In the beginning of the year, three friends told me (separately!) in the span of one week that they thought I would “looove crocheting”. That in conjunction with the absurd amount of Tiktoks I was getting on the craft convinced me to start.

Turns out, I did not in fact looove crocheting. I started off making these sunflower granny squares with the goal of turning them into a bag, but I spent over three weeks just trying to figure out how to make the center of the sunflower. By then, I was ready to give up.

Sadly the bag remains unfinished to this day.

But I hate quitting (thanks asian parents)!

I found myself checking out amigurumi, also known as stuffed toys, because crocheting them felt less repetitive than making granny squares. They also make for cute, cost-effective gifts.

My first few creations were definitely a bit lumpy as I was still getting used to how tightly I had to hold the yarn, but I think the dopamine rush from successfully making a toy finally made crocheting click for me.

My partner really likes the Final Fantasy video game franchise, so I made them a plushie of a popular character.

I found a creator who made a lot of cute bird patterns and decided to try one out.