This isn't really a failure, but it wasn't really a success, either.
Here's the photo of the square I was trying to crochet:
Now, to be fair to me, this model square was made with sport weight yarn, and I was working with worsted weight yarn and a G hook.
Here's how mine came out:
I'll give you a moment to finish laughing.
(pause)
Okay....it's unfortunate that the picture doesn't show much of the detail of the flower, but it's not bad, actually. However, the ratio of the size of the flower and the size of the square is clearly off in mine. If it were just the weight of the yarn and the size of the hook, wouldn't the background square also be bigger? But it's not. It's a nice 7" square.
I'm not sure what I learned from this lesson. The good news is that it hasn't scared me away from trying new patterns that are a challenge for me. That's the only way to get better, right?
I am much better at knitting than crochet. It probably has something to do with the fact that I started knitting in high school and I feel a connection with my mom when I knit.
I'm not terrible at crochet, but I could use some serious practice. I have a great idea one day to join a Friendship Afghan group.
Here's how it works -
You join a group with a bunch of other folks, and everyone makes two squares for each other member of the group. The specifics are decided by each group and each swap (7", 6", colors, etc.). Once the squares are all swapped, each participant will have a variety of squares that can be assembled into an afghan. Sure, I could do it all myself, but I like the idea of getting to know some other women and having some accountability to finish by a certain date. (Have I mentioned that finishing projects is a challenge for me?)
So I joined a swap posted on The Yarn Lovers Room. It's the Spring Cleaning swap so there are no requirements for color - we can use up our stash yarn, which is great. The swap number is 42. I thought that meant I'd have to make 42 squares. Great! I can do that!
Not so fast, Newbie. Forty-two is just the number of the swap itself -it follows swap 41 and is followed by swap 43. It turns out there are 26 people in the swap, so we have to make 52 squares. Gulp. That's a lot. That's especially a lot for a newbie.
But never fear! I will not be discouraged. I'm looking at it as an opportunity to get really good at crocheting granny squares and other square motifs. And it's working. The difference in quality between my first couple of squares and the ones I'm doing now is noticeable.
Here are some of the squares I have produced so far, in addition to the photo above.
