Guest Post: Choosing and Using a Crochet Word of the Year with Kathryn Vercillo

Kathryn Vercillo of Crochet Concupiscence is a crochet maven I've known for several years. I really appreciate her, and I've especially appreciated her encouragement and advice. Her passion comes through in everything she does. I'm honored to share this guest post, written by Kathryn. In it, she shares some unique advice for framing your crochet around a "word of the year." All text and photos below belong to Kathryn. Enjoy!

Choosing and Using a Crochet “Word of the Year”

By Kathryn Vercillo

Some people choose a “word of the year” at the start of each new year to set an intention for the year. It is a terrific practice for giving focus to your life in the months ahead. Although it’s helpful to begin at the new year, choosing a word to work with is something that you can begin at any time of the year. Believe it or not, crochet can be a key part of working with your word for personal growth and development. In this post, you’ll learn a five-step process for choosing and using a word in crochet. Note that this presumes that you already know how to crochet – at least the basic crochet stitches – but that you don’t have to have any advanced crochet skills for this exercise.  

Step One: Choosing a Word

There are many different approaches to choosing your word for the year. Personally, I do a lot of mulling over and journaling but also just let my mind wander and see what sticks. The word has to excite me enough that I think I'll want to commit a year to its use in my life, and I know in my gut immediately whether or not a word does that. That said, it's not at all unusual for me to select a word only to discover a week or two later that it's not the right word because there's a better one. For example, I thought for sure that my 2018 year was going to be "hope" but then later realized that instead I'm going to investigate (dis)comfort (technically two words, I know). If the right word comes at any time, stay open to recalibrating.

The word you choose does not have to be a lofty, abstract ideal or virtue. We often feel like we must choose such words (hope, gratitude, change, peace, discipline). And that's fine, but sometimes such words can be too limiting, too intangible, too hard to live up to. It's perfectly wonderful to choose a more common word, a noun (butterfly, shell, home) or a place (Hawaii, Iceland) or a word inspired by craft itself (which we'll explore more below). You can take the choosing of your word very seriously but you don't have to; this is meant to make your life better and easier and more fun, providing a little structure for your own growth but not in arms rigid, painful, stressful way.

How does this relate to crochet? First, you may use meditative crochet to help you find your word of the year. That downtime in crafting, the time when your hands are stitching away and colors flowing into shapes, is great for bringing a keyword to the surface. For a more active connection to crochet, you could brainstorm a list of words that you think of related to crochet and to choose your word from this list. You might include words that are specific to the craft (stitch, treble, rows, yarn) and you might include words that the craft makes you think of (cozy, inspired, relaxed, skillful).

Here is a list of words from the world of crochet that you might want to pull from in selecting your word of the year: Loop, hook, craft, granny, chain, single, double, treble, ripple, chevron, motif, doily, vintage, handmade, frog, skein, hank, hands, insert, pull through, popcorn, cluster, bullion, bobble, picot, edging, finish, weave, ends, join, cable, color, creativity, self-expression, arrange, lay flat, shell, Tunisian, basketweave, lace, stitch, row, round, gauge, freeform, art, decor, garment, toy, pattern, symbol, abbreviation, graph, increase, decrease, work in progress

Step Two: Investigating the Word

Once you have a word, spend a few weeks or months really digging into that word. Get curious about it in every way that you can and explore those curiosities. Of course, you'll probably do some version of this throughout the year but it’s especially important to immerse yourself in it early on. During this time, I look up the definition of the word and its synonyms and find books with the word in its title or subject and ask others what they think of when they hear this word. I try to generate even more interest in the word within myself than I had as the year began by getting to really know this word.

During your deep dive into the word, take some time to research the relationship of the word to crochet. Some Googling will get you started - pair your word with "crochet" or "yarn" or "craft" or "hobbies" to get inspired ideas about how your word might relate to crochet out there in the world. Ask crocheters that you know what the word makes them think of, particularly in regards to the craft. This year, I'll look at how crochet makes people comfortable / uncomfortable. Last year I learned about immersion dyeing of yarn and thought about the possibility of immersing myself in a crochet retreat. If you can't find strong links between your word and crochet, try synonyms of your word as well as tangents that your word makes you think about.

Step Three: Going Inside

In the process of learning all about the word, I certainly do a lot of thinking about what the word means to me personally. The next step is to dig even deeper into this. How do I relate to the word? What has come up emotionally or tangibly as I've investigated this word? I journal more during this time, pondering it more, working with it more as it relates directly to my own experience. In 2017, my word was “immerse”. I thought that maybe during this time I would immerse myself in one of those sensory deprivation tanks; I didn't do that, but I did think about why I would or wouldn't do that. It's good to have goals for this project and you still benefit when you don't meet all of them.

Let’s bring this back to crochet. Again, you can use meditative crochet to dig deeper into the word’s meaning for you. You can work with affirmations in crochet, repeating the same mantra after each round, to reflect upon the word. Sometimes coming up with the affirmation is easy ("I immerse myself in the joy of crochet") but even when it's less obvious, it can be done ("My crochet is like a butterfly, powerful in its transformation.")

Crochet can also be a way to lighten your exploration of the word and make it easier and more fun to work with. In journaling, you can only do so much with the word itself. Sometimes it feels too heavy and serious and frankly just confusing to ask yourself repeatedly, "what do I think about immersion today?" (or "when should I choose discomfort over comfort"). But you can tie the word with crochet and the investigation becomes a little simpler ... What do I feel about immersing myself in crochet? What are the benefits of doing so? It's easier to grasp onto this tangible thing and to work with it in small bites, through a yarn language that I understand. Pair your word with “crochet” and see where it takes you.

Step Four: Reaching Outside

Next, I try to turn the study of the word from inwards to outwards, and more specifically to how I can use this word to connect with others. In what ways does this word relate to my community, to my work, to my relationships, to the art I share? I didn't end up doing a whole lot with "immerse" in the third quarter of 2017, but one goal I had in mind was that when I went on a very special trip to my mom's hometown with her and my siblings, I would not take any work or other distractions and would fully immerse myself in being there with them. Doing so was invaluable.

Crochet can be a way to connect us with other people. We can gift our crochet, donate it to charity, crochet simply with the intention of another's benefit in mind. We can crochet to calm ourselves down and make ourselves happier with the secondary goal of improving our relationships with others, increasing our patience and kindness towards the world around us. We can crochet in ways that connect us to the people around us. These techniques can be combined with your word in creative ways as you think about how to use both to reach out to your community.

Find ways to relate your crochet to the word while linking it with your values. If I care about the environment, I learn about what yarn dye immersion is and how my choices around the purchasing of that fiber do and don't impact the environment. Or I think about how I can "immerse" myself in my crochet community. Or I immerse myself in a crochet project for a specific person. If your word is "butterfly", how does fiber processing impact their environment? Or what can we learn from the ways butterflies migrate to inform our own travels to other parts? Get creative, make links in your mind between the word, the craft and what matters most to you in relation to others outside of yourself.

When sharing your crochet, as gifts or online or in art shows, add labels and captions and messages that incorporate your word. Ask yourself how your crochet and this word can strengthen your connections and act upon that.

Step Five: Reflection

I don't like to put too much pressure on the word's power or importance. I like it to be a guiding point throughout the year but I don't ever want it to feel like an obligation. After researching and looking in and out, I have a good sense of the word, and I like to take time to just kind of relax with it and reflect upon it. Sometimes new things come up or I try things that I had thought of earlier in the year but didn't explore. Sometimes it's just a period of rest and rejuvenation and not paying too much attention to the word, letting it relax into the background while waiting for a new word to emerge to start the process over again.

We need time to rest with our word, and crochet is such a great way to rest. As your hands work with yarn, the loops come together into a fabric ... and the different stories and situations from throughout the year come together in a narrative in the mind. Crochet is the jumping off point for exploring our word and the tool that gives us space to reflect upon it.

This has been a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo, blogger at Crochet Concupiscence and author of several books, including Crochet Saved My Life and Mandalas for Marinke. You can support her work with micro-donations through Patreon.

Kangaroo Leather Experiment

Yep, you read the title correctly... kangaroo leather. I ended up being given an entire bag of kangaroo leather scraps when I purchased a gift from a retail store near my workplace. The store sells traditional western apparel and gifts, including many items made of leather. Since leather is made from animal skin, there are many different types of animals that can be used. This includes kangaroos!

Keep in mind that I have absolutely no experience working with leather.

What to do with a bag of kangaroo leather? Well, I decided to experiment. I started by sorting the thin strips and the chunky pieces into separate piles. Ranna cat was fairly interested in this process, so I gave her a strip to play with.

My hope was to crochet with the strips. I wanted to make a belt or a mat with my 8mm hook. However, working with the leather turned out to be way more difficult than I expected. It did not slide nicely on the hook, instead clinging to the hook and to itself. The results were... um... interesting. By interesting, I mean horrible.

Yikes. Maybe a second run would be better? I selected the thinnest leather strip that I could find and tried again with the loosest tension I could manage. The results were a bit better, but still sloppy.

It seems as though leather strips are not ideal for crochet. At this point, it was time to go rogue and try other crafts. Braiding the leather looked decent.

Tying a bunch of knots in it didn't look too bad, either.

Finally, I remembered all of the macrame hemp jewelry I used to make in high school. I tried out a simple style with the leather and it worked out well.

By this time my hands smelled funny and I hadn't accomplished much. Thus, I ended my short and sad foray into the world of leather. I think I'll stick to what I know. Do you have any experience working with leather?

Crochet in the Horror Movie "It Follows"

When I was younger, I used to be afraid all of the time. Of EvErYtHiNg. I mean, I once stayed up all night because I heard a noise in the wall while reading Stephen King's The Langoliers. I would also sleep with all of the lights on after watching any movie with aliens in it, even if they were friendly. While I still have a few lingering fears, like large spiders and needles, I am so much more able to handle the freaky and the frightening than I used to be. It's glorious!

I was recently watching an off-beat horror movie on Netflix called "It Follows." Surprisingly, the movie had a bunch of crochet in it. Here's a sampling:

Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors (with Bonus Crochet and Knitting!)

I recently attended the Infinity Mirrors exhibit by Yayoi Kusama, showing at the Seattle Art Museum. I love living in a city that is filled with such interesting and exciting things to do. This exhibit included many fabric-based pieces, so I thought it would be appropriate to share it with you. I tend to stick to fiber arts on this blog; if you'd like to see other interesting things I do and encounter, consider following me on Instagram. I waited in line for two hours to get a ticket to the exhibit. It is only traveling to a few cities in the United States, so I feel lucky to have seen it.

Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist who works with repeating patterns and colors. Her personal inspirations, philosophies, and experiences are quite interesting if you're inclined to do some internet research about her. She had a difficult upbringing and was a part of the counterculture. Today, she chooses to live in a psychiatric facility. Her exhibit is a wonderful example of the enrichment that those who struggle with psychological disorders can bring to the world, and specifically to art. Here are some highlights from my visit to her exhibit, along with a few extras from the rest of the museum. I even found some crochet and knitting!

On display were many interesting painted pieces. All of the chunky-looking work was done with stuffed fabric, with painted designs added. They felt like they were alive. One can only imagine how labor-intensive they would be to put together.

Here is one of the infinity mirror rooms, again populated by friendly, squishy, fabric lumps. The experience of being in this field of polka dots was very interesting. This particular room was quite cheerful. Since I went to the museum sans my boyfriend or friends this time, I got to skip many lines and enter with other groups. Thus, I got to experience the rooms over and over. Delightful!

Both times I caught this room on camera, it was green. However, the lights flashed and changed in rainbows of colors. It was spectacular! Each mirror cube limited you to a short period of time, usually 20 to 30 seconds. I think the artist wanted this for several reasons. First, there were many people who wanted to enjoy the exhibit, so times had to be short. Second, if you looked too long in the rooms your eyes and brain might habituate. This means you would start to notice reference points, like the seams in the mirrors, and a bit of the magic would be lost. Finally, infinity is made more special when we only get glimpses of it. I left the exhibit with a craving for more, which would likely please Kusama.

This whole section was love-themed and very sweet. I found this to be the most whimsical part of the exhibit. Also, I love the way that the horizon dips inside the mirror-sphere in the leftmost picture. It really gave me the sense that there was something beyond.

This is the Obliteration Room. It started out completely white. All of the dots that you see were added by museum patrons. I got to add my own dots, too!

This mirror room was my absolute favorite. It was so magical that my eyes misted over the first time I walked in. By now, you all know how space-obsessed I am. I think that this experience was the closest I have ever felt to being surrounded by stars. Since it was dark, you couldn't see the lines in the mirrors very much. It felt real, like I was really standing in a different realm for a few brief moments. I couldn't stop myself from using my singles-line privileges to view this room about five times in total. The whole exhibit was really wonderful.

Even though I had been on my feet for hours by this point, I made sure to stroll through the rest of the museum. Above is a small collection of art that made a particular impression on me, including a wood-paneled room from the late 1500s. I suppose I really do love immersive experiences! SAM is very nicely curated.

I promised you crochet, and here it is! There was a super interesting piece on display that was an amalgamation of fabric swatches sewn together by Nick Cave. It included many knit swatches and also crochet rounds.

My day at the museum was delightful indeed. I encourage anyone who gets the chance to go see Kusama's art.

Crochet Shrimp Amigurumi

Alexis, my former co-worker turned friend, has the most adorable child. (She's also an excellent hat model.) He is currently three years old and melt-your-heart cute. I always enjoy the stories Alexis shares about him, especially the funny things that he says.

One day, Alexis was working one-on-one with an elementary student who attends the school that I manage. She planned a mosaic art project for the day, a snowman made of ripped pieces of construction paper. Upon returning home, she shared her example project with her son. The following is my best second-hand account of their conversation:

Alexis: "Look what I made at work today. What is it?"

Adorable child: "It IS... a shrimp!"

Alexis: "... a what?"

Adorable child: "It IS a shrimp!" *points to nose of snowman*

Alexis: "No... see? It's a snowman."

But alas, the little one was insistent that the snowman's nose was a shrimp. He didn't stop there, either. Over the next several weeks, he declared several other things to be shrimp, including a slice of lemon in a glass of water. I decided that I needed to make the little dude a crochet shrimp, so that when he emphatically declared "it IS a shrimp" he would be right. When Alexis mentioned that I was making a shrimp for him, he commented "Oh! It will be tasty."

I'm not sure how tasty it is, but here is the shrimp. I made it with leftover yarn from my Sushi Baby Set, which worked out quite well. I recorded pattern notes for the shrimp, but don't have an official pattern for it yet. I may develop one later if there is interest.

Alexis has mentioned that her son is quite pleased with his acquisition.

Crochet on Prisma

Many of my friends have been having fun on the Prisma app lately. I wanted to get in on it, too! I had a hunch that crochet would look pretty cool through the filters, and I was right. Check it out below, then go experiment yourself.

Guess What I Just Did... Yarn Chicken Badge

... I just won a game of yarn chicken! My friend Sooz recently won one as well. Have you won a round of this dangerous game? Here's a badge for you to share!

Another Round of Netflix Crochet Finds

I've been watching more Netflix... and spotting more crochet. There's some knitting this time, too!

Keira Knightley was dragging around a gorgeous crochet blanket through a lot a Seeking A Friend for the End of the World.

Louis CK was knitting on Louis.

There was a super cute crochet bag on Love, a Netflix original series.

I also found a bright granny square blanket on Love.

Crochet Acrostic Poems

Today is a big moving day for me. Bleh! I really dislike moving. I'm all tired and sweaty. The happy thought that is keeping me going is the eventual yarn reverie I will get to experience when this is all over. In the meantime, here are some acrostic poems that exclaim the desires of my heart ;) Happy Friday!

Wallingford Slouch: Bloopers

As you know, I've been attempting more authentic presentation of myself. It's not always easy and can be rather frightening. What better way to fight fear than with humor? In the interest of being authentic (and also just to make you laugh), here are some outtakes from the Wallingford Slouch photo session. Man, I make some silly faces! Can you think of any apt captions?

Crochet Deadlines

Have you ever had to crochet on a deadline? Maybe you planned a crochet gift for a holiday or birthday. Maybe you accepted a commission. Maybe you have secret crochet tasks like I do right now. Sometimes expectations of time spent don't quite line up with the realities. It doesn't really matter how we got to this place, how much we completely love both crochet and the recipients, whether or not we should have accepted these challenges, or how important our deadlines are. The fact of the matter is that there are many of us on a tight crochet deadline right now and we've got to fight for our survival and success. My friends, I'd like to take a moment to laugh/cry with those of you who empathize. Let's take the edge off with some humor (and then get back to work)!

Didja Know? Interesting Crochet Facts

Sources:
http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/know.html
http://www.craftsy.com/patterns/crocheting
http://www.crochet.org/?page=CrochetHistory
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-crocheter/
http://www.ravelry.com/
http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/02_W_Education/curriculum.asp

Fridge Friend

When I make design swatches I sometimes make a square swatch to show the texture of the fabric. Sometimes I make a miniature version of the item in question. I have a whole drawer of design and gauge swatches that I will do something with one day. I happened to have a mini-set that fit perfectly on a little penguin of mine, so I bundled him up. He ended up in the fridge as a joke (y'know, since penguins live in cold weather), and now it has become his permanent home. Maybe I'm weird for keeping a stuffed penguin in my fridge, but I happen to think that being weird is a good thing :)

Slim and George Make A New Friend

It was my friend Jodi's birthday recently and I decided to gift her an octopus for her cats to play with. She sent me some cute pictures of Slim and George investigating their new friend, and I'm going to share them with you!

It's always nice when a crochet gift is appreciated, whether by humans or cats or both!

Should You Start Another Crochet Project? A Handy (Read: Humorous) Guide

National Crochet Month and Crochet Learning Styles

Happy National Crochet Month! Welcome to the 18th day of Crochetville's annual NatCroMo blog tour. In the spirit of National Crochet month and the blog tour, please consider supporting Halos of Hope by donating or by making crochet hats for cancer patients.

If you're visiting Illuminate Crochet for the first time today, welcome! I hope you'll make yourself comfortable. I've got crochet tutorials, unique patterns, community connections, and some funny stuff here to educate and entertain you. Read to the end of the post to find an exclusive coupon code for NatCroMo readers.

Today we are going to explore learning styles. What are learning styles? It is theorized that there are four main styles of learning -- visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. In other words, learning by looking, learning by listening, learning by doing, and learning by touching. Knowing which style or combination of styles is best for you can help you to achieve and reach your highest potential both in crochet and in other pursuits.

Are you ready to find out what kind of learner you are and how you can improve your crochet skills? Take this quiz! While this quiz is based on real educational concepts, the results are for entertainment purposes.

Find Out Your Crochet Learning Style! - ProProfs

I hope you enjoy taking the quiz as much as I enjoyed creating it! I also hope that you're equipped with a few new tools for tackling new crochet patterns, techniques, and stitches. As a thank you for reading today and in celebration of National Crochet Month, please accept this coupon code: yo!natcromo. What does the code get you? A FREE download of my Mermaid Cowl pattern on Ravelry. Simply add the pattern to your cart and then enter the code at checkout. Act fast! This code is only good until midnight on Wednesday, March 25th.

Happy hooking!

Adding A Bit of Mystery to Your Crochet

As far as traditional craft store yarn brands go, I have to say I really appreciate Lion Brand. They have such a wide array of yarns available that I can always find something appropriate for my project. I recently spent a bit of time on the Lion Brand website while making some design decisions. As I browsed I came across the coolest thing... it's a series of mystery yarn boxes! How cool is that? This seems like the perfect thing for someone who is stuck in a crochet rut. Each box has a different theme so it's not a total gamble, but you still don't know what you're getting which makes it fun and exciting.

I wouldn't necessarily trust just any yarn company to send a nice assortment of mystery yarns, but with Lion Brand you know you're getting quality. If my drawers weren't already overflowing with yarn and my design schedule wasn't overflowing with deadlines I would totally scoop up one of these mystery boxes. They just sound like so much fun! Have you ever purchased mystery yarn? I'd love to hear how it turned out for you!