The yarn crafts most likely to fail by season and type

by Alyssa Fowers

I created this story as a part of the graphics desk’s Joy Week initiative. Every reporter on the desk had exactly one week to create a story about something that brought them joy. This was obviously my cue to crochet a chart.

I used the Ravelry API to pull data on all of the crochet projects created between January 2019 and mid-July 2023. (Due to the tight deadline and the tricky API, I had to focus on crochet rather than pulling all types of yarn projects.) I analyzed when projects were created, as well as what types of projects were most likely to be completed (or abandoned).

One reader commented, "I have been a WP reader for ever and this is the most charming article I have ever seen." The story was featured in a Nieman Lab article about crocheted data visualization. This story also kicked off the Washington Post tradition of writing about contributors’ connections to the subject matter of fun data stories:

Story and visualizations by Alyssa Fowers, who learned to crochet as a teenager, wrote one of her college admissions essays about crocheting and crocheted a lace chuppah canopy for her 2022 wedding. She has frogged several shawls. Copy-editing by Laura Michalski, who has knit more than 150 pairs of socks but is still working on a lace shawl she started in 2015. Photography by Matt McClain, who has never considered knitting but respects the craft. Editing by Kate Rabinowitz, who has a drawer of half started yarn projects she’ll return to with full vigor this winter. Maybe.

Process images

To create the header gif:

I originally planned to include a full range of colors in the piece. Here were the color palettes I considered from my yarn stash (Animation Amigurumi, Palette, and Stroll, all from KnitPicks):

I ended up using a single color: Palette yarn in Chicory.

My original plan for the main chart was actually to embroider it. However, I stabbed myself with the embroidery needle and bled on the chart just before I was able to take pictures of it. So I ended up crocheting the chart overnight and rushed it to the Post’s photo studio the next morning. I used Aida evenweave fabric as the background for the chart in the story as a reference to the original embroidery idea.