They say as one door closes, another opens … well, maybe I’ve accidentally crocheted my own door. I started crocheting a couple of years ago and I’m not even sure if I remember why. My grandmother used to crochet endless circular blankets which I used to snuggle under as a child, and I’m sure that was a major motivation. And I’ve always been rubbish at knitting, since attempting to make squares at school ‘for the poor’ (poor old poor – bad enough not having enough money without being patronised by schoolgirls) which always turned into rectangles, octagons and other unwanted many-sided disasters.
Anyway, crochet and I got on really well from the start and there isn’t a bed in the house (apart from mine) which isn’t now muffled up to the eyeballs with the woolly by-products of my hobby.
There are a lot of upsides to crochet – the beautiful colours of the wool, all the differing textures, the satisfaction of making something (possibly) useful, the fact that you can watch lots of rubbish on Netflix while doing it … it’s all good. And apparently there are real health benefits too, as crochet (or knitting) is supposed to relieve stress and depression and improve cognitive function. Fingers crossed for that lot.
As a writer, the next logical step was … writing about crochet, which I now do on DIY Everywhere. It’s hard writing about something which is a physical rather than a mental skill, and it’s definitely not easy explaining tricky stitches, abbreviations, colour changes and negotiating the different terms for stitches, wool weights and hooks between the UK and the US (amazing how, as usual, we are two nations divided by a common language) but I enjoy the challenge. I try to picture myself, as I started out not very long ago, with a ball of beautiful wool, a hook, and very little clue what to do next, and I go from there.
Oh, and I now take commissions. I have just parted with a lovely rug which took me the entire summer and autumn to make, which is going to live in someone’s gorgeous VW camper van, and I’ve made crocheted tops for teenagers, and sold a few items at craft fairs too. I’m glad this funny woolly door has opened.