You already know not all crochet projects you make will turn out fantastic. But oh, how it hurts to see a failed project. At least, I hurt when I was done with this Diagonals Afghan.
Not so much because of the 6 skeins of yarn used, but because of the time and mental energy I spent only to see it turn out unalinged, floppy and puffy (even after wet blocking).
If you’re connected to me on Facebook, or Instagram you may have seen the parts I posted. A few people were curious about what I was making. So if you’re reading this now, I’m kinda sorry if you’re disappointed at the outcome. I didn’t envisage this either.
The natural inclination for me was to ‘hide’ this and make up some story about how it did not turn out well. But I thought, ‘what the heck’. I still have to upload a post anyway so it might as well be my failed effort. We fail at something sometimes but that does not mean we are incapable of doing better again. I really hope I’ll never make a mistake like this again, but I cannot be sure, this is crochet afterall and it requires some mental maths- depends on what you’re making anyway. I’ve had a couple of projects that did not turn out well that only my hook and I know of.
Being a crochet designer and blogger would make it seem like I should not make mistakes or that I should know exactly what I’m doing at every point in time as I crochet. Alas, it doesn’t work like that. Our crochet craft is not mistake proof- even to the most experienced designers.
Taking another look at the afghan, I realised a couple of things I did wrong:
As much as I feel bad about the outcome of this Afghan, I will no longer berate myself. I’ll look at all the other projects that have come out beautifully from my hook and remind myself that I can and will do better next time.
If you need the pattern for the shapes, find them here.
With all that said, I live to try another day. So tell me, is there a failed project that really got you questioning your skill as a crocheter?
The name of this Ruana Crochet Pattern is one I like to think every single…
PURCHASE AND AD-FREE PDF ON RAVELRY, LOVECRAFTS.COM, ETSY ...Read More
Do you like slouchy hats or berets? I do. And I love how the Parisienne…
The Double Crochet V-stitch Beanie is the ultimate stashdown project for every crocheter. Its easy,…
Are you ready to add this Stashdown Crochet Drawstring Pouch to your 'mounting piles' of…
Simple and stylish Crochet Sweater for boys with the Crochet Alpine stitch technique.
View Comments
Hi Rose! The pattern is strikingly beautiful! I love the unusual design! My grandma had a saying years ago " If at first you don't succeed,, try, try again" and also "Patience is a virtue". Lessons all of us crafters need.. none of us are perfect--we all make mistakes. I hope you try this again and not while you are rushed. Take your time--you will figure it out! Let us know the results.
Thank you so much. I will take your advice to heart. In fact, I have been doing that recently, not letting myself get rushed over finishing a design. I truly your words.
Love the colors and how you mixed them, And the only mistake I see there are the diamonds. I suggest you disassemble it, reuse the white yarn, and make the diamonds a lot smaller to fit in with the rest of the lovely pieces. that will give you the relief (forgive the scientific term), I mean tridimentional look of the joints and fix your little bulging and wrinkling problem. Kudos on publishing the fails and not hiding them.
Thank you so much for this sound advice. Oh, it was pretty hard to show this fail to the world. But, I'm thankful the time to read through and share some advice.
Ok, I am looking at this similarly,but a bit different. Have several small balls of white, a few balls green, a few balls of blue. Instead of carrying the yarn, change colors at the end of each color across completely dropping the ended color, changing and picking the colors up on the way back across on the next row, continuing to pick up and drop as you go on each row. When completing each blue and green panel, finish off that color and change to the next color. I know it sounds a little complicated, but I think it would turn out awesome and give you truer colors. Oh well, I am always complicated. Haha. Blessings. Deb
haha. It sounds complicated, but I can see the visual. I'll keep this in mind for my next trial. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this.
Looks like if it was made in rows across, switching out colors as you go instead of pieces, it should work out nicely. Really like the idea of the blanket.
Ah, that could have worked out great. Then I'd only need to carry the yarn along the project. I may try this again. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.