Sahara's Dreams: learning something new

At around this time last year, I finished crocheting my first hat and I learned a lot about Patience which brought my Patience is Key post into existence. This third time around, I decided to test out a new style of crochet - ribbed crochet - because why not test my basically fetus crocheting knowledge with a challenge.

I've learned to apply this mindset to a lot of areas in my life recently. It's so easy to stay in the lines of where you're comfortable. Who wants to leave something cozy for a blizzard they know nothing about?

But by staying where you're comfortable, does that mean you sacrifice your growth for comfort?

As a Computer Science major, I wouldn't grow as a developer by doing the same exact coding project everyday - I have to challenge my coding abilities with something new. There's only so many ways to write Hello World* in different fonts and aesthetics. And yes, this means half the time I'm in the unknown but I learn the most when I'm in the unknown because the unknown doesn't stay unknown forever.

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*Hello World is essentially what every programmer learns to program first; in every programming language the first thing you're doing is outputting Hello World one way or another.

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The more you step into fresh waters and stay in it, the warmer the water becomes. Sure, the water will be freezing for a bit, but as you stick around in it you'll start to feel nice and cozy. So what's the analogy here? The unknown can give a shock to the brain and activate the fight or flight mode, but if you stick around to absorb the new information and knowledge, the more you learn and the more you grow.

who am i? a hat model apparently

As a runner, I wouldn't speed up on the track if I didn't shuffle my training around to do something different everyday. If I only ran 3 miles every day that's not really helping me in terms of speed, just endurance. By not stepping into the unknown that was Speed Workouts, I wouldn't have progressed to where I am now with a 7:40 pacing.

me and Spring having a nice 1 to 1 chat on the daily forecast for next week because apparently Spring is confused

As a person who crochets, I wouldn't grow as a crocheter if I just stuck to the same patterns. Where's the fun in only doing what you know and not challenging yourself? Also, the feeling of accomplishment after finishing this hat with a new vibe compared to my very first hat can't even be described in words - I'm just so happy and proud that I! made! that!

Growth doesn't happen when you stick with what you know, it happens when you branch out into something new. That something new overtime turns into something you know, and the process repeats.

Have you ever crocheted? Challenged yourself recently with something in the ~unknown~? I'd love to know!

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To anyone wondering, when making this hat I used the same sources on my Patience is Key post.

p.s. My sister and I have started a coding blog and Youtube Channel - if you're interested, the blog is HERE, our Instagram is HERE and YouTube Channel is HERE.

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TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

A little while ago, I stumbled into a store and saw a really nice comfy hat. Said hat was supposedly on sale- the price was $30 and that is actually the definition of tragic. The hat itself 110/10 NEED in my life - the price on the other hand, even with the sale, had me contemplating if I knew the correct definition of sale.

A few minutes later of wandering around, I stumbled into another store that had hats on sale for $7- THAT is sale! Now I took the hat in my hand like yes yes yes hello hat that is already blessing my life. But, alas, I was then convinced not to get the hat because “hijabi’s don’t/can’t wear hats”. [seems like my sombrero all over again]

When I went home that day, I still really wanted the hat and the sale was ending that same day so the only way to still get the sale price was to order it online. Well that idea did not go as planned -so I had another idea [when plan A & B failed you always gotta have a C D E FG etc.!] Why not crochet a hat myself?

Mind you, I had no crocheting background so this was going to be a challenge teaching myself something by watching probably about 500 youtube videos. So, I ventured out to the craft store and picked some yarn and got to work the next day.

here we have ma heart and soul on the ground after I was halfway through and realized I messed up the second line by missing a loop.

The process of this hat filled my brain with a lot of these questions: Did I loop this correctly? Did I miss a loop? IS THIS EVEN GOING TO WORK OUT? How is this going to form like a hat @ youtube lady???

Funnily enough, when it came time for finals I was extremely stressed and this hat was right there waiting for me to crochet my stress away. It just made everything loop together, and calm me down, though ironically this hat gave me so much stress but it was a good type of stress (if that’s possible). Numerous times I was undoing the whole thing because I messed up on one part and thus that made everything else wrong. Pulling the loops out and fixing it over and over again- there was lil miss doubt inside of my head telling me to give up, but there was also lil miss optimistic inside my head telling me OH C’MON YOU GOT THIS KEEP GOING.

One month later and here we are with a multicolored hat that’s probably cooler than me. This hat taught me a lot about patience, so much that it had me drinking from a patience mug I made for my mom for Mother’s Day. I learned that hey it’s going to get tough along the way but once you reach that goal it’s going to be worth it- the harder the challenge is the better the success feels. Also, sometimes it’s good to throw yourself out of your comfort zone and try something new. Challenge yourself. Because of deciding to make this hat instead of buying it at the store, I plan to crochet for nonprofit organizations, I just have to find one I’m 110% on.

Along the way of challenging yourself, that lil voice inside your head might be like lol let’s turn back I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS bYE. Here I am to tell you YES YOU CAN DO THIS. YES. YOU. CAN. DO NOT LISTEN TO THAT VOICE. [And suddenly I’m the living embodiment of Barack Obama’s campaign slogan.]

The hat in the store code $7 and the hat I ended up making cost me $10. Yes, 3 dollars extra, but for those three dollars I’ve learned how to crochet, the actual definition of the phrase ‘patience is key', and the importance of challenging myself.

ALSO @ people who think hijabi’s can’t wear hats DO I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU