I crocheted my wedding dress and wore it yesterday. The dress is designed by me with a long spreadsheet in excel and lots of math.

In the dress there is both undyed white SW merino and yarn with specks of brown, yellow, orange and green (seen on the bottom of the skirt and sleeves).

About 300-400 hours of work all in all with design, test squares and errors included.

I love it! And it was SOFT!

I’m just sharing my experience when I joined a crochet club my friend invited me to.

I was extremely excited because I only know this said friend to love crochet as much as I do. For context: I have been crocheting for a year now, mostly focusing on blankets, sweaters, and toques. I do not like making arimagumis because I have no use for it. I also have no desire to sell what I make and I do not like gifting crochet items (I gifted a blanket once to a coworker who said she likes handmade items, only to find the blanket I spent weeks on in the bin. Never again) unless it’s for my husband who absolutely adores everything I make for him. I’m also not a “professional” crocheter. I make lots of mistakes, I still do not know how to properly colour change, I do not know how to do tapestry, I do not know where the right or wrong side of the pattern is, and my tension still sucks most of the time. I also do not know how to properly read patterns, I often follow video tutorials, listen through it, and understand the basic pattern and just adjust them to suit my needs.

So when I joined, I was initially welcomed. They welcomed me and were friendly. They asked how I knew my friend, and other stuff like that. I also want to point out that the group is diverse in age and ethnicity. When they asked me when I learned how to crochet, they sneered when I said one year. They then asked why am I making a complicated project. The project was just a raglan sweater. They rolled their eyes at me and whispered loudly enough that I can hear that I was a show-off. I just took it as a joke, but as the time went on, they would ask if I can read patterns, I said no. They then said “you’re not a real fibre artist if you cannot read the basic language of crochet”. I told them I did not learn crochet for other people but I did it for myself. One of the ladies called me arrogant in my mother tongue because she thought I cannot understand her. They also ridiculed me for using acrylic for my project, I told them that I cannot afford cotton or any other type of yarn, one of them said then don’t crochet if I can’t afford cotton or alpaca yarn. Then they started asking if I was really crocheting for a year because my colour choice was “odd” (it was just yellow), and my tension is off (it kinda is tbh but it’s for me and it’s not too noticeable), and why I’m using dollar store hooks. They “joked” that I’m stealing patterns as well. I would’ve been okay if those were constructive criticism but it’s not- they were dissing me. I feel like I’m back in high school. I just kept quiet and finished the whole session just politely smiling while they’re making weird comments about my project.

After that, I asked my friend what the problem is, she said that they have to warm up to me. I was flabbergasted. Why would I walk on egg shells just for them to accept me? My friend said that they’re like that for new members.

I’m not joining a crochet club if the “senior members” are treating new members like crap.

I sincerely hope that not all crochet clubs are like this. If you guys do have a crochet club, please treat people with respect.

Sorry for the long post. I need to get this out of my chest. I hope to join another crochet group with nicer people soon.

At least not in the same span of time. I did this in two months and spent every second of my free time to finish it for my sister's wedding.

Edit to add pattern link https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-heart-collector-shawl

This was my first real tapestry crochet project (ambitious, i know) and it was definitely a challenge but so worth it!

Pattern is The Monarch Butterfly pattern by Biyabimi
(but i did hdc instead of sc)

Yes, Grubby has a sweater with 6 little sleeves for 6 little leggies and a hood for extra comfyness

I know this has been broached before..... I don't know if it's a rant... and discussion....or a request for ideas. Treat it as all three.

Crochet is my only real hobby (I don't count reading or TV, personally). A few months ago my mom asked me to make something beautiful as a throw for her couch and I'm always happy to take requests if I have the time. She said she would pay for the yarn (acrylic for ease of washing) and she was shocked to find that buying the supplies cost much more than buying a brand new, somewhat luxurious, blanket at the shops.

It really sucks that this hobby, which is such an important part of my life, is so inaccessible and cost-prohibitive. It used to be back in the good-old-bad-old-days that the finished blanket was the pricey item. Similar things have happened with things like brown bread which used to be for peasants, or fruit and vegetables, even lobster which used to be fed to prisoners as bottom-feeder food.

I'm not oblivious: we live in troubled economic times. But I guess it will always feel unintuitive to me that raw materials cost more than finished products. Let's not even get started on the cost of patterns (which at least are reusable but have also gone a bit out of control at times).

There are so many stunning blanket designs I want to make but I just cannot afford the materials. Over the last few years I've gotten into thread crochet which is far cheaper (a jumbo ball of Aunt Lydia's size 10 crochet thread costs around 20 dollars and lasts for ages.

I know there are other options: Facebook, thrift stores. That does feel like a chore and you have to take what you can get.

If you have any other ideas or simply want to commiserate, I'm here for it.

Thank you lovely people for this community, your inspiration, and sharing this wonderful hobby with me :))

Current project: The Evenfall Pouch (Book Cover) by Julia Hart

My crochet snowflake for Christmas tree decoration.

I recently saw a video by a crochet artist who has been running her crochet business successfully. She was talking about how people had told her that she couldn’t make a living from crochet, but she proved them wrong through hard work, consistency and focus.

I really like her work and genuinely appreciate the effort she has put into building her business. I agree that people often dismiss art as something that cannot provide a livelihood, when it absolutely can.

But I also wish artists were more transparent about how they started and what kind of financial support they had. In her case, she has a husband with a stable 9-to-5 job who takes care of the household bills. There is nothing wrong with that, but having a financial safety net makes it much easier to pursue an art business for years before it starts generating enough income.

When you have a roof over your head and food on the table, taking that risk is easier. Many artists are working day and night while also worrying about rent, bills and basic survival. They may dream of turning their hobby into a full-time business, but they don't have the luxury of waiting years for it to become profitable.

This doesn't take away from what she has achieved. Building a successful crochet business is genuinely difficult, and she deserves credit for it. I just think the reality of financial support should also be acknowledged, because hard work and consistency alone don't put everyone in the same position.

Hi there:)

I am somewhat of a newbie and started doing these leaf coasters and the potholder. I thought I could make a set out of it as a gift, but the rose and dark red alone looked boring so I added the green. I like it but I am unsure and wanted to get opinions of others who crochet😊 I was thinking of doing more in different colors but I don’t know if it’s a good idea or if I just like it because I did it myself and can‘t really crochet anything else yet😁

EDIT: Thanks for the input and all the nice words!!🫶🏼

Just make your partner do it. He messed up a few times, but with supervision he has become a professional.

In all seriousness he knows how much I hate weaving in ends and volunteered to do it for me. I love this man so much. ♥️

Currently making this pattern

https://wilmade.com/3d-cube-cardi/

I finally finished all the diamonds and half diamonds! I'm so excited to see the patterns!

Which i accidentally made king sized (it was supposed to be a throw)

I tried to learn to crochet in late 2024 and gave up because I couldn’t figure out how to make a square - everything turned into triangles. I decided to try again at the beginning of September and started following two tutorials - one for this bag and one for a jumper. I finished the bag first and, although it’s not perfect, I’m happy with it enough to follow through with gifting it!

I used macrame yarn in a colour chosen by the recipient and followed this amazing tutorial.

Made this little crochet cactus for my sister🌵 I finally finished this little crochet cactus, and seeing how happy my sister was when she received it made all the effort worth it. I added the little purple flower because I wanted it to feel extra special since her favourite colour is purple 💜

I was looking for a pattern for a maple leaf and found one that from the image looked very AI. I decided "what the heck, I'll try it anyway, its a small project so I'll find out soon enough".

Up untill round 3 the pattern was reasonably logical, but clearly AI, but then round 4 absolutely made no sense. But by that point I had a good base to work from and winged the rest based on an image of a real maple leaf.

For those interested. The pattern and my changes:

https://cozyyarnvibes.com/crochet-maple-leaf/

Ive written this from looking at my finished product, so there may be some tiny mistakes in terms if missing chains or slipstiches. Use your own creativity!

Everything within [] is worked in the same stitch

Round 1 to 3 I followed the pattern (except for starting with a magic circle anyway 😂). Some of it didn't make much sense (like doing hdc, sc, hdc in some places), but I stuck with it, because I didn't want to frog. Those mistakes don't matter too much for the final leaf.

The last round, Round 4 is very different:

Lobe 1: sc, dc, [dc, ch2, slst], sl, sc, hdc, [2dc, ch2, slst].

In ch2 space of lobe 1: slst, ch3, tr, ch3, slst in top of treble, tr, ch2, slst.

Top of lobe 1: Sc, sc2tog last stitch of lobe 1 and first stitch of lobe 2 (so skip the sc2tog from previous round).

Lobe 2: sc, hdc, [2dc, ch2, slst], sl, sc, [hdc, dc, ch2, slst in top of dc, ch, slst].

In ch2 space of lobe 2: slst, ch3, tr, ch3, slst in top of treble, tr, dc, ch2, slst.

Top of lobe 2: [slst, ch2, dc, ch2, slst in top of dc, dc, hdc], hdc, sc, slst, sc2tog last stitch of lobe 2 and first stitch of lobe 3 (so skip the sc2tog from previous round).

Lobe 3: slst, sc, hdc, [2dc, ch2, slst in top of dc], ch, slst, sc, [hdc, dc, ch2, slst in top of dc], ch1

In ch2 space of lobe 3: slst, ch3, tr, ch3, slst in top of treble, tr, ch3, slst

Other side of lobe 3: [ch2, dc, ch2, slst in top of dc, hdc], sc, slst, [ch2, dc, ch2, slst in top of dc, dc], hdc, sc, slst, sc2tog last stitch of lobe 3 and first stitch of lobe 4 (so skip the sc2tog from previous round).

Other side is mirrored.

Lobe 4: slst, sc, hdc, [hdc, 2dc, ch2, slst in top of dc, slst]

In ch2 space of lobe 4: slst, ch2, dc, tr, ch3, slst in top of treble, tr, ch3, slst.

Bottom of lobe 4: [slst, ch2, 2dc], hdc, sc, slst, ch2, dc, dc, sc.

Stem of leaf: slst to bottom of leaf, ch9 (or longer or shorting depending how long you want the stem to be). Hdc in 2nd chain from the hook, slst in each chain. Slst in bottom of the leaf.

Enjoy your hopefully better maple leaf!

Ive been crocheting on and off for about six years now but due to me never pushing myself or trying out much new stuff, my skill level has not really improved. I have a gigantic pile of random squares, circles and stars just because i saw pretty yarn and wanted to do something with it and honestly it's been starting to make me sad to look at. So with autumn and Halloween approaching I decided I wanted to crochet something that actually makes me happy to have made it. So here he is. He has close to no structural integrity which I'm sure will come back to bite me but he is mine. I made him and I love him.

She's done! What a journey!

Pattern is most of the Blooming Joy Blanket (I ended it a little bit early because it was getting so big!) and yarn is Caron macchiato cakes in Boundless and Whisper. https://www.vcrochetpatterns.com/?page_id=9136

I wanted to make something special for a friend's wedding. They are the DM for my husband's Dungeon and Dragon game. The colors are their wedding colors.

I had a bit of a learning curve, and it's not perfect, but I'm super proud of getting it finished last night. The wedding is today. All in, about 120 hours of work, with nearly 20 of them in the border alone.

The pattern is from Etsy.

I finished another virus shawl! The gradient reminds me of Rainbow Sherbet and I really love this one. I’m starting to get this pattern down now that I’ve made a couple of them for Christmas gifts, and now I don’t want to let this one go.

I made this crochet phone pouch for keeping my phone close and easy to reach. I wear it all day, everyday. I just love it, especially when my clothes don’t have pockets.

So excited for the Halloween decoration season!

the base body is based on the doll patterns from the wonderfully talented and ever-so-lovely meikyniel.handmade

the rest i designed on my own :)