Skill Discussion: Crochet

Now let's go in a completely different direction--crochet.

I started learning how to crochet back in 2001 or so (I forget the exact year), and since then, I've gotten pretty good at it. My first project, one that I call "The Amazing Disappearing Scarf," didn't turn out so well. Every time I turned a row, I dropped a stitch. As a result, the longer the scarf got, the narrower it became. I thought I was just getting the hang of it, and that's why it was going faster.

My next project was an afghan, because I'm a glutton for punishment. The thing was huge, a giant green monstrosity. It was excellent practice, though, and after that the general motions were so ingrained that I was able to move onto more difficult projects.

Since then, I've made all kinds of things--another afghan, hats, a glasses case, two pairs of shoes crocheted from twine, shawls, baby blankets, a bouquet of roses, and innumerable scarves. I've also done a couple of stuffed animals in amigurumi style.

My favorite project has to be the sweater I made for myself. Although the general size and shape of the sweater came from a pattern, I made up my own stitch pattern to make ribbing and adapted the cuffs and neck to suit me. It's big and extremely heavy, but it looks like a real garment, and is the most visually impressive thing I've made.

In 2006, I won a fastest crocheter contest, despite the fact that the judge cheated in favor of my opponent by not counting my base row and counting hers. I still beat her by sixteen stitches.

Based on this, I feel pretty confident in giving myself a starting level of 10 in crochet. It's a skill I've been developing for years, one in which I have a great deal of confidence, and one that I've continued to develop on a regular basis. It should be very time consuming for me to increase the level of this skill, and I think needing 1000 XP in it before I can level it up should pretty much accomplish that.

That's not to say I have nothing else to learn. One new project of mine is to learn to crochet left handed. I have the sense that I could manage some really unique stitches if I had the ability to switch my handedness at will. It's frustrating, because in a way it feels like starting over, but achieving the skill would also make it easier for me to teach lefties. Not to mention, Ambidextrous Crochet would make a really interesting article in a crochet magazine.