In Your Words: Readers Share How Knitting & Crochet Make Them Better

msF

So lovely! Thanks for sharing! I never knew there were so many wonderful and different reasons that people knitted/crocheted

http://www.mysplendidfamily.com

Barbara K

I have been a crocheter for many years, mostly afghans, baby blankets. But it has only been in the past year that a whole new world has opened to me when I subscribed to Pinterest. I had no idea there were so many wonderful crocheters out there and also didn’t realize there were so many crochet items to make. I am enjoying making new things tremendously. I don;t make them to sell, but to gift to family and friends – such enjoyment to me!!

Suzanne

great….I loved reading it!

Michael

I am a guy and a retired Federal employee. I worked a high stress job for many years. I learned how to crochet about 35 years ago and to knit 33 years ago. They are my stress relievers and I sleep like a baby because I do one or the other the last hours of the day and they always relaxed me. I also learned how to give people a part of myself and family and friends really appreciate that part of me. How much joy I get giving this way to others!

Monica6335

I come from a foreign country where crocheting and knitting are part of the culture. I learned to crochet and knit at school when I was 5. My stitch sampling book at that time was uneven and didn’t look good so ad a child i became frustrated and decided to let it go. It was when I came to America and had my first baby that I started crocheting again. I made my first baby afghan at 26. Now my kids are older and I have knitted and crocheted afghans, hats, socks, etc. As time went by I have realized that crocheting and knitting made me a better person. I think more about family, community and charity. I use my projects as a way to give.

Susan

Loved the shared comments! I feel so many of the things that others have shared. Last year I learned something new. Crocheting and knitting help heal the brain. I had an aneurism that only two percent survive, and maybe only two percent of those survive without major damage. I could not knit for months but I managed a crochet pattern for baby hats. I made 60 plus hats for charity in the first month’s of recovery. I finally was able to knit again. My brain functioned better and better as time went by. This is the tip of the iceberg of my healing with knitting and crochet. I am blessed!

Karenina99

I’m very left-brained and can’t draw or create anything from scratch. But with knit and crochet I can take nothing and create a beautiful something. People say to me “you’re so artistic!”. No, I can follow a pattern and put colors together. And that makes me feel like an artist.

Jane Delcambre -wildaboutcolor

I’ve always loved making things since I was a little girl. It was in my blood to create. Might sound funny, but it’s true. I could take anything, cardboard, paste, paper, and create a wonder and they’d say, “That’s great!”. I think it was the people I grew up around that always encouraged me to be creative. There was no one in my family that knitted or crocheted, but once I saw that you can make your own clothing & toys…. I had to learn. I taught myself! I’m so glad I did today. It’s what makes me happy….and I can make others happy as well. I now create my own patterns for other crafters to enjoy :’}

sfgirlnow

It’s so wonderful to hear all the things I feel about knitting. I love the knitting community, the way we all want to help each other and others and the kindness it inspires. I also love the feel and smell of yarn and all the unbelievable colors and textures. Most of all, I love the way it calms me and brings me into that place in the world where people connect with such understanding of one another. I would guess musicians feel this way a lot.

Judy Ahrens

I have to keep my fingers busy by knitting or crocheting. I’ve made lots of things for my 12 grandchildren including baby blankets, hats, scarves, slippers, pillows, tote bags, etc. Now 2 of my granddaughters {age 9 and 7} are asking me to teach them to crochet or knit. They’ve been doing all right but don’t seem to be able to sit still long enough to complete anything so far. I told them I learned to crochet at age 9 or 10.
I’ve also sold some of my things at craft shows where my husband sells his wooden dice games and likes to have my company. I’m amazed at how many people are interested in learning about needle crafts. I have gotten a bit involved with a twice monthly group at my former parish and it’s nice to get together when I can make it. It’s an easy comraderie when we’re together and sharing not only the needlework, but some of our concerns and troubles. I agree heartily that these crafts make us better people, especially more tolerant and patient.

Ann

Knitting lets me help keep the world warm one sweater, hat, pair ofsocks, gloves or mittens at a time. It also lets me welcome newborns with a gift that will chase away the cold.

anita

I can alwsys find a friend where ever I go through knitting.

Nancy Stoker Ludt

I learned to knit when I was 4, from my grandmother. I am now 73 and knitting has gotten me through the happiness and tragedy of my life. Occasionally my husband will say, “Perhaps you should sit down and knit a while”, which means that life has overwhelmed me a bit. I put the needles in my hand, feel the yarn and my blood pressure drops accordingly! Nancy Ludt

SHUTUP!!

My daughter, who became disabled and unable to work outside of the house any longer at a (relatively young age) took up crocheting. She has since started selling her “goods” on different sites, as well as at events that her family and her attend together. I believe this has given her back some of the life she had previously lost due to becoming disabled. Not only that, she LOVES it and she’s very good at it. She taught herself many different styles of crochet stitches which has allowed her to make several different items (rather than just hats and scarves, she makes numerous other complicated items too!). She’s always been the crafty one of the family! This also helps to add to the family income, since prior to her disability she contributed quite a bit to the family’s household fund from her work (it’s not much, but in this day and age every penny counts and honestly she did most of her Christmas shopping last year selling her goods! I’m so proud of her!). She’s not getting rich by doing this, but she’s getting much much more from it than money can ever buy. Crocheting in itself makes her feel better about herself, and I believe (though she’s never told me this) that she feels ‘useful’ again. She certainly seems much happier with herself since beginning her crocheting. Additionally, she has two children who have in turn taken up the hobby of crocheting and they both have a good old time and have fun doing it all together as a family (while dad’s at work – and when he’s not, ha!). The kids really seem to enjoy this “new” thing to do with their hands and I think it makes them realize that they too can be creative as well Even my young grandson, not just my granddaughter, 17 yrs. old, is doing it too! Who would have ever guessed that a 12 yr. old boy who LOVES his Xbox and PS3 games would take a liking to crocheting!! I think crocheting has been a Godsend to all of them. Thank you Lord, for bringing my daughter back from the brink of serious depression, to the deep enjoyment and love that she’s found in crocheting. Not to mention all the wonderful people she’s met making her sales. Sounds like it’s time for grandma to start now! Hmmm, isn’t it usually the grandma that’s showing the younger ones how to do crocheting?!? *smiles*

Thanks for sharing your video with us! It was very well done and showed so many different reasons how and why people end up enjoying crocheting once they get started. What a blessing!

rose

I think my best explanation of how crocheting affects me is: teaching these seniors to crochet and seeing the expressions on there faces when they finish a simple project. some of these ladies have arthritis so bad in their hands, they work so hard and the joy on their faces is very rewarding……………..rose

helen56

I love the way the yarn feels as it slips through my fingers. I love the way my project looks as it
begins to grow, it just seems magical. A mere string of yarn can become a sweater, hat or even a toy. These things bring us so much joy. Most importantly I love the time I spend making my projects. It can make even the worst day feel like I’m so relaxed and happy.

Raelin

It helps me calm down and feel happy when I’m sad or angry.

Donna Jean Capps

That is great. I knit and crochet and it helps me to focus on something other than chronic pain and also allows me to give a piece of myself to friends and family. My descendants will also have something real and tangible to remember me by and know what I was made of.

Tina, Sydney.

I taught myself to crochet last year when I was depressed and feeling at my lowest. It made me feel useful, creative and content. Now that I’m better I feel useful and confident again in all areas of my life; work, kids, sport. I’ll always crochet. Thanks for helping me create a better life.

Mary Jo

I enjoyed watching my grandmother, mother & aunt croched as a child. Now others enjoy watching what I crochet. It feels so good when someone says, “Please show me how.”

Carol

I love to knit! I knit every day, all year round. When I am knitting I feel I am home, contented, loved, safe and at peace. As I age (70 is looking really good:)I sense my Mom and my Aunties who knit, crocheted, tatted, did Swedish Weave and more. I am carry on the traditions and joy of simply being. I really enjoy and trust Lion Brand patterns and products. The Tree of Life Afghans (2) and the Cardigan really challenged me, they are beautiful.Good knitting to all!

PS: what needs to be invented is a storage unit for circular needles – any suggestion?