Intimidating Crochet Projects

No matter how long you’ve been crocheting, there are likely to be one or two crochet projects that intimidate you. Perhaps you’ve seen pictures on Pinterest or read someone’s blog and thought “Wow! I’d love to make that.” But you still haven’t gotten up the nerve to start.

I feel pretty confident about my crochet abilities, but there are two projects that I’ve yet to try: a crochet sweater that’s stitched up in pieces and Tunisian crochet. 

Beautiful Tunisian crochet stitch.

Crochet sweaters are on my list of projects I’d like to tackle. But as soon as I see a pattern that involves crocheting and sewing together several pieces, I back out of it and continue searching for something simpler. I’ve gone as far as modifying a one-piece infant cardigan in order to avoid what I view as the more difficult approach. My attempt led to a crochet project gone wrong, and I’ve still yet to crochet a sweater that I’ll actually wear.

Tunisian crochet, on the other hand, always looks so beautiful, and I’m tempted to try it. Then I read the instructions, and I’m put off. It’s not so much that I avoid difficult crochet patterns as much as it’s that crochet is a Zen-like experience for me. I want it to be a stress-buster, not a stress-inducer!

Intricate Tunisian crochet wrap.

Do you have an easy-to-follow sweater pattern that you’d like to share? Have you attempted Tunisian crochet? What projects intimidate you? Come on; ‘fess up! Maybe, together, we can become brave enough to try a project that’s intimidated us. I’m game if you are! And I bet we’ll find out it’s not as bad as we originally thought.

Crochet Projects Gone Wrong

The best of intentions combined with attractive crochet photo inspiration doesn't always result in the prettiest of outcomes. Take this shrug, for instance. It's really pretty, isn't it? I'm wearing my version of it as I type, which you'll see in a moment.

Photo inspiration for the shrug I crocheted.

 It looked so pretty in the original photo that I envisioned myself crocheting one in every color to wear everywhere I went. And, of course, everyone would compliment me on my Shrug du Jour and ask where I bought it.

"Oh, this?" I would reply. "Why, I made it myself!" But, alas, my shrug didn't turn out quite like the original. And, I won't be crocheting one in every color for myself. Nor will I be wearing them outside of the house.

My version of the shrug.

Well, you can see the difference, can't you? My shrug doesn't look the same on my body because I'm not a Size 0 like the above grapevine mannequin. Plus I had the hair-brained idea to add extra rounds so it would close in the front. Instead, it made my shrug kind of slouchy and shapeless. So, I wear it with my pajamas in the morning or on chilly afternoons. I hated to see all that yarn and work go to waste.

The second crochet project gone wrong was a sweater pattern that developed as the result of a brainy idea I had. :) You see, I'm hooked on the idea of making myself some crochet sweaters (hence the shrug attempt), but I don't want to make the kind that have to be pieced together...two arms, a back piece and two front sections. I just can't bring myself to do it.

I found a pattern for a baby sweater that was all one piece and thought, "Oh, if I can modify that for an adult size, I can make one for myself!!" So I did the modifications, and I got this:

Technically also a WIP.

What's iffy about this sweater, you ask? Well, I loved the yarn on the skein. It's called "Confetti". Now, how fun is that? It sounds like whatever you crochet with it will be fun, light and joyful. Like a party in a sweater. :) But, now that it's there in all it's confetti-ness, I'm wondering if it's not a bit much. Plus, the idea in my head looked much better on me than the actual sweater looked on my body. It fits, but it's not flattering. The jury's still out on what to do with this project. Until then, it remains sleeveless and unfinished. File it under the WIP or UFO category.

Have you ever had any crochet projects go wrong? Tell me all about them...please! Then I'll know I'm not the only one whose crochet ideas don't always turn out exactly as planned.