Week 3 of #52Weeksof Crochet: How to Make a New Habit

How to Make a New Habit?

Have you heard the advice that if you want to make a new habit you need to tie it to an existing habit? Well, I think I’ve done that because I have a hard time watching television without a hook in my hand. As habits go, it’s far from the worst one I could pick up. An upside has been that I have also spent fewer hours scrolling on my phone. The downside is that I made an incredible amount of progress. I’m at the mercy of the shipping gods while I wait for new yarn to arrive so I can start my next project.

I’ve Learned a Few Things

I need multiple projects. When I realized I was nearly through with the rounds I had a mild panic about what I was going to do next. Just as I am a reader who can’t have any less than five books in progress, I’m going to be the crocheter who needs multiple WIPs.

I’m picky about yarn. My other fiber arts hobby is punch needle. I have a lot of yarn leftover from kits and that I’ve bought in attempts to design my own project. I don’t think punch needle design is my strength. Or I haven’t cracked it yet. So when I was feeling anxious about what to do next, I pulled out my stash. It was enlightening to feel yarns of different weights and textures and try a few stitches with my hook.

I absolutely hated a 100% acrylic yarn from my stash. It was soft to the touch, but too slippery and squishy to work with. It both fell about and knotted easily. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but it’s not meant for crochet. Not without pairing it with another yarn at least. So far I love wool and wool blends. I played around with some wool roving that might find it’s way into a home decor project. Maybe pot holders. It had a smooth feel but with enough friction that I enjoyed touching it. I also played with a 100% cotton baby yarn. I liked the way the cotton feels, but that yarn is so thin it was hard to work with. I’m just now a little nervous because my next project involves fingering yarn. Fingers crossed, I like it.

I really love Lion Brand’s Hue + Me and I just discovered that it’s a collaboration with Two of Wands who has some amazing looking patterns I’m excited to try out. Unless I get distracted, I’ll be trying a Two of Wands project very soon.

I Also Bought New Hooks!

These were purchased from JoAnn with a 40% off coupon. Usually this set goes for about $89 so I felt good about what I paid. My first hook was from my Woobles project. I bought 6.5 mm and 9 mm when Clover Amour hooks when started the Fireside Basket. I told myself not to invest in a set before I needed a hook in the standard collection. My next project (more on that to come!) will need hooks. So this really must become a new habit, because it’s not cheap! I got to stick with this.

Almost Done!

Here’s how my Fireside Basket is looking. If you need a reminder, here’s how it started. You’ll get a full reveal with the completed fringe detail. I have a few takeaways from this project that I’ll save for the reveal. In the meantime, I can’t believe what I’ve done so far!