Ever Had a Crochet Ugh?
By Caissa "Cami" McClinton – 9 CommentsI’m here to tell you it is okay. Good crocheters sometimes make ugly things! I’m not talking about things that are so ugly they’re cute. Because as creative people, that would be something we would have meant to do. I’m also not talking about “ugly pretty,” which is a term most often used on America’s Next Top Model. The way it would translate into crochet might be the captivating effect of when you bring two garish yarn colors together and they look so interesting together that you love the outcome. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about crochet ughs!
A crochet ugh is when you’re making something and it just goes horribly wrong. It doesn’t matter if you’ve made it with a pattern or not. Even the most expensive yarns can bring the ugh. No matter what, the outcome is nothing like what you had imagined in your head. What’s more? It is nothing you’d wish upon your worst enemy. It’s just seriously ugly!
I made my very first crochet ugh while experimenting with different yarns. I was very new to the craft and extremely enchanted with novelty yarns. Does that sound familiar to you? Well, I knew how to crochet but I did not yet know how to read a pattern. So I would just kind of freeform it until I figured out how to make something. This resulted in some cute hearts and motifs. It also resulted in some crochet ughs. Just imagine a misshapen, fuzzy, turquoise rectangle surrounded by a fluffy yellow trim baring more than a passing resemblance to Big Bird’s feathers! I was disgusted and immediately posted it as an “ugh” on Ravelry. I have since removed the pic and destroyed the thing. Whatever it was. 😀
For me, this crochet ugh is better left in the past, but projects like that do happen. And that’s okay! It can only help you grow as a crafter. If, no WHEN you experience a crochet ugh, just move along, dust off your hook, and try again!
So what about you? Have you made a crochet ugh that you’d like to tell us about? I’d love to hear your story. Please leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!
I am kinda of still a beginner at crochet… only been almost a year since i started again since my mom taught me when i was little. Decided to try my first Amigurumi owl and i finished it and i knew before i finished what a big UGH it was turnig out to be lol took it apart after a few days and decided that im going to wait til iam a little more experienced before i try that again lol.
No real “Ugh”s YET. I’ve only been crocheting since April, and do a lot of amigurumi type things. Mostly I have managed pretty well. I do remember one thing…I was trying to make a tiny dog to put on a keyring, using a pattern I’d found on Ravelry. I was very very new at both crochet and amigurumi at the time, and after I’d attempted a couple of pieces of the little dog, I concluded it just wasn’t going to work out. I’ll try again a bit later, perhaps. But I let that project go for now. There have been a few times when I’ve been in the middle of the project and started having serious doubts about how it was going to turn out. But…miraculously…so far so good for the most part!
I didn’t think I had any “Ughs” until I was moving earlier this year and my sisters found a sweater that I had been making for myself. It was a peasant style crocheted sweater with crisscross yoke front ties. I thought it was cool looking and I was making it out of lavender and peach yarns. It wasn’t finished, but it was tossed away. When I tried it on, it was NOT as “cool” looking as I originally thought. And my sisters helped me not to have to finish a WIP; one less project to finish (always look for the positive in all things 🙂
I do have occasional crochet ‘ughs’, but most of the time I just don’t finish the project if I don’t like how it’s working out. Although, the first amigurumi I ever made was a small purple bunny, and it didn’t turn out at all like I was expecting. I had the wrong side facing out, and its head was oblong, and it had no face. Luckily I’ve gotten a bit better since then…but I’ve definitely had my share of crochet ughs! 🙂
Yes I have had many “Ugh’s” over the 38 + years that I have crocheted. I hate frogging something and have done that many a time too.
One word for your crocheted ” ugh’s” : Rippit.”
Frogging: necessary part of making a mistake and learning from it. :/
In fact,i am looking to the immediate left of this keyboard, to a sea green baby yarn ( Red Heart,Soft baby, New Mint, discontinued) yarn and have frogged said Rose -Topped slouchy beanie, not once 6 times since its beginning. I am in the home stretch,and will finish it later this evening. barring any frogs.
I can knit and love to do so. I am a beginner,having only made a hoodie and scarves and many, many hats. But my first love always will be crochet.
And Johnnie Depp. 🙂
I’ve been crocheting for a long time, so I’ve had more than my share of Ughs. Although yarns look beautiful on the shelf, there are just some patterns that don’t work with that particular yarn. I’ve have some “experiments” that were so disgusting that I didn’t even frog them. They deserved to die! I considered these my “learning” projects, and there’s no reason to keep them around. They were too awful to forget!
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I’ve definitely had a few “Ugh”s. When I was first learning to crochet and began mastering the art of granny squares I would grab whatever scrap yarn was close to hand. The results was that I wound up with a ton of super ugly squares that I’d never use for anything.
More recently, I bought some yarn in a colour I knew my sister-in-law would love. I wanted to make a hat for her, and I played around with a few patterns, looking for one that would work with the texture of the yarn. My first creation was the ugliest beret I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen some ugly berets…) It took four patterns before I made a hat anyone with a sense of taste would actually wear.
I have made a few “ugh’s.” Sometimes it was from yarn color choices that I thought would look good together but actually didn’t. Sometimes it was just that the finished product was down right ugly. I made a cowl this past winter & no matter how hard I tried it just came out ugly. It looked like the picture on the pattern but somehow it didn’t come out as nice as on the picture. I finished the project telling myself that when it’s all done it will be nice around my neck – but NO. I usually don’t throw yarn away but I did throw away this project.
I ve made several successful baby blankets, corner to corner pattern in the past. I attempted to make one for a nurse friend of mine before the baby was due. I ve never struggled so hard with this easy pattern. I had to ravel it back numerous times I jut could not get he ends to line up previously, I could do his pattern blind fold. I keep telling mysel that I wonted to get it done before the baby was old enough to collet Medicare. This was the ugliest blanket that I have ever atempted to make ummph. I just gave up, purchased more yarn and started over again.