Crochet has always been a huge part of my self care and has been what has kept me anchored in times of crisis throughout much of the past decade or so. As someone who is always engaging in reflection (to the point that I have suffered from racing mind and anxiety) it makes senses that slow making (as well as slow living) resonated with me.
As fibre arts makers, crocheters and knitters seem to have a few things in common as a whole: large yarn stashes, a huge pile of WIPs, and an urge to constantly be starting new projects.
Of course, new projects are exciting. Who doesn’t want to dive into a new skein of yarn and begin hooking up that foundation row? It’s the best feeling, as though you are giving birth to something no one else has ever made, and that’s because, no one has. You are its maker.
But with the large pile of WIPs, and the other pile of UFOs that you may or may not finish, comes a feeling of overwhelm, a feeling that you are being wasteful, a feeling that isn’t a good feeling at all. At least, in my experience. And suddenly, your craft and hobby is monster that causes you guilt and anxiety. Suddenly, you have a to do list and self imposed deadlines and rules around your knit and crochet. Things like de-stash goals, buy bans, and whatever else you can think of to make your craft more “manageable”, and make you feel more accomplished.
Why Embrace Slow Crochet?
And I think all of that is okay…but this kind of crafting lifestyle led me to burn out. Therefore, sometime in 2024, I decided to begin slow making. I decided that I would do projects that were for me, completely selfish patterns that took as long as they took to make. Some of those projects are likely still languishing in project bags, but taking my time, making for me at my own pace instead of a self imposed race of a pace, has been such a relief. And I found that I liked the progress better. It allowed me to save brain power to learn to knit, and it felt as though I was working towards a goal without it being this dark cloud hanging over my head. Working more slowly was allowing me to complete things, to enjoy my craft in a way that I hadn’t in a while.
Slow making has also allowed me time to reflect on my making. And I am finding I quite enjoy having that reflection be a part of the process, as my making is starting to feel a little more organized and intentional than it sometimes otherwise did.
I’m going to be honest, slowing down in my making did give me some anxiety. I wasn’t quite ready to put down my crochet hook. But I found other ways to be immersed in my making–reading about knit and crochet, learning about different fibres and twists of yarn and how they lend themselves to a project (or not) and online “window” shopping (which was sometimes tempting), and while all of that isn’t quite the same as actually crocheting, it did lead to more mindful making and choices and I have found that I’m really benefiting from that when it comes to my craft. I feel less anxious about my projects, less pressured and more at peace as I am making. Slow crochet has proved beneficial for me in many ways.
Impact on Mental Health
Living in a state of urgency impacts your nervous system, and I was seeing this show up in my crafting. I was dysregulated, moving from one project to another, restless while at my craft, and just feeling discontented with crocheting in general. Which bothered me because I love crochet, so it led me to question why I was feeling so out of sorts while crocheting. Where had the joy gone?
However, once I slowed down and stopped trying to make all the things, I started noticing that not only did I begin to feel more free and inspired, but also I stopped feeling trapped by my own hobby, the thing that had previously provided me with peace and contentment. And I started wondering, why had I been rushing? Where had this sense of urgency come from?
So slowing down impacted my mental health. It’s allowed me to be far more creative and mindful in my making, which has truly been uplifting.
Some benefits I think slow crocheting provides us are:
- allows for more mindful making, perhaps with larger projects
- allows for more eco conscious yarn choices
- can provide a greater sense of fulfillment, perhaps as you challenge your skills or tackle larger projects
- celebrating each moment as you knit or crochet, celebrating a completed piece that was a challenge piece for you as a maker
- reducing anxiety and stress around your making, reducing the pressured feeling of needing to rush
- increased productivity–possibly a greater amount of completed projects and less WIPs and UFOs
If you are feeling a bit rushed and overwhelmed by all your WIPs, I am giving you permission to give yourself permission to slow down. I think you’ll find yourself making more rather than less. Certainly, since I’ve leaned into slow crochet making I have felt lighter about my crafting and have been enjoying it in a way I wasn’t when I rushed through projects, had rules around my yarn stash or deadlines that I set for myself. So I am very glad to have slowed down and embraced making and creating at a slower, more human pace.
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