Is crochet good for you?
You see it all the time within the craft community; people proclaiming the benefits of making something with their own hands for their mental-health and general wellbeing, and I’m wholeheartedly one of those people. It’s not the reason I started with crochet, but it’s definitely one of the reasons I continue with it now.
My journey with crochet is a long and tumultuous one. The beginnings filled with excitement and pride for my new skills and subsequent makes. Colourful, half-finished blankets strewn across my sofa. Dodgy handmade hats given away as presents to perplexed yet polite friends.
As lots of people with a new crafty obsession do, I dipped my toes into the world of Etsy; attempting to legitimise the money I was spending on yarn and other craft supplies.
When I had my first baby crochet took on a whole new meaning for me. Suddenly my obsession turned towards patterns for bibs, booties, bonnets and other adorable things I could dress him and his nursery with. Logii in its first iteration was born, not too long after him.
Fast-forward to Christmas 2019 and my joy in the craft was gone, along with my drive and motivation to make logii something more than a hobby. I had reached burnout, so decided to give crochet a rest - which was the best thing I could have done for myself at that time. A decision that gave me the distance I needed to rethink my options and try new things.
I knew I was done with crochet (for a while at least) and so I put my hooks away for another day, when it would spark joy for me once more.
That time came 5 months into the first lockdown when, needing something to busy my hands with and focus my thoughts on, I decided to browse the internet for some inspiration. I found a pattern for a simple cardigan and dug out all the materials I’d need from my already well-stocked stash.
As the muscle-memory returned, so did my love for crochet and I started to really appreciate the link between the practice of making something and your wellbeing. I’d used the hashtag #craftastherapy countless times before, but never truly connected the dots with my own experience. This time it was different. I’d woken up and was now making it a conscious part of my wellbeing toolkit.
With this new perspective came a new purpose for logii. I wanted everyone to know about the benefits beyond fun and creativity (which are enough in themselves). Crochet, or more specifically mindful crochet, is like a spiritual practice for me now. When I turn down the noise, pick up my materials and start to work with my hands I can reach a state of calm contemplation. It’s an exercise in self-care as well as being an opportunity to reconnect with myself.
And that is just the start.
what the experts say
Research conducted in 1975 into ways in which you could alleviate stress responses found that repetitive movement or sound (such as chanting, singing etc.) would lower heart rate and slow down breathing - both of which are symptoms of the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. Researchers noted that these benefits were also found in meditation, jogging and repetitious handicrafts (such as knitting and crochet).
There is widespread anecdotal evidence of the therapeutic benefits of knitting and crochet, such as feeling a sense of comfort and/or focus, satisfaction in completing a project, having a creative outlet, developing a new skill and connecting with others.
There is also the way in which you can become completely absorbed in the process, reaching a state of flow, which again has been widely accepted as contributing to a person’s wellbeing.
Crochet and knitting help to create a state in which you are relaxed and absorbed in your work, rather than anxious or ruminating over past or future events. There is a growing movement of people who utilise handicrafts and its calming benefits as part of their self-care toolkit (me included) and there are ways in which you can do this in a more conscious way, such as using mindful techniques to be truly present in the moment.
In my experience, crochet has given me so much more than a creative outlet. The joy and excitement of finding an inspiring new technique or stitch pattern, the sense of satisfaction when an idea becomes something tangible in my hands or the genuine connections I’ve made online with other people as passionate about crochet as I am are just a few of the positive things it has brought to my life.
Although studies cannot conclusively say that crochet is ‘good for you’ (it is actually quite hard to quantify, scientifically, which elements are benefitting a person’s wellbeing) I think there is enough knowledge for us all to agree there’s something magic in it.
