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Yes. I crochet too. Handcrafts have been my constant my whole life. I am diving deeper into crochet now, learning more difficult techniques. It keeps my mind and hands busy. When I have to be in a group setting, I bring yarnwork to keep me sane. Othwrwise I get anxious and jittery. I don’t do well in crouds.

I love creating beautiful things. I love the responses I get when I wear them. I love the satisfaction of being able to say ‘I made it.’ I love how putting music on and working on a project can calm me and keep me sane. I learn a lot about patience and perseverance, and have something beautiful to show for it at the end.

Crochet and other craftwork keeps me focused. When my mind wanders, it is more easy to screw up. On the other hand, I can totally get in the zone when working on a project, which clears my energy and leaves me feeling lighter and sometimes even exhilarated.

I am reaching new levels of excitement and energy after being down for quite a long time as I learn to design my own crochet creations. Crochet is a field in which I am constantly learning, and my mind needs that.

I can agree with the idea that ‘crochet keeps me sane.’ For me, any artistic craftwork which I can produce a beautiful end product keeps me sane. Right now, that means crochet.

Thank you.

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author

Thank you so much for sharing all of this. Very powerful stuff. I also often bring crochet with me when I need to sit still in groups - less because of anxiety at this point (although that was true at some stages of my life) - and more because I've found that the movement of my hands actually allows me to focus more on what's happening in the group, particularly in classes / lectures.

Curious what techniques you're working on learning now? These days I pretty much entirely do super simple crochet stitches - I love making large ongoing granny square blankets, round upon round, upon round. But I've enjoyed advanced techniques at times because sometimes what the mind needs is something slightly more challenging to focus on.

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Yes! I focus better in class that way too. I've gotten asked to put my handwork away as it distracted a therapist I was seeing. Most teachers are cool, though.

I'm learning how to make cables with crochet. It's so much easier with knitting! But this gives me the means to create knit-like designs with crochet, which I didn't know was possible, and was the only thing missing from my crochet joy. So, I persevere. I'm getting there. :)

I'm working from a pattern by Noelle Stiles called the Aberdeen Castle Sweater. I found it on Etsy, which is where I get most of my patterns if I'm not making my own. She is also on YouTube and Ravelry.

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It distracted your therapist?!?! That's kind of their job to hold the space and deal with that. Sorry to hear it.

I have had teachers that are less than enthusiastic about it but most are welcoming of it.

Oh cables are terrific. There are several ways to do them, of course, and it's fun to play with. And, as you said, so much easier than with knitting!

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Nov 15, 2023Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

Thank you for sharing this valuable perspective.

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Do you have any hands-on craft/hobbies that feel similar?

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What a wonderful read. Thank you so much. To use ones hands is to help ones heart.

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Well said <3

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Nov 18, 2023Liked by Kathryn Vercillo

I like slow stitching for the same reasons, Kathryn. I also find that my art practice helps me through depressive episodes and manage my emotions. I think it’s the “doing things by hand”, making something beautiful/functional that really helps to lift us out of our cycle of rumination. I also find slow stitching in particular helps me to focus on podcasts; otherwise, my mind just wanders off and I lose entire threads of the conversation. That’s one reason why I’m not a fan of long podcasts or audiobook -- I can never focus my attention on them!

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Oh, you might like this old interview that's now only available via the Wayback machine, which reminds me that I should move those archives over here!

https://web.archive.org/web/20210118235154/https://psychcentral.com/blog/crafting/2019/03/slow-stitching-an-interview-on-how-craft-heals#1

My mind drifts a lot too if I'm listening to or watching something without also doing something with my hands. I do like long podcasts but typically ones that are very formulaic so I can get into the rhythm of them even if I space out here and there. Audio books aren't my thing though since they're not really like that.

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This is certainly food for thought! (And also, nice tight writing - always my own goal.) As a champion ruminator, I find that my craft of knitting does the opposite for me; it frees my mind to wander - which is good, according to Michael Harris' "Solitude," which I'm reading now. But that same freedom gives my brain space to ruminate. I do get short breaks from that during pattern changes, but row upon row of stockinette is an invitation to the rabbit hole. I would love to dive deeper into this sometime. (Maybe while I'm knitting. Ha.)

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author

That makes perfect sense. Isn't it funny how two opposite things can be true? When this is what is happening for me, I switch to a more complex pattern that requires me to really focus. Or I learn a new stitch. One of the things I love about crochet is that you can do so much with just super basic stitches but also there's always something new to learn!

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