When people tell me I'm so talented I tell them that I just follow a pattern really well. In life in general, I follow instructions really well - I don't skim, I don't skip ahead, I don't think I know what's next without having already read it. Like you say, it's not talent, it's what my mom calls 'stick-to-it-ivness'
We had a lot of fun! And even though this wasn't the direction I was planning for this video to take, it was interesting to see which bits each of us struggled with compared to the other.
Great video, as usual, and the cabling looks beautiful! Being convinced that I'm doing the exact same thing as the video has tripped me up as i've started learning magic tricks, too! It's like you're so focused on doing one part right that you miss all the details. One thing that's helped me avoid those kinds of mistakes is trying to learn the "why" of a technique as well as the how. stepping back and seeing exactly what each step changes in your project. if you know how doing different things will affect your stitches, you can more easily read your work and self-correct. It's not for crochet, but the book patty lyon's knitting bag of tricks helped me SO MUCH in looking at my crafts in a "why does this work" way. Highly recommend if you haven't read it before!
I haven’t picked up my crochet in years because I am always so confused and frustrated about how my stitches are uneven and not right. Thank you for sharing! The shrug came out great. I might be brave enough to try again!
Oh yeah, I relate a lot to the bit of just being able to pick up some things really quickly and that sometimes turning into overconfidence and starting bigger or more complicated projects than I maybe should :') And yes, oof, I've been knitting for a few years now but just recently picked up crochet, and when debugging something that went wrong, it's just so incredibly hard to figure out, even with video tutorials and photos, and I've definitely been at that point of being utterly convinced I did it the same way and it still coming out wrong because I just didn't know what to look for. With knitting, I can now often just kinda look at the fabric, know how it's supposed to look, drop some stitches and work them back up correctly, but I'm still learning to get that intuition for crochet.
The clown bit was hilarious! 🤭 Really enjoyed seeing the journey of figuring out a new skill/method! Sometimes it feels like other people always succeed at their first try so it is very refreshing to see some trial and error! 😄
Clearly, given the accusations of talent, I've not been showing enough of the messy process! Also tbf I don't think this video even captures the half of it, this was a STRUGGLE 😅
I've known a fair few people, including my youngest son, who honestly believe you have to be "naturally talented" to do something (ie you must be able to do it almost perfectly the first time you try it - anything else is seen as you being a failure, and therefore the task should never be tried again). People only get good at anything by months (and even years) of doing it - natural affinity at a task just helps you pick it up quicker.
I had this conversation so many times with the young lads on my uni course (I went back to education at 34 so they looked up to me as very wise, haha). Hope I managed to get through to them, but they were utterly convinced that talent was everything.
You know that big nonsense cardigan I'm making? Quite a lot of the V stitches are actually I stitches because I was not paying attention. I'm more than happy to post and talk about stuff where I've made mistakes because this whole "Only perfect people should create" thing gets right up my nose.
I relate to this so much. I never know what to say when people say I'm talented coz I'm like, Dude, I'm really not. This is some of the reasons I always try to include my messups in videos, to show people I make mistakes all the time.
Lovely shrug. And well done you for perseverance. I'm the other way round, crochet cables are easy for me (possibly because I could crochet long before I could knit), knitted cables however, are the work of the devil, require too many hands I don't have, and often cause tantrums and handing over to mum
Perfect example of us all being naturally better at different things! I think I've cracked it now, but it did take a few days and SO. MUCH. FROGGING. Proud of myself for sticking with it and not swearing at it even once! 😅
Thanks for always keeping it real Michelle! I agree that you can be naturally talented at something, but most people have to work to learn things and get better! If it's something that you really want to do, you will do it! Art often isn't a talent, it's a learned skill!
What IS natural is a certain level of manual dexterity (fine motor control etc) which MAY help with getting some moves under control quicker. Anything else is learned. Nobody is BORN knowing how to crochet, knit, sew and glue stuff together. Some of us just catch this stuff easier, because they either have better control over their fingers, or certain disposition to try try try try again, instead of throwing an imperfect first row in the corner. I often hear "ooh, you are so talented, I COULD NEVER". YES, YOU COULD. Most cases, the difference between me and whoever is moaning is simple. I've been crocheting since I was six (and hey, I still don't know A LOT of fancy stitches) and the other person what doing whatever else (eg. being physically active or drawing or...) and so their fingers are not trained to the same movements. Some people choose to not believe, mind you, BECAUSE it would mean they'd need to practice and to go through the humiliating stage of being crap at something, and many grownups are just resistant to that idea ;)
Nice rant! Talented vs skilled - born with it vs learnt/gradually built-up ability? Might try complementing people on their persistence instead. I had no idea you could crochet cables so thanks for that little eye-opener 🦉 Oh, the struggle to use the good supplies and the pretty fabrics and the beautiful yarn because… doubt in ability to make it decently 🥺 What if I wreck it?!
Haha, it's a bit like how it's better to compliment someone's appearance in terms of a choice they made, rather than how they just naturally look. Much more effective! :D I do get that fear with sewing, still. Because I know if it mucks up, the good fabric might be ruined. But that's what bedsheets and practise runs are for.
The difference between talent and work does NOT exist. It is a misconception that talented people do not have to work for their incredible results. My son is very gifted with an IQ >145. He skipped two grades in primary school and is now in third grade at age 6. He still practices for school but he doesn't have to repeat stuff as often as others. And THAT'S the only difference between him and others. Talent can be worked for and you can develop a 'feeling' for something you like.
100%. That was me in school as well, generally found it easier than most and I had a particular natural inclination for maths. Science on the other hand, my absolute downfall, no natural aptitude there at all. Still ended up with A grades in science though, because I used to hang around in the lab tech's office during breaks doing extra work to try and get it to stick! Some people are more willing than others to put effort into filling those gaps, and "talent" is the boogeyman we call on to give ourselves an excuse.
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When people tell me I'm so talented I tell them that I just follow a pattern really well. In life in general, I follow instructions really well - I don't skim, I don't skip ahead, I don't think I know what's next without having already read it. Like you say, it's not talent, it's what my mom calls 'stick-to-it-ivness'
Same! I'm just like "I watched a tutorial and then copied it exactly, and then the thing appeared like magic!" 🤷♀️😅
I just love your attitude when it comes to crafting. You are an inspiration and a joy to watch. Thank you.
Oh my the shrugs looked gorgeous on You and Anna as You modeled them…..stepping up for Anna was such a gift….
We had a lot of fun! And even though this wasn't the direction I was planning for this video to take, it was interesting to see which bits each of us struggled with compared to the other.
really loved the editing on this one! well done sticking to it, and enjoy your decent motor skills!
Great video, as usual, and the cabling looks beautiful!
Being convinced that I'm doing the exact same thing as the video has tripped me up as i've started learning magic tricks, too! It's like you're so focused on doing one part right that you miss all the details.
One thing that's helped me avoid those kinds of mistakes is trying to learn the "why" of a technique as well as the how. stepping back and seeing exactly what each step changes in your project. if you know how doing different things will affect your stitches, you can more easily read your work and self-correct. It's not for crochet, but the book patty lyon's knitting bag of tricks helped me SO MUCH in looking at my crafts in a "why does this work" way. Highly recommend if you haven't read it before!
I haven’t picked up my crochet in years because I am always so confused and frustrated about how my stitches are uneven and not right. Thank you for sharing! The shrug came out great. I might be brave enough to try again!
Oh yeah, I relate a lot to the bit of just being able to pick up some things really quickly and that sometimes turning into overconfidence and starting bigger or more complicated projects than I maybe should :')
And yes, oof, I've been knitting for a few years now but just recently picked up crochet, and when debugging something that went wrong, it's just so incredibly hard to figure out, even with video tutorials and photos, and I've definitely been at that point of being utterly convinced I did it the same way and it still coming out wrong because I just didn't know what to look for.
With knitting, I can now often just kinda look at the fabric, know how it's supposed to look, drop some stitches and work them back up correctly, but I'm still learning to get that intuition for crochet.
The clown bit was hilarious! 🤭 Really enjoyed seeing the journey of figuring out a new skill/method! Sometimes it feels like other people always succeed at their first try so it is very refreshing to see some trial and error! 😄
Clearly, given the accusations of talent, I've not been showing enough of the messy process! Also tbf I don't think this video even captures the half of it, this was a STRUGGLE 😅
@TheGiddyStitcher it looked really hard, I promise
I've known a fair few people, including my youngest son, who honestly believe you have to be "naturally talented" to do something (ie you must be able to do it almost perfectly the first time you try it - anything else is seen as you being a failure, and therefore the task should never be tried again).
People only get good at anything by months (and even years) of doing it - natural affinity at a task just helps you pick it up quicker.
I had this conversation so many times with the young lads on my uni course (I went back to education at 34 so they looked up to me as very wise, haha). Hope I managed to get through to them, but they were utterly convinced that talent was everything.
Ok now I want to try that crochet shrug 😍🤦🏻♀️
You know that big nonsense cardigan I'm making? Quite a lot of the V stitches are actually I stitches because I was not paying attention. I'm more than happy to post and talk about stuff where I've made mistakes because this whole "Only perfect people should create" thing gets right up my nose.
Damn right!
I relate to this so much. I never know what to say when people say I'm talented coz I'm like, Dude, I'm really not. This is some of the reasons I always try to include my messups in videos, to show people I make mistakes all the time.
Yes! I thought I'd shown more than enough silly mistakes in my videos to overcome this perception but apparently not.
Surprisingly inspiring video. Thanks. Really enjoyed it. lol.
My work here is done 😎
Lovely shrug. And well done you for perseverance. I'm the other way round, crochet cables are easy for me (possibly because I could crochet long before I could knit), knitted cables however, are the work of the devil, require too many hands I don't have, and often cause tantrums and handing over to mum
Perfect example of us all being naturally better at different things! I think I've cracked it now, but it did take a few days and SO. MUCH. FROGGING. Proud of myself for sticking with it and not swearing at it even once! 😅
Thanks for always keeping it real Michelle! I agree that you can be naturally talented at something, but most people have to work to learn things and get better! If it's something that you really want to do, you will do it! Art often isn't a talent, it's a learned skill!
EXACTLY!
What IS natural is a certain level of manual dexterity (fine motor control etc) which MAY help with getting some moves under control quicker. Anything else is learned. Nobody is BORN knowing how to crochet, knit, sew and glue stuff together. Some of us just catch this stuff easier, because they either have better control over their fingers, or certain disposition to try try try try again, instead of throwing an imperfect first row in the corner.
I often hear "ooh, you are so talented, I COULD NEVER". YES, YOU COULD. Most cases, the difference between me and whoever is moaning is simple. I've been crocheting since I was six (and hey, I still don't know A LOT of fancy stitches) and the other person what doing whatever else (eg. being physically active or drawing or...) and so their fingers are not trained to the same movements.
Some people choose to not believe, mind you, BECAUSE it would mean they'd need to practice and to go through the humiliating stage of being crap at something, and many grownups are just resistant to that idea ;)
Great video!
Thanks!
Nice rant! Talented vs skilled - born with it vs learnt/gradually built-up ability?
Might try complementing people on their persistence instead.
I had no idea you could crochet cables so thanks for that little eye-opener 🦉
Oh, the struggle to use the good supplies and the pretty fabrics and the beautiful yarn because… doubt in ability to make it decently 🥺 What if I wreck it?!
Haha, it's a bit like how it's better to compliment someone's appearance in terms of a choice they made, rather than how they just naturally look. Much more effective! :D
I do get that fear with sewing, still. Because I know if it mucks up, the good fabric might be ruined. But that's what bedsheets and practise runs are for.
@ Good point. Cool shrug!
Yes!! This!! I've been saying this for years - talents are fake, persistence will always pay in the end.
The difference between talent and work does NOT exist. It is a misconception that talented people do not have to work for their incredible results. My son is very gifted with an IQ >145. He skipped two grades in primary school and is now in third grade at age 6. He still practices for school but he doesn't have to repeat stuff as often as others. And THAT'S the only difference between him and others. Talent can be worked for and you can develop a 'feeling' for something you like.
100%. That was me in school as well, generally found it easier than most and I had a particular natural inclination for maths. Science on the other hand, my absolute downfall, no natural aptitude there at all. Still ended up with A grades in science though, because I used to hang around in the lab tech's office during breaks doing extra work to try and get it to stick!
Some people are more willing than others to put effort into filling those gaps, and "talent" is the boogeyman we call on to give ourselves an excuse.