To initiate the creation of my YouTube channel, and bust my stash while I was at it, I decided to crochet a Magikarp. However, I didn't anticipate how challenging this journey actually would be after starting. After all, I've been crocheting for 6 years, especially amigurumi. And I figured filming would be like recording a home video -- who doesn't love candid shots, right?
Wrong. I hit a lot of challenges for my "typical crafty pursuit." But they all taught me the valuable life lesson of trusting the process, no matter how unpredictable it may become.
I came across three issues on my journey:
The pattern turned out to be HUGE and complex -- I didn't sign up for that
I quickly ran out of yarn, and this year is my "no buy" year -- not a great start to the year
I experienced immense filming and editing setbacks -- I was in over my head before I even made any real filming progress
But I was determined to finish what I started. I had to publish these videos. I had to try.
For starts, the muse. Why Magikarp, you may ask? This humble little Magikarp took precedence over all of the other impressive pokemon in this book, because, simply put, I wanted to get rid of my orange yarn.
You can check out the first "Crochet with Me" video here. Where I caught on film the moment I realized my first obstacle.
Problem 1:
The patterns in this book have finished sizes averaging 8-10 inches in length. That's twice as big as the typical kind of amigurumi patterns I'm used to! (More to cuddle, I guess) On the plus side, I did manage to use all of my orange yarn AND some gray. Stash busting goals achieved!
The me from 2022 would have just put this project in the WIP pile and called it a day. I would have found some other stash busting project, and saved that Magikarp for another time. By this point, I had virtually no traffic coming to my channel from the first video. In a sense, it wouldn't have mattered if made another video or not, let alone find out how it would be received.
But I wanted to give myself that chance of failing. Even if it meant putting in effort I normally wouldn't just to find out.
Problem 2:
I already declared that 2023 is my "no-buy" AND stash-busting year. Having come from the momentum of a queen-sized stash buster only a couple of weeks before, I was determined not to break the good streak I was on. More about my yarny goals later. But in a nutshell, I wanted to spend $0 on this project. So I had to get resourceful.
Of course, we all check our coupons to see what's good when saving money. Thankfully, my membership at my local craft store I had a voucher for $5 that was expiring soon. Perfect timing!
But truthfully, I didn't want another 300 yards of orange yarn. And you must think I'm crazy for not wanting a free 300 yards. But part of being resourceful is not being wasteful. And I wouldn't have clue what I would do with the 220 extra yards that would be staring at me all year long. The idea of more bright orange after getting rid of so much already made me feel a little exhausted.
I weighed the pros and cons. I quickly decided that, if anything, I could keep this YouTube channel going and find other projects to use up that yarn. I feel like I signed myself up for way more than I bargained for with this YouTube thing. Wish me luck! :)
At last, I managed to finish crocheting all the pieces of Magikarp -- and all in the same shade of orange! (Extra props here, because these lot numbers were at least 3 years apart)
I sewed the fins, lips, and barbels to satisfaction, then embroidered the scales. I cut out felt pieces for his signature eyes and mouth. And the final product looked something like this!
It took some effort getting the pipe cleaners to be snugly secured inside the cocoon of crochet fabric for his side fins, but I'm really happy with how they turned out.
NOW, the biggest challenge of all....
Problem 3:
Filming and editing was NOT a linear learning process.
Now I understand the immense work that's put into YouTube videos. My hat goes off to all the vloggers out there who make it look so effortless. It's no easy feat at all to get your footage together to make something pleasing to the eyes AND ears.
I did very little prep work besides setting up a space for good lighting and to film my work. I was very much riding on the momentum of sheer excitement for starting something new.
It took me a total of about 20 hours if not more to get the filming and editing just right. I filmed and edited my first two videos on my iPad using iMovie and YouTube Studio. And boy, was it faaaar from the video I was expecting it to look like.
Check out the rest of the Magikarp process below. Obligatory "splash" test at the end.
I learned valuable lessons in the process of stumbling, though. I had to re-film, re-record, and fix the audio so many times... it really wore me out. But I gained a new appreciation for this medium as well. You really give a lot and expect very little. It's truly a motivating process from start to finish.
Final Thoughts:
It's not everyday you want to put in extra work for a chance to fail. I experienced a good amount of challenges with this Magikarp. But he is now one of the biggest and most impressive amigurumi I've made. He moves like an actual fish, and you get to see it!
Trusting the process can take you so far in life. But you can view these challenges as an opportunity to learn more about yourself. And you never know what the outcome is unless you try :)
Let me know what you think I should do with the rest of that orange yarn! And as always, happy making, friends! <3