Lessons from a Hook

 

“Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness in people.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

"Play around with materials, colors, stitches, everything is allowed! Crochet is a magnificent adventure that opens the doors to your wildest imagination & creativity." ~ Marie-Noelle Bayard

I have been a yarn artist for a while now, starting with latch-hook rugs and adding crochet creations. A corner of my house has a huge sack bag full of different colors and sizes of yarn, and two pencil pouches full of hooks – latch hooks and crochet hooks. As of this week’s audit, there are 4 projects at various stages of production. And no matter how it looks, that is not even 20% of my life. . .it’s complicated.

"Buying yarn and crocheting are two separate hobbies." ~ Red Heart Yarns

I first heard of this quote in relation to books. Buying them and reading them are 2 separate hobbies. Taking that as gospel truth, I have gone on to accumulate both books and yarn with the zeal of a hoarder and I am succeeding at turning my house into a – never mind. I’m not inviting you because my cats don’t like visitors.

So this week I was doing my mid-year review and yarn projects came up because I had a creativity goal that I was working towards this year. And it got me thinking about what I have learned from crocheting and rug making – tens of projects later.

Lesson one is that it looks easy and is ‘easy.’ Basic crochet stitches are just single, double, and treble crochet. It is how you combine those basics that result in creativity. And color and texture of yarn also play a role. Who knew I’d be back to practicing permutations and combinations in real life, without the math?

We all hate boredom and every single day, we do a ton of things to avoid it. However, life is lived in cycles and repetitions – even when we try to avoid or deny it. Lesson 2 is repetition gets the job done. A standard blanket might be a collection of 200 rows stacked on top of each other. And even when a project has a cluster of different row repeats, the cluster will still need to be repeated over and over again until the desired length is achieved.

Lesson 3 is born from lesson 2 – to be successful at completing a project, you absolutely need to be patient and persistent. Patient to put in the time it takes to get the job done, patient to undo a section that looks wonky and start over because excellence has value. Persistence to work on a blanket or a mat for a month, and another and another – I have 2 classic pieces I can think of that took me a year each to complete. If I ever doubted my staying power – I look at them and find reassurance. The great thing about wool art is that you see the transformation happening in slow motion, right before your eyes.

Lesson 4 is that being present is important. Despite the repetitive nature of the craft, you cannot afford to daydream as you work. Errors could result in a costly waste of time if you have to undo a section. Some patterns require you to add or drop stitches at a certain point and this requires concentration. Completing a row and starting a new one is a separate art if your ends are to come out straight. All the nuances require you to be present while you work. And is that not true for everything we do in life?

Lastly, lesson 5 is that the foundation is key. If your starting chain is wonky, the number of stitches is wrong or it’s not done right, the project will not be as desired. It might still work, but it will not look like the pattern or you will have to keep making adjustments going up. That was my first crochet blanket! The stitch count kept changing from line to line and I had no idea what I was doing but I kept going. Thankfully, I went back to learning, listening to others who had mastered the craft, learning new techniques, and practicing over and over again. My friends in construction can attest to this lesson – the foundation is key.

Outside of lessons, yarn craft has been a way that I have been able to connect with friends and family, show my love and appreciation, and leave a tangible piece of myself in different hands. What life lessons have you learned from your hobbies? Ever thought about it? Share some in the comments today.

"Crochet is such a wonderful craft! There are so many facets & variations to explore with a hook & some yarn. The creative possibilities are endless." ~ Margaret Hubert

“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.” ~ Roy T. Bennett

 

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