Knot a Total Loss

It's All Wordy Bit This Time:

I've mentioned before that we celebrate failure, and that's true...to a point. No one in my family sets out to fail, but when we do, as long as we can learn from it, we celebrate it. There's no shame or harm in failing, as long as you learn from it. This was my first big "failure" in crochet, and I learned a good bit. Looks quite innocuous, doesn't it?

I was attempting to do what the fine folks at Daisy Farm Crafts have perfected: the plaid or gingham blanket. I followed their formula: a set number of stitches and rows per color, the griddle stitch (alternating a single crochet and a double crochet), and three colors that blend. I even carried my yarn through (for the first time). And that proved my downfall. 

I have a habit of watching television while I crochet, and sometimes that can alter my tension. I was watching something particularly suspenseful for a portion of this blanket, and my tension increased, and I was also pulling my carried yarn through too tight. I wasn't stopping and admiring my work, either, so I had no idea what was wrong until I was about to start on the border. That's when I laid it out flat for the first time.

Oh, dear...see what happened? The tension changes, pulling the yarn too tight through, and not checking my work became a wonky mess. And, unfortunately, the symphony of mess ups means blocking it won't fix it. There's not enough stretch in the yarn for that. And if you're thinking, "Hey, that's not too bad"...look what happens when it's folded in half.

Whew...not good. Not horrible, mind you, but not good. I haven't come back around to a project like this again yet, but I will. I was just mentioning to my husband that we need some warmer throw blankets, and this is warm! It's just not very attractive, and I know I can do better. And bigger. I have to remember that my husband is quite tall and needs more than the standard sized throw. It's quite comical to see him barely cover just his legs with one, though..

So, here are the major lessons this project has taught me:

1. Be mindful of maintaining tension.

2. Don't carry through so tightly (it's okay to see the yarn peeking through).

3. Pause every so often and admire your work in full. Stretch it out, lay it out, and give it a good look over. 

4. Not every project is going to go perfectly--and that's okay.

I'll revisit this project next year (maybe with a different color scheme) and try again. When we fail, we learn, and I never want to stop learning. I'll keep you updated on how it goes, and don't hesitate to mention some of your failures in the comments and what they taught you.