The positive impact of Crochet on your mental health
It’s just after 7am and I am sitting at my kitchen table with a cup of tea. We have walked Connie and the sourdough I prepared yesterday is baking in the oven. My current crochet project (my holiday cardigan) is folded neatly on the table and I am looking forward to a quiet half an hour before I launch into the rest of my day. I feel content and calm and I know that this is an important part of my self care. I put my earphones in and press play on my audio book. I pick up the ball of yarn, squish it, hold it up to my nose and inhale - and relax aaaahhhh! I love the soft feel, the woolly smell and the criss cross lines of yarn making a pattern on the ball. I lay out my cardigan and look at the progress I made last night, checking the last few rows I did when I was tired. I’m happy with it and keen to start. I relax into the repetitive stitches, and drift into my own little world. I need this, I am not someone who relaxes easily, I overthink and worry a lot. There is a lot going on in my life (l know I’m not alone there), lots to be grateful for and some more challenging things. I am certain that having crochet in my life is hugely benefiting my mental health.
The positive impact of crochet and other creative pastimes seems obvious to me, but is so often overlooked. Anyone who picks up a hook and yarn, and gets lost for a hour or two can testify to the calm it brings. I know it works for me, but until recently didn’t know exactly why. I’ve been doing some reading and I thought I would share some of what I have found out. Firstly the sensory elements of crochet. The texture of the yarn and multitude of colours you work with are a feast for the senses. The tactile nature of the hook and yarn as you stitch and as I said before I love the smell of yarn, especially wool. It’s so earthy and comforting.
Yarn - Nord by Raincloud and Sage
Then there is there is the mental calmness. Occupying your mind with a positive action forces out negative thoughts that can easily creep in when you least expect them. Whilst making stitches, counting rows and reading a pattern there is less (or no) room for your worries and anxious thoughts. The familiarity of the motion your hands and fingers follow can be comforting when you are feeling unsure too. Crochet is good for keeping your brain healthy. When you learn to crochet, or begin a new project, you will feel completely absorbed. As well as preventing the negative thoughts, learning a new skill (which creates new neural pathways) is hugely beneficial to your brain health. When you master a skill and create wonderful woolly things there is also a fantastic sense of achievement which boosts your self esteem. And let’s not forget that while your hands are busy with crochet they aren’t returning to bad habits. It’s brilliant if you are trying to stop yourself nail-biting, smoking or comfort eating. Or in my case thumb sucking!
Don’t just take my word for it. There are many articles and books advocating the mental health benefits of Crochet (and other crafts). I have a lovely book called ‘Crochet Therapy’. The projects are in categories such as Energy, Calm and Find Joy and each pattern is accompanied by a ‘Feel-good tip’. I didn’t realise when I first got the book that the author, Betsan Corkhill, is a Well-being expert and founder of Stitchlinks www.stitchlinks.com - a support network for people who enjoy the therapeutic benefits of crafts, particularly knitting. She has also written a book called ‘Knit for Health and Wellness’ which I am currently reading and finding fascinating and life affirming. I can also recommend ‘Craftfulness’ by Rosemary Davidson and Arzu Hahsin. This is an inspirational and very readable book which highlights the benefits of having a creative outlet in your life and will appeal to both established crafters and those who are new to the idea. Lastly is Do/Make by James Otter. I challenge you to read this and not want to attend one of his courses and make your own surf board (I can’t surf by the way). It’s a little book which reminds us that we are all makers and that ‘nothing quite beats the feeling of having made something with our own hands’. Thank you to my lovely and very talented friend Claud (who I studied Art with years ago) for gifting me these books.
I love how a seemingly simple thing like crochet can be such a rich and deep subject. I think more people are coming to understand how crochet, knitting and crafting can play a big part in your life and how supportive it can be to your wellbeing, which is so positive. When I think back to my Grandma and Auntie Jo quietly sitting with their hooks and yarn I do wonder if they knew that secret back then, I think they did. I am so grateful that I am passing on the craft that they passed on to me and hopefully a little of the calming influence and joy that crochet can bring.
Gardening, pivoting my business and my 1:1 Crochet Tuition
Can we talk about gardening today? I have loved gardening since we moved in to our first house when we got married 21 years ago in July - I can’t quite believe it’s been that long! We loved that house and the little garden was very special. We had free weekends to spend pottering around and I have lovely memories of summer evenings spent outside watering the plants after work with a glass of wine. We’ve moved twice since then and had the boys so things have changed, but every year at this time our window sills are full of seedlings and Gardeners World becomes my favourite thing to watch. Each year is different. Last year Connie was a puppy who ate everything she came across, trampled in the border and dug up anything in pots. We sectioned off the area around the Nest with small fence and made a little Nest garden which I love (Connie isn’t allowed in unsupervised 🙄). My big successes were carrots grown in an old recycling box, a bumper crop of cucumbers (well enough anyway!) and lots of colourful nasturtiums. This year I don’t want to buy any lettuces, salad leaves, spinach, rocket or pea shoots. I want to grow enough to supply us for the whole summer. I’ll keep you posted…
I love to read gardening books. Probably my favourite is Window-box Allotment by Penelope Bennett. John bought me this as a present years ago, I still love reading it and find it really inspiring. Penelope Bennett cultivated a small roof-top allotment three floors above ground where she grows all sorts of interesting fruit and vegetables in containers. Other favourites include The Thrifty Gardener and The Edible Garden both by Alys Fowler. Her resourceful approach really appeals to me as does her emphasis on the importance of working with nature.
Today the sun is shining, and although we woke up to snow a few days ago, Spring is definitely here. I am getting huge pleasure from watching my seeds germinate on the window sill and pouring over seed catalogues and my beloved gardening books in the bath! I am however struggling to say goodbye to the cosiness of Winter and the safety of living in lockdown. I know this is not something everyone will relate to, and am aware of how incredibly lucky my family have been not to be directly affected by Covid. That being said I am feeling very wobbly about the outside world opening up so I’m going to follow my instincts and take it slowly. Seeing some of my friends and family having such a tough time living in lockdown has reminded me how different we all are, how introverted I am and how much space I need to feel calm and well. In many ways the quieter, slower pace of lockdown life suited me. I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my family, meeting my friends for coffee, and a family holiday in Cornwall in the summer but at the moment that’s all I feel comfortable planning.
When it comes to Homebird, I’m really proud of what I have achieved in the last year. I have adapted the way I work and completely pivoted my business. As lockdown has started to ease I have been asking myself, what now? Reverting back to how I worked before doesn’t feel like the right thing to do, besides the Nest has become more of a studio than a classroom. My passion for passing on the craft of crochet is still very much at the heart Homebird. How I do this is changing for the time being, and I’m really excited about it. I have a growing collection of crochet kits and video tutorials which I am really pleased with (read on for an exclusive discount on the NEW Crochet Basket Kit). My latest project is my new 1:1 tuition on Zoom. Funny to think that this time last year we were just learning what Zoom was (well I was anyway)! Now it seems completely normal to jump on a zoom call for a catch up chat or meeting. For me it means the opportunity to connect with a much larger and diverse audience. This along with the opportunity to give my undivided attention and tailor the session to your needs makes it something I really want to pursue. Whether you are a complete beginner and don’t know where to start, or you need help understanding a pattern or choosing your next project I can help you.
Please note this content appeared in my the April issue of ‘Notes from the Nest’ my monthly newsletter. Please feel free to subscribe if you would like to receive the next issue 💛
How I value Sustainability at home and in my Crochet business
Like many I am very conscious of my impact on the planet. In our house we have been making small but significant changes over the last few years. We use eco-friendly cleaning products and toiletries where we can (I read an article a couple of years ago which drew attention to the fact that every plastic toothbrush we have ever used is still around somewhere - I haven’t bought one since and we’ve swapped to bamboo). We try to reduce the amount of single use plastic in our grocery shopping and recycle and compost. Making these changes one at a time has worked well for us and although we have a long way to go (our list is long!) I feel that we are doing what we can without being completely overwhelmed and breaking our budget.
I am currently reading a book by Jay Shetty called ‘Think Like a Monk’. In the first chapter he encourages us to assess our values. He suggests that where we spend our money and where we spend our time are an indication of what we currently value. It’s well worth reading if you are interested, but the reason I have mentioned it here is that often the sustainable options are more expensive. Some are out of our budget, but where we can we opt for these because sustainability is something we value.
Sustainability is obviously echoed as a business value alongside Inclusivity (and others which I will talk about another time). These two can prove a tricky balance when it comes to yarn. There are some beautiful sustainable yarns being produced - I love reading the inspiring stories of the people behind them, and using them in my own projects. Understandably these yarns are expensive to produce and are therefore more expensive to buy than the commercially produced yarns that a lot of us are used to. Consequently they do not suit all budgets. This is where I struggle a little because I passionately believe that crafts like crochet and knitting should be accessible to all. I also think there is a place for some of the man made yarns. I use yarns with acrylic in them for some of my own projects, so no judgment from me there.
The way I am choosing to address this in my business is by seeking out the commercially produced yarn companies who are, like many of us, conscious of the impact they are having, and committed to making changes and improvements. I am in the process of requesting and gathering information on the sustainability policies of the yarn companies I use. There are many factors to consider including animal welfare, the ethical treatment of workers, packaging, air miles, water consumption and chemical usage. When I am better educated I will share what I have learned with you.
In the mean time I am committing to;
Make use of the yarn I have in stock and in my yarn stash.
Choose any new yarn I buy carefully.
Continue to use recycled boxes and envelopes as my packaging
Use bamboo or aluminium crochet hooks in my kits
Sell sustainably sourced bamboo hooks in my webshop
Introduce some new kits and patterns which use recycled yarn - this one is exciting!
Please note this content appeared in my the March issue of ‘Notes from the Nest’ my monthly newsletter. Please feel free to subscribe if you would like to receive the next issue 💛