Rotating Hobbyist: Crocheting my own garment
From the first time I saw Taylor Swift at Ford Field when I was just 12 years old, I knew I was going to be a concert person.
I have a love for live music and seeing people perform the work they’ve created. I love to dance and sing and be with people who share my interests. And of course, I love to dress up.
There is nothing I love more than brainstorming a good outfit for a concert, whether it was my meticulously pieced together “Look What You Made Me Do” inspired outfit I put together for the Eras tour or deciding which sparkly eye shadow matches the band t-shirt I’m wearing.
After happening into a friend’s extra ticket for Olivia Rodrigo's Detroit show, I knew this concert would be no different.
Instead of heading to a local thrift store or hunting online for specific pieces, I had a better idea: I was going to make myself a shirt.
Like every other crafter on Earth, I often overestimate my abilities. I decided I could, surely, make a shirt for the concert. I stumbled upon a YouTube video with a free walk-through and before I knew it, I was crocheting away.
I’ve only been crocheting for about six months. Shockingly, the first thing I had success with was amigurumi, and my first real project was a Snoopy stuffed animal. Since then, I’ve very, very, very slowly but surely — mostly — figured out granny squares and have been working on ribbing.
Surely, a shirt with weaved in color work, mesh and some ribbing won’t be too hard to figure out. I know what you’re thinking: It’s a “bad idea, right?”
I thought it may be one too. I had to adjust the pattern on my own, which was done mostly just by winging it, admittedly, to account for the abnormally tight tension I have when crocheting. I have never messed with my own pattern before, so this was a new experience.
While it took a lot of counting, recounting, and again, winging it, I completed my top with four days to spare.
It’s far from perfect; you can see some of the floated yarn colors through the front, and you can see where I miscounted my stitches. But all things considered, I’m happy with the results.
When I’m working on a project like this, I’ve had to get really comfortable with something I used to vehemently be against: Frogging — or pulling apart part of the piece, like “rip it, rip it” — something to make it better.
Crochet projects outside my comfort zone have made me much more comfortable in knowing that there is actual growth and development in the work. Being able to — within one project — see how much better I’ve gotten at something provides an immediate sense of pride and accomplishment that I think is hard to find in other passions.
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As I continue working to get better with a hook and yarn (and hopefully getting through the hefty stash I have accidentally collected), it’s nice to see direct improvements, even if it takes a couple tries.
Now when I show up to the GUTS tour this weekend, even though the star is slightly disproportionate, I’ll feel good knowing I made something cool. And when I (hopefully, if I finish it in time) have a shell stitched phone sling to wear along with it, something practical, with a whole new set of stitches I’ve also never done before.
As someone who has been very interested in the fiber arts for most of my life but who has mostly just knit rectangles repeatedly, I’m very excited to be on the current crafting journey I’m finding myself on during my evenings and weekends. Now that I’ve finished one, singular, top, maybe I can find myself working up some of the other patterns I’ve saved on my different social media accounts for the last year or so.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Rotating Hobbyist: Crocheting my own garment
