This Week’s Summary
Over the past week I’ve made 25 mini hearts! I’m hoping to make 10/15 more before “Link2Practice” next week. I have been following the same patten as I did last week, from “lilthings” on youtube. I have also started to work on a blanket, however, I’ll leave that for next week’s blog. Micheals, the craft store, had a 30% off all yarn sale this week. I was able to buy a ton of yarn for various projects and save a decent amount of money so that was really helpful.
Growth and Challenges
I’ve seen a lot of growth in my crocheting over the past week. I’m finding it much easier to follow patterns (instructions) and recognize any mistakes I make in my stitching. I’m able to crochet the hearts without watching and following along with the video anymore, which is motivating since now I listen to podcast/audiobooks as I make them. My biggest challenge this week has been struggling with patience. Since I know that I know how to crochet a heart I would get really frustrated when I messed up or felt like I was taking too long. I find that usually I just need to take a break and come back and I feel better.
Benefits of Crochet
So far the most prominent side effect of picking up crochet has been my decreased amount of screen time, especially on my phone. I don’t get stuck in the trap of scrolling on Tik Tok or Instagram for hours when I’m bored nearly as much as I just grab my hook and yarn. Social media, as I’m sure we are all aware, can be super harmful to our mental health and beyond that I find it can be a bir brain numbing. I feel much more productive and confident in myself after spending 1-2 hours crocheting and listening to a podcast rather than using that time to mindlessly looking through my socials.
I also find crocheting has helped me to put more time into processing my day, feelings, thoughts and emotions. It’s challenging to prioritize being thoughtful about my personal life when I spend so much time thinking about school, work, practicum, responsibilities, etc. but crochet has helped me to focus on myself for a bit. While crocheting I need to pay enough attention to my project that I don’t mess up, meaning I can’t really think about school work. This sorta gives my brain permission to ignore things outside of myself, since they would require too much focus. It’s nice to practice mindfulness in a way that still feels productive and thus eliminates some of the stress/guilt I can feel when my plate is full with responsibilities but want to practice mindfulness.