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Monday, March 9, 2015

Remembering Why I Crochet

Life can be very stressful sometimes. During the past several months I have had a lot of change and turmoil in mine. It's that ebb and flow, an ocean of passing days. Sometimes everything seems to be going your way. You're wading through happiness as it swirls and foams around you. Other times -- like what I'm experiencing right now -- things don't fit together as easily and you're stepping lightly across sharp stones, looking for the shiny bits.

As a result of the changes I'm going through, for the past few months I haven't had much time for my design business. All of my ideas have been simmering away on the back burner. My stress would lead me to neglect my crochet, which would stress me out, which would lead me to neglect my crochet... you can see where this is going. Things like keeping the clothes and dishes clean and staying awake until bedtime have become victories of sorts.

A little over a week ago I finally had a breakthrough. I looked at my forlorn project, the design I'd most recently started, and I knew I needed to spend some time with it. I ended up finishing it a few days later. The quiet, calming process of crocheting coupled with that familiar exhilaration of completing a design really lifted my spirits. Instead of making my life more hectic, making time for my crochet had the opposite effect. I felt more ready to complete other tasks and more prepared to take on each day. My new pattern is now out being tested and I couldn't be happier about it. It's a great shiny moment to hold onto in a turbulent time.

Why do I crochet? It's not just my business or even my hobby. It's my way of staying connected -- to myself, to the shiny bits, and to a community of fiber friends. Readers, I hope you're making time for crochet. Let's all take a moment to remember why we love it so very much.


8 comments:

  1. I cannot imagine going without crochet. I find I have to create to remain level headed.

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    1. Me too, Nadine. I just needed some reminding :) Yay for us creative types!

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  2. AMEN! As Long as I have a few minutes to crochet - I DO!

    The only time I have to change that is when I'm working on a really complex pattern, like Sophie's Universe, if I try to sneak in a few minutes, I end up making SERIOUS mistakes...just doesn't work!
    Because of physical problems, I can only be on my feet and 'active' for a few minutes at a time. So that's when I sit and crochet...It not only gets something made - or at least partially made, but it does relieve stress and helps to put everything else in perspective. So - I'm trying to have small projects to do 'on the side' to do at those times. And then I can pick up Sophie when I have more than a few minutes to work. I LOVE doing Sophie...so challenging and therefore fun. But trying to do five minutes here and five minutes there has led to frogging many rows!
    But if I had NO crochet to do, I think I'd go crazy! I cannot stand to just sit in front of TV and do nothing! Trying to read during the day makes me so sleepy, so that doesn't work.
    Crochet is the answer!

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    1. I'm so happy to hear that you are loving crochet as well. Here's to fiber bliss!

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  3. Thank you. Thank you for this post reminding me why I crochet. I have been crocheting for around 25 years but in the last couple of years it has been all about writing more blog posts, getting more Etsy sales and even more Facebook likes!!
    I forgot the real reason I crochet, which is to preserve my sanity and prevent me from killing annoying people. Haha...just joking. Crocheting is my version of meditation and it keeps me calm and grounded in the most trying situations.
    Have a lovely day. Regards from India. :)

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    1. My dear Sangeetha, I know exactly how you feel. When you're a crochet professional it can be all too easy to lose sight of the beauty of crochet and get wrapped up in all of the social media and business-y stuff. You have a lovely day, too. A meditative one! :)

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  4. Replies
    1. I super thought of you and your work the whole time I wrote this post :)

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