" even something as quick & simple as a dishcloth I think that. Is that the wrong outlook?

 

Yeah:yes

 

If you're sitting there thinking a dishcloth is going to take forever how are you ever going to make a queen size afghan?

[photojenic]

When I start a project I am in a hurry to get it done so I can see the outcome. When crocheting I always seem to think "this is going to take forever to finish" even something as quick & simple as a dishcloth I think that. Is that the wrong outlook?

 

Try knitting, then crochet will seem super-fast.

[MrsD]

I tend to be impatient like you, Jempast, too; that's why I have been sticking to small things like hats and potholders. I envy process crocheters in a way. The funny thing is, I've recently found that when crocheting socks (with the smallest hook and the thinnest yarn I've ever used), I'm not impatient and I really enjoy the project from start to finish. So maybe if you were to try out small projects with different hooks and yarns, you may find your point of view being changed for you!

[Jempast]

I tend to be impatient like you, Jempast, too; that's why I have been sticking to small things like hats and potholders. I envy process crocheters in a way. The funny thing is, I've recently found that when crocheting socks (with the smallest hook and the thinnest yarn I've ever used), I'm not impatient and I really enjoy the project from start to finish. So maybe if you were to try out small projects with different hooks and yarns, you may find your point of view being changed for you!

 

Good idea Thanks!

[HappyOldCro]

Try knitting, then crochet will seem super-fast.

__________________

Jen

 

How very true!!!

[ZoeZoesmom]

I like to challenge myself....I get a great deal of satisfaction when I complete a complicated project. I just finished a cami from Stitch Diva's I thought was waaaaay over my head, I did it and am happy as a little Pug. Sometimes the simple patterns bore me.

[eyrthmother1]

I don't see it as a "wrong" idea. Just 1 way of doing it, since we are all different in our reasons for learning to crochet, why we enjoy it, etc. There are times i REALLY want to see the finish project and am trying to rush to finish it. Other times, I use my crocheting as a form of meditation, the calming movement of the hook, the yarn sliding over my fingers, the repetitive counting in my head/aloud (like the pattern rt now that I am working on, 1 part goes, v-stitch, crochet 9, v-stitch.....in my head it goes, "1, 2; 1, 2; 1, 2; 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9.... repeat. lol). It helps me block out the craziness of the world around me.

 

do what YOU enjoy, and be happy

 

Sandy

[DawnofMarch]

When I start a project I am in a hurry to get it done so I can see the outcome. When crocheting I always seem to think "this is going to take forever to finish" even something as quick & simple as a dishcloth I think that. Is that the wrong outlook?

 

What else are you doing while crocheting? Do you put the TV on, or some music, or talk radio, something else to occupy the part of your mind that can't just "sit still" and let your hands to all the work?

 

I know what gets me through tedious things like the three scarves I made for Christmas presents because I had no money to buy presents and a bunch of yarn sitting around, is putting on some music and singing along.

 

The singing to music makes that part of my mind that's like "Jeez, how much longer is this gonna take" shut up!

[boksie]

Try knitting, then crochet will seem super-fast.

That's how I ended up learning to crochet. I tried knitting first and the projected I started with wasn't getting anywhere too fast. I was lucky that a very nice lady in my step-mother's family was willing to teach me how to crochet. I have become "hooked" on a few projects and tend to make them quite often. Slippers, rr afghans and now hexagon afghans are my favorites.

[Shellie_wnj]

I have a tendency to get bored easily - I would have probably been diagnosed with ADD if I was in school now :-) But I have 4 or 5 projects going at one time so that if I get "discouraged" with one not going quickly, I will pick up another, and some are small ones that take no-time, some are longer lasting ones that will be done in a few months. That way, I am getting them all done, and enjoying them, too :-)

[MaryPat]

I've rarely crocheted with deadlines such as Christmas or birthdays in mind. I think it's because most of my family and friends don't care about crochet, so I don't feel obligated to make something for them.

 

I crochet what I like and then if it seems to fit an occasion or someone, I will gift it.

 

I don't feel the urge to hurry up and get something done. I enjoy the creation process.

 

_Edited: My paying job is a Project Manager which is enough deadlines for my life. Maybe that's why I enjoy crocheting without deadlines or hurry.

[LondonLaura]

I mostly enjoy the process of crocheting. There are times when I'm fed up with a project, or when I'm not enjoying the work involved - so usually then I put it down and either do something else entirely or work on a different crochet project.

 

I'm mostly self-taught and I can get quite absorbed in the construction of the stitch and where the yarn is going at each stage. Other times I enjoy zipping along with plain old dc back and forth!

 

Actually, this thread just brought to mind the age-old quote "Happiness is a journey, not a destination."

[beth eathorne]

i like to keep a couple of projects going at once. that way i can keep myself from becoming to tired of the same thing.

[cgd]

I feel your pain on that--I get bored easily too. I'm working on an afghan for my niece's 9th birthday in February. It got pretty mundane after I mastered the 4-row pattern, but I think of the look on her face when she receives it. She asked me to make her one, and I couldn't say no to her because she's so darn adorable! My family and in-laws both enjoy handmade items and ask specifically for them, so I like to oblige when I can. I gave my SIL some oval placemats for Christmas that I crocheted, and she loved them.

 

I guess even when a project seems boring to do at times, it's motivating to think that someone actually asked me to do it and that they'll enjoy it when I'm done. I don't do projects for others usually unless they ask for it because not everyone enjoys crocheted items.

 

There's also a Zen aspect to it for me. It teaches me some patience and that in some things in life, there are no shortcuts. There's also the pride of having made something with my hands because in my paid work, I analyze data and generate ideas and processes. I'm not good with art or cooking, so this is one tangible thing I can point to and say that I did with my own hands.

[rshseaeagle]

I absolutely Despise crocheting with a deadline. It takes all the fun out it for me. If it is a project I feel I "have" to do then it becomes work. I have more than enough work and my crocheting is my relaxation therapy. I crochet at night in bed and hubby watches tv or sleeps. I always have two projects going - one in thread and one as of late in ww cotton. The ww cotton is usually a very simple project and the thread more involved. When I am too tired to do the thread, I just work the simple pattern.

 

I know how long it takes certain things to make and I have it in my head that a particular doily may take three nights to finish and a dishcloth one evening. I know the time frame and don't rush it.

 

Like the others have said, I enjoy the feeling of having something completed but the best part for me is the actual process of making of the item.

 

TLOL,

Toni