How Craft Fits Into the Slow Living Movement

Slow Yarn, Mindfulness Crochet, Pomo Basket Weaving and more ...

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The first version of this article on slow crafting originally appeared on the PsychCentral blog Crafting to Heal which I wrote in 2019. I’ve been very intrigued lately by looking back at my work over the years and finding threads and common themes, often things I’d forgotten about. For example, my Georgia O’Keeffe double exposure photos … In this case, I realized that I’d seen this show on Pomo Basket Weaving and then later went to an art exhibit featuring some baskets from this community and I hadn’t really recalled at the exhibit how I’d seen and written about this work before. So I’ve woven some of that in here (pun acknowledge). I’ve also pulled together some other writing I’ve done about slow crafting over time to complete this article.

Images free on Unsplash using search term “slow”

Many people want to embrace a slower, more conscious way of life. You’ve probably felt the strong urge to get away from the distraction-heavy fast-paced activity of our always-on world. Of course, most people don’t want to get off the grid entirely. We just all want a little bit more spaciousness in our lives. We want areas of life where we can connect to ourselves, others, and nature.

Craft is the perfect way to introduce slowness into your everyday life.

Craft in America: Pomo Basket Weaving

I recently started watching the show Craft in America on PBS. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this show before now. It’s already in its tenth season. As soon as I saw the first episode of season ten, I became a fan.

The episode’s theme is California crafters. One of the makers who is profiled is a woman from the Pomo Indian tribe who has taken up her culture’s traditional basketry. Even in just her fifteen-minute segment, she touches upon so many different ways that craft heals her.

Most poignantly, she shares how her region was devastated by the fires that have been sweeping through the state over the past several years. She talks about how basketweaving helps with the healing process of such a terrible loss.

The Slow Art of Pomo Basket Weaving

What really stood out to me, though, was the way that she described the process of making the baskets. I learned that she grows and harvests her own materials. It is a long process.

First, the plants need to grow from their seeds. Then she needs to harvest them, which means breaking each piece down into smaller and smaller pieces for use in the baskets. Furthermore, the materials have to dry. Therefore, what she harvests today she might not use until next year.

By the time she actually starts weaving the basket, more than half of the work is done.

Elem Pomo Baskets on Exhibit

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Beyond the paywall:

• Historic changes to Elem Pomo basketry

• Definitions of the Slow Movement, Slow Craft, Slow Yarn

• Tips for slowing down crafting including a mindfulness crochet exercise

• Why craft slow …