Childhood Memories and Unfulfilled Dreams
I have been working on a new project in my spare time, and in my focus, I lost track of how much time had passed since I last blogged. As a child, my mother often made holiday dresses for me and Halloween costumes for my brothers and me. I have fond memories of embroidering and quilting with my grandmother. I had always liked the idea of learning how to sew and being able to do more, at least for the skill of it – being able to patch a hole in a pair of pants or fix a zipper. It was a goal I never really pursued but envisioned doing as a mother myself. Well, here I am, a mom, and I still don’t have a sewing machine. My grandmother passed a bit back, so it would be hard to get further tips now.
An Unexpected Gift
Out of sweetness to help push me toward a goal, my husband bought me the Wobbles: Learn to Crochet Kits. Initially, I wasn’t super excited. It wasn’t the vision I had and felt daunting to start something new on my own. I’ve found in my road of exploring new skills that I don’t like doing things poorly, and I think I often avoid things in order not to fail. But that isn’t really helping anyone, and I’m missing out on a lot by avoiding new challenges. I also feel inspired as a mom to try more new things. If I expect my daughter to be a life learner, then I should model that. If I expect her to be brave and persevere through things that feel hard or new, then I should be willing to do new things that challenge me too!
Taking the First Steps
After the kits sat unopened for a bit, I told my husband I was ready to start and try one. To my surprise, he quickly did some research and found out which was most recommended to try first so I would gain confidence and feel encouraged by the process. I started with the penguin kit. Critically, I was a little frustrated with the videos; initially, they felt too slow, and I had a hard time watching and holding the hand position while waiting. Then I found the videos to get super fast, and I was like “wait, what just happened?” In the end, I will say it all does make sense. There is a learning curve, but once you get the basics, it’s a ton of repetition.
Learning Through Trial and Error
On the personal side, after I started the penguin, I restarted 3-4 times prior to completion. There was a part where I wasn’t pleased with how it looked, and by then I had improved enough that I considered: do I keep going just to finish this thing and look at it as is every day, or start over, make it even better, but start over… ugh. I think by the end of the process, I learned a lot about myself. I also learned how to crochet. I found by the end, I really had learned something new, like the kit suggested, and I had gotten a cute penguin out of it, and bonus – it’s something my daughter could enjoy. I also took the liberty of adding additional stitches to the nose and arms, knowing a young child would be playing with it.
An Unexpected Confidence Boost
The funniest part? I had worn a hat to town one day and noticed it had a hole in it after wearing it. My first thought was, “Huh, is this crochet? I bet I could do a simple stitch to fix this!” And then my second thought was, “Did I just think I could fix this hat? And feel confident and excited about it?” Wow, what a new feeling.
Moving Forward with New Skills
Since making the penguin, I have completed a second Wobbles, the Narwhal. I have enjoyed it much more than I expected. I’m ready to open the third and final kit we have currently, the shark. I decided I should probably pause and write a quick blog before I got immersed in creating another crochet animal.
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Overall, I would recommend “The Wobbles.” I don’t have any paid sponsorship from them, but I would genuinely recommend them. If you’re looking for a fun new skill or hobby, I would suggest giving these kits a try. Obviously, initially there might be a learning curve and frustration, but once you finish, it’s hard not to pick another project up.
For more learning adventures, check out our blog page, or for travel recommendations, check out our travel page.
Leave a Reply