If you’re thinking about a new hobby, I’ve got 15 awesome reasons that you should take up crochet today.
Twenty-five years ago my mother taught me how to crochet and I absolutely fell in love with it. She taught me the basics, and then I expanded my repertoire by buying crochet books and watching tons of YouTube videos.
Now I can’t live without it. And why would I ever want to??
It’s honestly about so much more than just making a new scarf or hat. Research shows that it’s also an effective way to sharpen your brain, decrease depression and anxiety, distract from chronic pain, and even slow the onset of dementia.
And that’s just the beginning.
1. You Should Take up Crochet Because You Can Create Really Cute Stuff
The most obvious reason that you should take up crochet is that it helps you to make charming wearable art. My most favorite things to crochet are items for babies and kids. They don’t take too long to whip up, and you can really let your creativity go wild.
But crochet isn’t just for making adorable baby hats. You can also create some beautiful things for adults. Scarves and wraps, for example, are easy to make and perfect for beginners. Another fun and easy project is a wine gift bag.
2. It’s Easy to Learn
Of all of the new crafts that you could take up, crochet is actually one of the easiest to learn. In my opinion, it’s considerably easier than knitting. Plus, it gives you more versatility.
There are only a few stitches you need to learn to get started. In fact, if you just learn how to make a chain and single crochet, you can make a new scarf. Add the double crochet stitch to your repertoire, and you can make a gorgeous blanket.
You should know, though, that there’s a slight learning curve when you first start. You could actually say that about any new skill. But as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.”
Be patient with yourself and practice a lot. The cool thing is you can practice while you make fun things like scarves and hats.
Here’s a quick video to explain the basics.
3. It’s an Inexpensive Hobby
Some hobbies cost a fortune to get started. Well, crochet isn’t one of those. It’s actually pretty inexpensive. All you need is a basic crochet hook and some yarn.
You really only need one hook to start. If you’re going to buy just one, check the label on your yarn to see what size hook you’ll need.
If you want to learn to follow patterns, it’s best to have a variety of hooks. You can definitely get a set with multiple sizes without breaking the bank.
And you can get yarn pretty cheap too. You’ll find skeins at craft stores or online, and if you look around, you can always find them on sale.
When you’re just starting, I suggest buying inexpensive yarn. It’s great for practicing. As you get better at the craft you can graduate up to more expensive yarn.
All in all, you can get everything you need to start crocheting for around 10 or 15 bucks. Not bad, right?
4. It Lowers Your Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
There are so many incredible health benefits to crocheting. It’s a lot of fun, that’s true. But it’s also really good for you. For one thing, it can significantly lower your blood pressure and heart rate.
Most of us have to deal with many different stressors in our lives. When you are stressed out, your body produces a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can lead to a whole host of ailments and diseases. But when you crochet, your cortisol levels decrease.
And that’s not all.
Crocheting is extremely relaxing too. When you relax your body is able to produce more feel-good hormones like serotonin. The production of serotonin will not only make you feel happier, but it will also make you healthier by lowering your blood pressure and heart rate.
5. It Keeps Hands and Fingers Nimble and Increases Mobility
Crocheting involves several small but precise motions. And as you get more experienced, your hand and finger movements are done fairly quickly.
Those repetitive moves are actually great for strengthening the muscles in the hands and wrists, and they are excellent for keeping finger joints flexible.
In fact, it’s even great for people who have arthritis. The motions used in crochet improve mobility. You can also get special hooks made for arthritic hands.
6. It Can Reduce the Risk of Dementia
Another reason you should take up crochet today is to delay or prevent the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Studies have found that crocheting and knitting can reduce the risk of dementia by an incredible 30 to 50 percent!
Other studies show that the sustained focus and concentration used in crochet improves cognitive abilities overall.
Some research even suggests that people who participate in activities like crochet have healthier brains and memory than those who don’t. The key seems to be the sensory stimulation that builds and maintains the neural pathways in the brain.
7. It Helps with Pain Management
As I said, crochet requires focus and concentration. Research shows that when you focus on something other than your discomforts, like crocheting or knitting, the pain decreases.
Concentrating on your crochet skills can make you less aware of your pain, at least for a little while.
8. It Improves Memory
As we’ve discussed already, crochet increases cognitive ability. One of the incredible ways it manifests is by improving memory.
When you crochet, you have to rely on your memory to do each stitch and pattern. You have to remember when to change colors or move on to the next row or round. The repetitive motion really helps with that. And the more you do it, the better your memory gets.
9. It Decreases Depression and Soothes Anxiety
Making you physically healthier is not the only thing crochet can do. It can also improve your mental health.
Crocheting works very much like meditation. It puts you into a very calm, relaxed state which decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression.
We talked earlier about our brains producing feel-good hormones like serotonin when we crochet. Remember, it also decreases the stress hormone cortisol.
I find that when I’m feeling very stressed or depressed, crochet helps to improve my mood. When I finish making something, I always feel a sense of well-being and accomplishment.
10. It Improves Math Skills and Fine Motor Skills
Believe it or not, crochet also makes you better at mathematics. It’s true. The reason is that when you crochet, you have to count. You add and multiply and subtract and measure.
I find that the counting makes me relax. Eventually, it becomes subconscious. You just do it without really thinking about it. But as you do it you are strengthening and improving your math skills and building those pathways in the brain.
The repetitive movement involved in crochet also helps refine your fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
11. It Prevents Mindless Eating
I don’t know about you, but I always seem to snack when I’m just sitting watching TV at night, I don’t even think about it. I just mindlessly eat.
And don’t even get me started about the munching during movies. Whether I’m hungry or not, I always feel like I need something to eat if it’s movie time.
Thoughtlessly chowing down out of boredom is another problem.
Well, one way that I stop all of that is to crochet while the TV is on at night. When my hands are busy, it means that I’m not grabbing the chips.
12. It Combats Loneliness and Boosts Self-Esteem
Even though crocheting is something you do on your own, there is a whole community of fellow crocheters out there who love the craft as much as I do. Maybe you can find a buddy to crochet with. And that buddy doesn’t have to be physically in the room with you either.
There are many online forums out there that you can join for free. I have a Facebook page where people chat and share their projects and seek out advice or products.
Pinterest is another fun place to join to get inspiration and meet fellow yarn crafters.
The more you interact with others who share your hobby, the less lonely you’ll feel. Let’s face it, we all have been feeling more isolated lately, especially because of the pandemic. So joining online forums like these can really make you feel like you’re not alone.
Crocheting also improves self-esteem. I feel so proud when I finish something charming. Sharing pictures of my creations or selling them leaves me feeling an awesome sense of accomplishment.
Even when I screw something up, it’s only a momentary feeling of frustration. Crochet is easy to undo and start over when you make mistakes.
Sometimes I don’t notice my mistake until I’m all done with the project. It happens. We’re all human. In those cases I usually gift it to my cat. She has quite an assortment of wonky baby booties in her toy collection. So we’re both happy.
13. You Can Make Money Selling Your Creations
We’ve talked about many of the great health benefits of crochet. Well, if those aren’t enough to convince you that you need to take up crochet today, what if I told you it could increase your bank account too?
It’s true.
I crochet because I love it. But I also don’t mind the fact that I can sell a lot of what I make. Once you get started the only real expense you’ll have is buying the yarn. When you sell your creations it’s almost all profit.
I sell my crochet on Etsy. Not only can you sell stuff there, but you can also buy yarn, supplies, and patterns there too. I love it for inspiration for new projects as well. There are other online sites where you can peddle your goods, like Shopify.
14. You Can Donate Your Creations to Hospitals and the Needy
Besides selling your creations, you can also give them away to hospitals and homeless shelters.
I make a ton of newborn hats because they’re quick and easy. Plus, they always turn out so dang cute. It’s fun to sell them. But it makes me feel even better to give them away. So once a month or so, I pack up what I’ve got and deliver it to a local hospital for the newborn babies.
I also make some adult hats and socks that I donate to homeless shelters and drug rehab centers. They always appreciate the new duds and I feel good about helping people. I call it a win-win.
15. Handmade Gifts Are the Best
Handmade gifts are so much better than store-bought trinkets. I love giving my friends and family gifts that I’ve crocheted for them. It’s so much more personal. It’s like giving them a little piece of me. Plus, I can make the items unique and especially for each person.
Recommended Read: 25 Ugly Christmas Sweater Ideas
While ugly holiday sweaters are fun, why not make something special instead? I made my sister this darling tunic. This is her favorite color, and it looks adorable on her.
And I made this cute hat for my best friend.
These are some baby shower gifts I’ve given.
Even if you buy something at the store, you could always crochet a nice reusable gift bag.
It All Comes Down to This
As you can see, there are many great reasons to take up crochet today. It’s a hobby that is both fun and healthy. You can even make some extra cash doing it. And on top of that, it allows you to make unique wearable art that you can keep for yourself or gift away.
Whether you’re a beginner or a crochet aficionado, we’d love to see some of your creations. You can share your pictures in the comments section below. And let us know if you have experienced other benefits of this awesome yarn craft.
Now, what are you waiting for? Grab your yarn and let’s get hooking!
Last update on 2024-12-25 at 20:33 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API