How to Discover Your Crochet Aesthetic
Finding your own aesthetic is an essential part of being a Crocheter. It might feel safe to stick color within the lines and create what’s already been created, but that way is much less fun. There’s only one of you in the world and your work should reflect that. Discovering your particular style is a learning process, but it’s more than worth it and you’ll thank yourself for having made the time to work on it.
The first step is to learn the basics. Jumping ahead will actually hold you back if you don’t have a strong foundation. After you obtain your material, yarn, crochet hooks, scissors, and so on, begin with simple patterns like the granny square, chain stitch, single crochet, double crochet, and half double crochet. There are free patterns available to help you get your feet wet and free online tutorials that teach you these techniques. Use these resources first, start with scarves and small blankets, and once you feel comfortable with them you can move on.
After this, find your crochet preferences. What colors do you enjoy the most? What about textures, acrylic yarn or cotton? Note the size and weight of it and how it affects your work. If you prefer lighter yarn after trying out heavier, that’s completely fine! Just make sure that you’re testing these things out before making up your mind.
Crochet hooks are important too and you should try out as many as you can. Some hooks work better for certain stitches, but once again, this is a matter of preference. You never truly know if something is right for you unless you try it out, so don’t be afraid of just trying things out. As you go on, put different colors together that you think would look good and review your opinion of them afterward and as you move on to more complicated stitches, incorporate these elements into your design.
At this point, it's time to experiment like a mad scientist. Push yourself to try new and more difficult stitches such as the diamond stitch, cable stitch, and crocodile stitch. It might seem daunting at first, but trust me, after you work at it it becomes a lot less so. Visualize what you want, gloves, a top, a skirt, and try making that using all the elements you've learned. The stitch, yarn, and colors and see how well it turns out. It’s not about your project being perfect, it’s about what works for you and what doesn’t.
The more comfortable that you get, the more you can break the rules and push the boundaries. This is about finding your style and not about doing things perfectly. The best part of this is that when something feels right, you’ll know it immediately, and from there you can continue to build upon it in your very own way.