Be brave and challenge your crocheting skills! Try something new, expand your horizons and jump out there into the crochet world. The worst thing that can happen is that you take it all out or get some help to finish a pattern!
Here are five ways to Challenge your crocheting!
- Try new colors:
We generally choose the same color pallet every time we create. It does make sense financially. That way we can use yarn we already have and actually be a bit more frugal with this passion of ours. My advice is to start small and add colors that are slightly different to the current pallet you use. Use brighter or more somber tones, add black or white as the background. Stretch your crochet a bit.
This isn’t my usual color choice. I prefer the bright crayon colors better, but this works great and was a stretch for me.
2. Use different yarns. If you normally use solid color yarns try some variegated yarns. Boucle yarns or soft pom pom yarns can challenge you while adding some interest to the same pattern you have used in the past. Using yarns that have a different feel will help you learn to tension your yarns better. Pick a small item to make not a huge 10 skein afghan out of expensive yarn. See if you really like working with the expensive new yarn first before you invest your yarn budget in some strange new yarn. 
These are little pumpkins crocheted out of a variety of yarns. I used variegated, eyelash and some soft fluffy yarn for these. It was a fairly quick project and gave me a taste of using them without a huge time or money commitment.
3.Try a slightly harder pattern.
If you feel ready then jump up in technical difficulty. Try new stitches in small projects like potholders or granny squares. These are quick to finish and will keep you from getting frustrated with the difficulty of working with the new. The good thing with granny squares is that eventually you have enough for a scarf, purse or afghan. 
This little bowl required a new technique for me. I was crocheting over a clothesline. It adds the rounded shape to the stitches. It was a small project but still a challenge.
4. Try a different hook size.
A great way to learn more about crochet is to work with a different sized hook. The different hooks really affect the stiffness of the crochet. Trying the same yarn with different sized hooks can really affect the finished look of your project. It will really solidify why pattern designers insist that you create a gauge sample first.
This is one of the few times I used a steel crochet hook and did some thread crochet. I am not that great at it but I liked the result.
This is the giant hook that I used to create the giant blanket. These are 7 inch sewing scissors so you can see how huge that hook really is. That crochet hook is bigger than a broom handle.
5. Giving yourself a deadline.
Setting a deadline will force you to finish what you start. If you decide to crochet a gift for friends or family, that deadline will keep you working at it when you are just ready to quit. The craft fair was a huge deadline for me as it forced me to work quickly to make as many things as I could. I wouldn’t suggest a craft show as a deadline if you are a beginner crocheter. I would pick making something for a Birthday or Christmas gift. Possibly choose to crochet some red white and blue bunting for Memorial day or the 4th of July. Then also pick a smaller project if you are new at crocheting under a time deadline. The purpose is to grow not beat yourself over the head with some huge project that is too challenging or difficult.
It is better not to pick all five of these challenges to do at one time. I am not saying you should crochet your wedding dress out of fine thread with a steel needle for your wedding in a month, when you have only crocheted potholders. Crocheting the edging on a handkerchief that you can carry would be more likely to be finished, and more than enough of a challenge if you are beginner! Change one aspect of your crocheting at a time. Change up your yarn weight, or hook size or the pattern you keep making; not everything at one time. Changing everything at once can make you frustrated. Struggling to hold the right tension, use the smaller or larger hook, deal with slippery yarn or thread, while reading a more complex pattern is a recipe for frustration and possibly failure.
How are you going to challenge your crochet skills? Let me know.
Talk to you later,
Karen
