It's the time of year again where shops are busy selling goodies, kids are busy thinking about their wishlist, and moms are busy with pretty much everything. I am buried in a pile of crochetables. Some of the 28+ kg yarns I won in the raffle have been converted into a TV cover (by my mom) and she's currently working on another project. I on the other hand haven't finished my first project from this pile.
I am a slow crocheter. What usually takes 2-3 days for others takes me weeks or even months. It's not that I twist and turn the crochet hook very slowly, it's just that I am either distracted or procrastinating. Usually, I would be pulled away from my crocheting by my other chores like housewife duties, homeschooling duties, gardening duties, and so much more chores around the house. Let's not mention the other stuff I do online. I try to multitask but that doesn't help with the distraction.
The project I'm working on is actually almost done. I currently am on the finishing touches. As if it hasn't been a WIP long enough, I decided to put it down for a bit to take a break. Sometimes, even when you love what you do, you still come to a point when you want to do other things. I am very much excited to see the finished product, in fact, I have tried it on a couple of times but it's just taking so long to finish.
To take a break, I decided to park this project I'm working on to work on a little side project. Yes, I crocheted something else to take a break from crocheting. It's a little bit silly if you come to think of it but I thought I just wanted to feel a little bit of accomplishment. I told my husband I just wanted a small win. He laughed a bit when I told him I crocheted something else to take a break from my crocheting.
I was feeling a bit stressed out and overwhelmed. It feels like I am in a neverending pile of things to do, and it felt like I haven't finished doing anything consequential. I haven't even started my holiday gift wrapping. To be fair, I am waiting for the 12.12 sale in Shopee, that's why. Once the parcels arrive, that's when I start my other to-do list.
I recently purchased some leatherettes I plan on making as pouches and purses for my loved ones. The small coin purses will be sort of giveaways for them when they come to visit us for the holidays. The sling bags will be for a special few. I needed a much-needed distraction before I feel too burnt out with this current project I'm working on.
A friend once told me that even if I procrastinate, I should still try to be productive. So rather than just scrolling through social media, I crocheted these coin purses with leatherettes while browsing through social media.
I saw this stitch on youtube and it seemed easy enough to follow. It's called the spike stitch which is a variation of the simple single crochet stitch. Would you look at that? When I first started crocheting again, I just used double crochets to make my headset pouches. Now, I just learned something new for my coin purses. It's cute and it looks classy so I went with this stitch. I don't like using single crochets that much because it uses up too much yarn, but then with 28 kilograms of yarn to spare, I think I have the luxury of using single crochets this time.
I used my stash of 8 ply polycotton yarns for this design. The tricky part is choosing the right crochet hook size. So far, I have made 3 of these. For the first one, I used the size just right for the yarn. For the second one, I went a size lower. The third one's a charm. I used 2 sizes smaller and the outcome was pretty much more impressive than the first two. I'm going to stick with this one for the rest of the leatherettes. I am planning on gifting myself a Tulip Etimo hook this Christmas. I heard they're much easier to use, although they're a little bit too pricey.
Now that I am properly distracted, feeling a little bit more accomplished, and a little bit more relaxed, I am now more inspired to finish my current real project. It felt good to stop for a bit, take a break, and then come back strong. I think that's a valuable lesson I learned from this productive procrastination. I was feeling a little bit impatient with all the time I spent on making this project. A little frustrated too for having taken so much time. But in my mind, I know that's just how I work. Rush a project and I end up dissatisfied with all the mistakes I'll find in the finished product. I knew I had to take my time to make sure that I will be satisfied and the person receiving it will also be satisfied. It really just takes time. And I really just needed a break. I'm glad it was a productive break. And a refreshing one at that.
Stick around. You'll soon see the finished product of the project I'm working on. Plus, you'll read about the story behind this WIP. See you around!
