Here Are 7 Reasons #WhyIMake | Tell Me, Why Do You Make?

As crocheters, artists, bloggers, and creators, there are many reasons why we enjoy making. It gives us life, it makes us feel creative, it fills us up with joy. It is used to express our personalities and our unique perspective on life. There are so many reasons why I make that it’s impossible to choose only one. So I’m going to tell you 7 reasons why I make and then I want you to tell me: Why do you make?

LoveCrafts has put together a challenge to answer the question, “Why do you make?” And it has been a very long time since I shared something personal with you so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you a little more about me.

So why do I make?

The simplest way to answer this question is to say that it’s because I love it. But it is way more complex than that.

Here’s what we’re going to cover about why I love being a maker:

• It helps to relieve my stress
• It helped me to feel creative when no other craft could
• It turned me into the designer I am and who I want to continue to be
• It makes me feel productive because I can make a hat in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie
• It keeps my brain young by learning something new every single day
• It gave me the opportunity to teach by starting a blog, beginning a new journey
• I became a member of this amazing crochet community and have made so many new friends

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How I Got Started with Crochet

I’ve explained how I got started with crochet several times before, so I’m going to keep it short.

Back when I was a single mom a few years ago, I was working a stressful full-time job where I received little to no appreciation for everything that I did. I was starting to feel overwhelmed and I brought that frustration home with me and I didn’t like that.

I needed some sort of outlet to destress and relax. I’ve always been crafty so I knew I would find the solution at my local craft store.

Long story short, I found crochet and although I had never heard of it, I gave it a go. After one project, I was completely hooked (pun intended) and years later, I’m still pretty obsessed with this craft, as you know.

So why have I never let go of crafting after all this time?

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7 Reasons #WhyIMake

It helps me to destress

A few paragraphs ago I told you about a very stressful job I once had and how I used crochet to relieve that stress. Well, it continues to relieve the stresses that we all face here and there.

If you don’t know, I’ve had my fair share of anxiety attacks and I’ve struggled with depression in the past. It’s been a long time, but crocheting has drastically reduced my anxiety since then.

How can crocheting help someone with anxiety?

The thing with anxiety is (and you’ll know what I’m talking about if you struggle with the same thing) you can’t help it.

You’re worried about something that could happen, you’re mind races with negative thoughts, and no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get your mind to slow down.

That’s what crochet does.

Instead of wasting your time with pointless, worrisome thoughts; you’re focusing on the motion of your hands, you’re able to focus on your stitch pattern, and on counting your stitches. Your shoulders drop as you begin to relax, you start to memorize the stitch pattern, and you throw on a binge-worthy show for that extra distraction.

If you don’t believe me, read this article on how crocheting makes people happier.

If you struggle with anxiety or depression, how has crochet helped you?

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It Makes Me Feel Creative

You’re probably thinking… “Well, obviously” but there’s more to it than you might think.

When I say it makes me feel creative, I’m talking specifically about crochet. But first I want to explain why crochet is the only time I’ve felt creative.

I’ve always been a crafty person. I draw, I paint, I paper craft. I love all types of art. But with each of these, I never actually felt creative.

I was always jealous of people who could come up with their own cartoons, designs, and creations of all kinds. I could never do that.

While I have some artistic talent, I’ve only ever drawn cartoons by looking at a picture of that cartoon. The same went for paintings.

Of course, I didn’t mind because both of these crafts have always been a way for me to relax and I loved it no matter how I came up with my ideas. And this here is the main reason #WhyICraft. Because it’s calming and it lifts me up.

But because I looked at other photos instead of picturing something in my head, drawing and painting never made me feel creative and I was longing to find something that did.

Crochet made me feel creative after I started designing because I started having endless ideas of what I could create and I knew exactly how to create it. And that brings me to the next reason why I love to make.

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It Turned Me Into A Designer

When I first started crocheting, I (like most people) started out by selling physical items. And honestly, I realized pretty quickly that I did not enjoy it. I loved crocheting of course, but I did not like making the same thing over and over. Plus, Etsy confuses me when it comes to shipping.

I started thinking about the idea of designing, but I honestly thought you had to be some sort of licensed professional or have some sort of training in order to design.

Silly, I know.

I looked for tips online, but didn’t really find anything that I could implement that early on because I knew I wanted to design, but I didn’t know enough about crochet to learn to design. So I just stopped thinking about designing and continued learning different stitches and techniques.

One day, I was watching the movie Trolls with my son (we watched it every day because he was obsessed!) and when Branch came on the screen I had the perfect idea. In the movie, he wears this vest it looks just like the crocodile stitch.

And so my very first design ended up being a Branch Halloween costume for my son! I’ve been designing ever since and it has made me feel creative and beyond excited every time I come up with something new.

So side note: If designing is something you want to do, wait for it to come to you. The more you make, the more you’ll understand the construction of different types of items. Then one day you’ll see something you know would look amazing in a certain stitch and you will completely surprise yourself when you figure out how to turn that idea into a physical object.

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It Makes Me Feel Productive

What is more productive than the ability to turn a simple ball of yarn into any physical item that you can use, wear, sell at a craft fair, or gift?

If I’m sitting on the couch, I have to have a ‘couch project’. If I don’t, I feel like I’m wasting my time. It might sound a little dramatic, but I can probably get a few rows done on a blanket or even make a hat in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie, so why wouldn’t I?!

Before I learned to crochet, sitting on the couch with nothing to do but watch TV, was never really a problem. I kind of miss those days because I do think it’s great for your mind and body to just relax with little brain power.

But I enjoy crochet so much that I just want to do it all the time! And we all want to make #allthethings, you know what I mean?

So creating something of use while I’m on the couch relaxing, makes me feel pretty productive.

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I Learn Something New Every Day

One of the many things I love about crochet is that it has endless possibilities. I say this all the time so if you’ve heard it before… sorry not sorry! It’s true! And that’s why I’m so passionate about it.

When I first started crocheting, I was excited just to make a scarf or a hat with some yarn and a hook. Over the past few years of crocheting, I’ve learned that there’s so much more to it.

1. You. Can. Make. ANYTHING you put your mind to.
   • Make a blanket with your favorite colors.
   • Make a rug to match your entryway.
   • Make a garment to fit your body shape the exact way you want it.
   • Make toys and keepsakes for your kids that they will cherish and maybe even pass down generation to generation.
2. You can make the same item different ways
   • You can crochet a beanie top-down, bottom-up, side to side.
   • You can make garments seamlessly top-down or by crocheting each piece separately and sewing them all together
     • PLUS there are many different types of garments you can make!
3. There are an endless amount of stitch combinations
   • Some of my favorite are: the moss stitch & the bobble stitch
4. There are a bunch of different techniques
   • Tunisian Crochet
   • C2C
   • Tapestry
   • Graphgans
   • Holding multiple strands
   • Amigurumi
   • & a whole lot more

Seriously, need I say more?

I love that I will never get bored with crochet because there is always something new for me to learn.

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Making Gives Me The Opportunity To Teach

Not only do I love learning new things, but I love teaching!

Fun fact about me: I used to major in Elementary Education. And although I think I would have been a great teacher (excuse me while I pat myself on the back), I decided to pursue my dream of starting my own business instead.

When I started my blog, I didn’t know what direction it was going in. I was torn between writing a crochet blog versus a lifestyle blog and you can see which one I ended up sticking with!

But even when I decided to write all about crochet, I still didn’t know what to write about. So I started by creating tutorials in hopes to explain different techniques more thoroughly because I felt like I had a different perspective.

I knew what the beginners were struggling with and what they couldn’t find more help on because not too long after I started crocheting, I started blogging. It was like I was learning right along with them.

Then the more I blogged, the more I started realizing that most of my readers were complete beginners and I started focusing on them.

I created my Learn to Crochet the Easy Way series and, in addition, created the Crochet’dy Bunch Facebook Group for beginners specifically who needed answers to their questions from a real person.

This group has slowly grown to over 800 members and it is such an amazing community that I am so proud to have put together.

So not only does my blog give me the opportunity to teach, but this group specifically has allowed me to help my most dedicated readers even further.

One of my members found my blog not knowing how to crochet, but wanting to learn. And today she shared that she is about to participate in her very first craft fair! And it is AMAZING to hear that I helped her be confident enough to take on such an exciting adventure.

I love that my love for making has changed the lives of others and I will continue this passion for as long as I possibly can.

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I Became A Part Of An Amazing Crochet Community

Instagram probably holds the best part of the crochet community. There are so many beautiful feeds filled with gorgeous yarn, WIPs, garment designs, and of course creative people!

The feeds are beautiful to look at, but the people behind the photos are just as important.

I have ‘met’ so many wonderful crocheters, worked with a few different companies, and have collaborated with different designers and it has made making so much more fun.

I love all of the opportunities that have come my way and crochet has made all of that possible.

I love making because it has allowed me to connect with so many other people who share my love for this craft.

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Okay I’m finally about to wrap things up, but I hope if you didn’t understand my passion for crochet before, that you completely understand it now.

These are all of the reasons why I make, why I continue to make, and why I love doing what I do!

Crochet changed my life.

The day I walked into the craft store and found crochet, my life changed. It didn’t change overnight, but because of this craft it has made my life 10 times better.

So to recap my maker journey:

• I picked it up after a stressful job left me unhappy at work and overwhelmed at home and it has continued to relieve my stress since
• It helped me to feel creative when no other craft could
• It turned me into the designer I am and who I want to continue to be
• It makes me feel productive because I can make a hat in the amount of time it takes to watch a movie
• It keeps my brain young because I learn something new every single day
• It gave me the opportunity to teach by starting a blog, beginning a new journey
• I became a member of this amazing crochet community and have many so many friends

After becoming obsessed with crochet, I wanted to learn all about it and I ended up starting my blog before I realized I could actually turn it into a business. And now I get to be home with my kids when they need me and work when I find the opportunity.

I couldn’t have asked for a better job. And that’s another reason why I make and why I love what I do.

Now that I’ve answered #WhyIMake, tell me in the comments:

Why do YOU make?