Presenting on Friday for 20% Time was a lot of fun. A lot of people were very surprised that I just learned how to crochet. Some of them assumed that I have known how to crochet but I haven't. Writing this last blog post makes me kind of sad. I am definitely going to miss 20% Time and hope to continue crocheting. I am so glad I got the chance to do 20% Time and hope I get the chance to do it again!

                Who needs a catchy hook when you have a crocheting hook? I’ve been using a crocheting hook for the past 6 months since I learned how to crochet for my 20% time project. Crocheting is a way of making clothing or other items out of yarn.

            My original goal was to learn how to crochet, so I did accomplish my goal. I started off by buying a 6.50 mm hook, a beginners guide book, and a roll of yarn. I sat down in a chair one night, and about an hour later, I knew how to do a slip knot which is the first knot. It was an aggravating process at first, and my mom was actually the one who learned it, then taught me. We then realized it was going to be hard for me and part of me wanted to quit and change projects. Later, I was looking at crocheted products and I realized how much I could learn and how cool it would be to be able to make a scarf or a hat. I decided to keep on going and not to give up.

            Through 20% time, I learned many things, both physically and mentally. Physically, I learned how to crochet. When we realized that it was going to be hard for me to learn, my mom talked to one of her friends, Bert Martin, who loved to crochet. We met with her twice and through that, I learned how to crochet. Though I did learn how to crochet, this project also taught me about perseverance. Perseverance is doing something despite the difficulty. Even if I came across challenges, I had to keep on going. My biggest accomplishment in this project would be when I finished my first headband. I finished three this year and I am working on my fourth. There were many times when I wished I had chosen a different project or I would get bored and upset. These were the hardest points during 20% time. A few times I had to look at it as having two choices. I could give up and choose a different, easier project, or I could take the more difficult way and keep on going. Even if I did not want to, I knew I had to choose to keep on going. Though I did not always like this project, I am glad that I did not quit and I am proud of what I learned and what I made.

 I am thrilled we got the chance to do this project. I do not think that I was 100% committed through it though. If I was completely dedicated, I believe I could have accomplished much more that just my goal. I did enjoy 20% time and I hope I get the chance to do it again.

Are 20 percent time project is almost done. I have finished my speech but I still need to fix and change a few things about it. I am working on my presentation board now. We have to have one multimedia something but I am not sure yet what I am going to use. I was thinking of maybe doing a slideshow with some pictures stuff or maybe making a video of me crocheting. I am also going to have my headbands on display to show.

I finished one boot sock for one leg but it did not turn out as well as I planned it would. It will not work very well with the yarn I have and it takes forever to just do one so I decided to take a break and work on something else. I am now starting another headband. My only problem I have with making them is that I tend to mess up on measurements and things so the sizes of them are sometimes messed up but I am trying to get better at it so they are exact measurements. Here is a time lapse video of me crocheting.

Here are some better pictures of the 2 out of 3 of the headbands I have made. Featured: Juliana and Maggie

Okay so school and everything else has gotten crazy so I haven't had much time to blog or work on crocheting. For the last few weeks I have been working on "boot cuffs." They will be like boot socks- but only the tops. You just slip them up you legs and they look just like boot socks. It's harder than the headbands because they have to have exactly right measurements and I have to do to(one for each leg) so it takes a long time. Again, it has been crazy so I have only done half of one. I am doing them in a cream color so they will go with anything pretty much. Crocheting is taking a little longer than I expected it to, but it is all right! I just need to find time to work on them.

Ok so I am about to start a new "strand" that I hope will be my first real product. I think I have had enough practice to begin. I just need to get some new yarn- a different color and I am going to try thicker- than I am going to begin. I made a practice headband over the break that was actually not to bad. My main problem was that it wasn't that tight and there were a lot of loose strings that I tried to tie up, but that didn't work well. Hopefully the next one will be better. It just takes A LOT of practice.