Good Copy of Draft Proposal

Name of student: Ban, Panha Erica Date: 15/05/24

Teacher: Mr. Ryan Green Block: C

The Capstone Focus I have chosen is creation of a physical object, making a piece of cloth using crochet

Proposed title for my Project Proposal:

Yarning out fast fashion

My inquiry question is:

How much does it cost to make my own clothes using crochet?

Rationale/context:
I have chosen this inquiry question as I have been exposed multiple times to unethical practices in the fast
fashion industry. I have also seen people crocheting on social media and have thought it would be interesting
to learn how to crochet and being able to make my own clothes and other products using yarn. Another reason
why I chose to crochet for my capstone project is to teach myself this skill while I still have some free time in
my hand. I enjoy art and have never done art in textile form, I thought it would be interesting to try something
new, out of my comfort zone. I also do not often buy new clothes as they are quite expensive. With this topic
for my capstone project, I can find for myself if it is worth spending hours crocheting instead of buying for the
fast fashion industry.

Background:
I have little to no prior knowledge about crochet. I am still a beginner; I know the basics such as making chains
and three crocheting techniques pattern. However, I started crocheting not so long ago, I am still learning. As I
am still new to crochet, choosing this topic for my capstone project could expand my knowledge.

Career connections:
My intended career at this point of time is the science area/path. I have applied for a chemistry major next
year and might change to biochemistry. It is completely different from my capstone project. Although I like
and am currently pursuing science for post-secondary, I wanted to make a project outside of something I
will most likely do for the rest of my life. However, I will most likely continue to crochet after finishing my
capstone project. With that in mind, I might be able to sell my product and have a “side job” out of
something I enjoy while studying science. Although I know that for the years coming up, I will be busy
with school and will not be able to spend time on crochet.

Interdisciplinary and core competencies connections:

My capstone project does cover most of the core competencies. Although my capstone project is not mainly
focused on communication, a small portion of it will be connected. Through the semester, I have come across
many people who have had experience in crochet. This had led me to connect within them on this topic and
discuss my project. I was also able to learn more about crochet, their techniques and their advice. Connecting
and engaging with others was covered through that. Critical and creative thinking is mainly covered. As I will be
designing and making my own clothes, lots of creativity and thinking needs to be done. For instance, I have
drawn out the design I will be producing for my capstone project, this covers generating ideas. As I continue
working on my capstone project, more ideas have come to mind which I will include such as homemade
buttons, this covers developing ideas. As for critical thinking, the second part of my capstone project which is
the research part is covered. As my capstone project topic goes over fast fashion, I will question myself on this
topic, and I will spend time researching with the use of academical website. While doing my research, I will
analyze articles and select relevant information, this further covers the core competency, analyze and critique.
Personal awareness and social responsibility are also another core competencies mainly covered by my
capstone project. As I value the environment, limiting my expenses and material it plays a big part in my
project, personal value and choice were used. This also covers caring for the environment, another core
competency as my project was intended to reduce fast fashion, therefore reducing textile waste. Self-
determination will also be used, I am aware that crochet projects take lots of time to complete, they take mostly
up to a month to complete, depending on its size and the crocheter experience. Therefore, at least once a
week, I dedicate at least one of my evenings to working on my crochet. If I tried to rush everything towards the
capstone deadline, it would affect the quality of my work and cause minor health problems such as hand pains,
eye strain, and back and shoulders pain. This also connects to my well-being as I wish to stay healthy, I
spaced out my time dedicated to crochet and not do everything at once.

Capstone Presentation medium:

I will use an electronic portfolio, Canva, to present my capstone project. When presenting, I will also bring
out my physical product.

Resources/ Technology/Skills:
Resources I will need are academical website and YouTube. Academical website, Jstor and Ebsco will be
used to earn a profound knowledge on fast fashion and its unethical practices. YouTube will be used to
learn techniques and some basic knowledge on crochet. Using physical textbooks will be hard to follow a
crochet tutorial and it also takes lots of time if I were to use physical textbooks to find out more about fast
fashion.

The technology needed is an electric device to do my research and watch tutorial videos. I will also need
an application to draw digitally for my cardigan design and sketch.

Some skills I will need for my capstone project are hand precision, math knowledge and detail oriented.
Manipulating yarn requires lots of precision as if a small mistake is made, I would have to restart
everything. As for hand precision, I will need to know how to control my hand carefully to keep the yarn
tension. Math knowledge is needed when measuring myself and finding the right size of square to use in
my final product.
Description of my Capstone project.

For my capstone project, I will be making a physical product, a piece of clothing with the use of crochet. I am
still new to crochet and will learn more about it through YouTube videos. I will have a budget in mind as I would
not like to spend lots on my first crochet project which could be a failure. I would then waste my money, my
materials and my time. My budget will only include the cost of yarn, other material such as a crochet hook,
scissors and measuring tape will not be included. What I would like to learn is if making my own clothes is
better than buying them. I will compare the money I have put into my project to clothes sold online and in
stores. Another factor I will look forward to is the quality of my product and the time I will spend. Although I
might not measure exactly how much I spend on crocheting my piece of cloth, I will have an estimation in mind.
My goal for this capstone project is to reduce fast fashion. It is known that the fast fashion industry is harmful to
the environment and unethical due to child labor and exploitation. Making this could perhaps help a bit,
although my contribution is minimal, it is something.

By the end of my capstone project, I will produce a patchwork cardigan. It is made by crocheting multiple
squares and by the end connecting them all. I will sketch out the design and color of yarn I will use for my final
product. As I am making my own clothes, I will measure myself and make my cardigan a bit larger than my
measurement as I might not fit in. Another reason why I am marking it larger is because I like wearing oversize
clothes as they are comfortable. If in the future, I decide to give it to someone, it has a higher chance to fit the
person. I am still new to crochet; I will then learn more about it with this capstone project. I will learn how to
connect strings of yarn together using a steel crochet needle and attaching my work together as well. I will also
learn how to make yarn buttons for my project as I wish to limit my expenses. Other than that, I will be
researching the topic of fast fashion using academical website such as Jstor and Ebsco. As mentioned earlier,
my capstone project was intended to reduce fast fashion, I would like to learn more about the clothing industry
and its dark and unethical truth. As I gather more and more information, I will try to advocate people to limit
their expenses on fast fashion clothing and opt out for other solutions. I would like to write a research paper on
this topic to practice my writing skills and expand my English vocabulary. English is not my first language, and I
grew in an environment where French was spoken. Writing a research paper will not only help me practice for
post-secondary where research paper is done but will also improve my English skills. As I have never written a
research paper before, I will try to write a short one. Most research papers contain on average from 15 to 50
pages. This is out of my capacity and time as I was not taught to write one before. Although I have a busy
schedule and will most likely not have enough time to write a research paper, even a small one, it is a
suggestion I have in mind. Another suggestion I have in mind is to make an annotated bibliography. I will
compile relevant information about fast fashion using academic websites on a Word document and have their
source below. Although it is not as professional and formal as a research paper, I will have some chance to
expand my English skill over that and learn how to use a database.

I decided to crochet for my capstone project after seeing many videos on social media of people making their
clothes and accessories. I was not influenced by any peers, however over time, I have come across people
who have crocheted before. They do not have lots of experience either, I can ask them questions and I might
learn something from them. They can somehow be my mentors for this capstone project.

Mentors/Community Connections:
I do not necessarily need a mentor for my capstone project. I can learn how to crochet on my own with the use
of YouTube. However, I will ask questions to my peers how have had some crochet experience which can
somehow be my mentors.

Project limitations:
Some factors that might affect my capstone project are other courses, time and money. I am taking two math
courses, pre-calculus 12, which is online, during school hours. Although I am still pre-calculus 12 online, I have
a deadline to finish it which is before June 1st . This deadline is also close to the deadline to finish my capstone
project. This will affect my final product as I need to prioritize pre-calculus12 which is a course requirement for
my post-secondary program for next year. This also aligns with the time factors as I will be more busy working
on other courses outside of Career Life Connection, I will most likely have to rush through my project, and it will
not be as perfect as I had expected. As for money, I had a budget in mind which was $50. Most cheap yarns
are acrylic which is not as eco-friendly as I wanted. Other high-quality yarn such as wool and cotton are rather
expensive. As for crocheting, I spent most of my time undoing most of my work and restart my squares multiple
times as they do not fit the standard size of square I was looking forward. My squares measure 5 by 5inches,
some squares are too small, some are too big. Ignoring this detail would make my cardigan unnatural.

Other considerations:
It is uncommon for new crocheters like me to start their first project as a cardigan. Most opt out for a blanket or
a coaster. I have decided to start my first crochet project as a big one due to capstone. As it is a requirement
course and project to graduate, I felt that I needed to make something big rather than a few simple coasters.
This could lead to my final product having many flaws. Another consideration is the type of yarn I am using,
acrylic yarn is practically plastic which contradicts the whole idea of my capstone. However, I have set a
budget to reduce my expenses as other eco-friendly yarn are expensive.

References:
[Sigoni Macaroni]. (2020, May 29). CROCHET TENSION TIPS: The 3 BEST Ways To Hold Your Yarn &
CONTROL YOUR TENSION [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6FuTHAxKAQ

[Crochet With Tiffany Hansen]. (2021, May 28). Blocking For Beginners // What is Blocking // Why Block your
project? // Different Methods [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6FuTHAxKAQ

[Sew Homey]. (2021, January 23). How to Block 100% Acrylic Yarn | The Best Way for Knit + Crochet [Video].
YouTube. https://youtu.be/W5Cmd4WwKOE?si=TAq62gA3dwMSM9q9

[TL Yarn Crafts]. (2021, July 16). LEARN TO CROCHET (for real this time) | SLOW Step-By-Step How to
Crochet Tutorial [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zzWX2dx8ufc?si=1N1fYX6BUxO16KOm
[Ikoxun]. (2022, January 21). The (almost) ultimate guide to crocheting the patchwork cardigan | crochet
tutorial [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rtlbzG8PNgs?si=p9Mn0BCFYg6r54Ba

[Annie's Crafts]. (2022, August 30). What To Do if You Run Out of Yarn Mid Project: How to Attach Yarn
[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/VL_khkXRXGk?si=yBzkxxsIP5TrtJ_Q
[Hooked by Robin]. (2019, July 28). Sew on Crochet Appliques (Without Your Stitches Showing!)🧶 [Video].
Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxfj3ER8kmg

[Marble Jar Channel]. (2018, June 18). My Step by Step Guide to Writing a Research Paper [Video]. YouTube.
https://youtu.be/-JcgRyJUfZM?si=jkT_O_QyTJLQrAI-

Assmann, S. (2018). Consumption of Fast Fashion in Japan: Local Brands and Global Environment. In K. J.
Cwiertka & E. Machotka (Eds.), Consuming Life in Post-Bubble Japan: A Transdisciplinary Perspective (pp.
49–68). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv56fgjm.7

Claudio, L. (2007). Waste Couture: Environmental Impact of the Clothing Industry. Environmental Health
Perspectives, 115(9), A448–A454. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4626880

Joy, A., Sherry, J. F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., & Chan, R. (2012). Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical
Appeal of Luxury Brands. Fashion Theory, 16(3), 273–295.
https://doi.org/10.2752/175174112X13340749707123