March is National Crochet Month and it is time to set new goals for ourselves and take a look at why crochet is such a beloved craft. It is time to get back into the craft you love.
Crochet offers many fulfilling ways to do something for yourself and others. It gives you gratification and pleasure in knowing that you made something with your own hands for someone that you care about. It makes you feel good when you see that you are appreciated for your talent.
I have been crocheting for 20 years and I enjoy this craft for many reasons. I enjoy being able to sit and crochet because it relaxes me and takes the stress away, if only for a short time. I love making something for my family and friends and seeing the look on their faces as they open the gift I spent countless hours creating. As I create something, I think about that person and send prayers and well wishes to them so in a way it is a vehicle of emotional expression. You can’t help but smile when you receive a crocheted gift from someone. You think about how much of themselves they put into that item.
During National Crochet Month it is the perfect time to expand your horizons and do something that takes you out of your comfort zone. Promote the craft you love so much.
Some ways to do this are:
1. Help others by crocheting items for organizations that collect for the needy. Check out www.lionbrand.com/charityConnection.html for a list of organizations and what they request.
2. Learn a new crochet stitch or technique such as filet or broomstick lace. Go on the internet and do a search for “crochet tutorials”. You can check out www.crochet.about.com for more info. They have free patterns, how to do filet crochet, and a range of other crochet topics. You can get free patterns daily by going to www.anniesattic.com/free_pattern_day/index.html. Also check out www.learntocrochet.lionbrand.com if you are new and need step by step instructions with diagrams. You can impress people when you give your next gift and it is more creative than the last.
3. Teach someone how to crochet. You know why you crochet and how it makes you feel. Go out and teach someone to crochet, even some basic stitches. They will thank you for it, and you will be part of the reason why crochet is an ongoing craft and each year more people take up crochet. Have them check out www.learntocrochet.lionbrand.com to help them step by step.
4.Share your feelings for crochet by joining an online crochet discussion group and forum. Start your own local crochet group so that you can share and trade patterns, help others with difficult stitches, participate in swaps and exchanges or even contribute as a group to charities.
5.Experiment with a new yarn you have never used before. You might like how it makes a project go from plain to extra-ordinary. Your choices are virtually endless.
The month of March will be here before you know it, so make the most of it. While you are getting out of your comfort zone and trying something new, just remember that you need a reward too. Take the time to make something special for yourself, because you deserve it. If you are anything like me, I always see something I want to make for myself but never do because there is always someone out there that needs my creations. Keep doing what you love and enjoy yourself while crocheting. You will have a sense of fulfillment by the month’s end.
