The Comparison Pitfall

Do you realise how often you encounter the comparison pitfall?

Have you ever:

• Checked out your Facebook feed, looked at someone else’s work and thought ‘I could never do that!’ ?
• Started a project and assumed that it doesn’t look right so you left it sitting in the naughty corner completely disheartened?
• Frogged in frustration because your item doesn’t look nearly as nice as the one in the picture, or the one you saw Sandra made when she shared it?
• Wanted to create items or patterns for sale and try to make your hobby into something else but stopped yourself because there are so many other people out there doing it and you feel you wouldn’t be able to compete?

We all do it. Some of us more than others. It’s especially easy to do this when we are at the beginning of our crochet journey or when we only get to crochet occasionally because life or health gets in the way.

The purpose of this post is to help to get you in the mindset where you stop comparing your work to everyone else’s. Chances are we are all doing it and feeling inadequate!

-Never look at someone else’s project and think ‘I will never be able to do that!’ You absolutely can! You may need to learn a new technique, a new stitch or how to read a pattern. But it is most certainly achievable!

I heard this in February and it really resonated with me. No two people are at the same place in their crochet journey! We all have things still to learn. Even designers who have been doing this for years. Have you read our Hooking With features? A lot of the designers in there have said I really want to learn how to do Tunisian crochet / learn mosaic / learn how to design garments.

– Another one I hear a lot is ‘That would take me forever to make!’ We all work at our own pace. How fast you work is not the point of crochet. For some it’s about creating gifts and pieces that will be loved and cherished, that provide a function for someone else. For others it’s a chance to relax and unwind.

We all crochet for different reasons. Yet I’ve never met a crocheter who said they wanted to be the fastest crocheter in the world! A row or two a day or three hat and scarf sets. We pour the same amount of love into our projects. We all reach the finish line eventually and I don’t believe any of us ever stop learning!

Do you have a hankering to turn your crochet into more than just a hobby? Go for it!  The crochet community is such a supportive one! Whether you want to start a blog, design, create items to sell locally or on Etsy, start a YouTube channel. Just give it a go and surprise yourself with what you can achieve and how much fun you have along the way. I’d be happy to point you in the direction of where to find some useful help and advice, Facebook groups where you can ask questions and learn from others, meet people in the same place as you are or just be your cheerleader!

Whatever your particular pitfall, just remember

You just do you because you are awesome!

I will leave you with some more wise words from people much wiser than me …