Why Crochet?

By Caissa "Cami" McClinton – 37 Comments

It’s a funny question to ask, because we’re all here because we love crochet, right? But think about it – there are oodles of crafts out there. Why do YOU choose to crochet? I am imagining a few reasons why, but I really want to hear from you!

Personally, I choose to crochet for four main reasons:

1. I am creating fabric! As the daughter of a textile-obsessed artist, the idea that I could actually make fabric is what got me to learn crochet!

2. There are so many stitches and techniques to explore! I know with certainty that I will be forever happy because the opportunities for creative exploration in this craft will never end.

3. It’s not so hard to start. I’m not going to say it’s easy, because I remember my beginning days, but honestly, it wasn’t so bad. It’s a pretty kind craft in that way. 🙂

4. I am making useful stuff! I don’t know about you, but I lose motivation when I am making something that’s meant to be only a “decoration.” Don’t get me wrong, I love adornment, but after a while, we crocheters accumulate finished items because we’re always crocheting! It makes me happy to know that someone will *use* the item I am making.

What about you?

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37 Comments

  1. Lane† says:

    Hello Caissa!

    Surprisingly I’ve had people ask me that as well! Love some of your reasons for crocheting.

    Why do I crochet? I find it a way to express myself and to also build my creative side. I love trying to picture something and then turn it into a crocheted wonder. Half the time it works, but it’s still a work in progress. 🙂

  2. Brenda says:

    I love to crochet because (I am now 57 and started when I was 12) it has always amazed me how I can take a piece of thread and make it into something beautiful. (with just a piece of thread!)

  3. Caissa says:

    Hi, Lane & Brenda! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I love to hear what folks are thinking about crochet! Lane, I love crochet as a form of self expression and creativity! It is a cool idea to crochet from a picture, and with the craft of crochet, there are no limits. 🙂

    Brenda, I completely identify with your amazement at making just a piece of thread! It’s one of the things I love, too! 🙂

    I would love to see your crocheted creations! If you have pictures, please share! 🙂

  4. Jana says:

    I don’t crochet and the only time that I tried, I found it challenging. Your post makes me want to try it again! Your reasons are enough to inspire anyone (as are the beautiful things you make!).

    • Terry says:

      Just remember Jana, there is a learning curve to this. Try something really simple, just a basic beginner stitch pattern or so will make you feel much more accomplished. It is a process, and as long as you don’t pressure yourself it can be fun. Do you have a friend who crochets? Perhaps they can give you some tips. I bought a couple of books with stitch diagrams and they really helped me learn. Give it a go, there is so much support out here!

  5. Kim says:

    HI Caissa! I crochet because it fascinates me that a ball of string can become something warm, soft and comforting. And I find the repetition meditative – it soothes my brain.

    I remember the first afghan I crocheted (I still have it) – it’s about 10 inches longer on one side than the other, because my stitches were so uneven. Now, many afghans later, I can make a perfect square (or rectangle) every time.

  6. Jennifer says:

    I crochet because I love the feel of it! I love how the yarn feels and I love how the motion of crocheting feels. I also enjoy the artistry of creating something, and I love the variety of things you can make with crochet. Last, but certainly not least, I crochet because, unlike some other crafts, if you make a mistake you can always rip out the stitches and make it right.

  7. Meg says:

    I like to crochet because it gives me a way to channel my stress and frustration into the creation of beauty. I get an idea and I bring it into being. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I complete a project.

  8. Kelly says:

    After many failed starts over my lifetime (I’m 47), I’m finally learning to do it, and do it well enough to make something!

    At two weeks into it, I crochet because I find it is something I can do while listening to Bible study or watching TV, letting me be productive while relaxing.

    Relaxing: a fellow crocheter asked me the other day if my hands cramp up using the inexpensive hooks I use. I hold the hook, yarn, and developing project gently, and crochet for hours and hours with nary a cramp – that’s how relaxing it is for me!

  9. Judi Gums says:

    Even though I have been crocheting for over 40 some years (ouch) I still find it amazing that with nothing more then a simple string of any kind and a hook you can make such pretty and different stitch patterns. I love the textured stitches.

    But for me it allows me to do something creative for a reasonable amount of money, it is calming to work on and also end up with something useful when I am finished. I enjoy coming up with my own patterns or looking at a picture and recreating it without a pattern. I also love the fact that mistakes can be corrected so easily, patterns can be changed easily and you can call the pattern your own.

    jcg1224

  10. Naomi says:

    I am 35 and started to crochet this year. I was given a piece of fabric from Thailand and normally I would have sewn it with warm and snuggly material for a throw. However I was waiting for back surgery, unable to sit for long periods of time or drive a car and had a newborn baby. So my mum who was caring for us during the day taught me to make a granny square blanket, and excuse the cliche but I’m now hooked and love creating things.

  11. Fran says:

    I came from a family in which no one sewed, knit, crocheted or even darned holes in socks. The Good Book Fairy of our little backwater Library led me to the The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I devoured those books in which Ma and her girls were always sewing, quilting, knitting and crocheting and fell in love with the idea of creating useful and beautiful items from fabric and yarn. It was a tough go – spool knitting (an old wood spool with finishing nails and embroidery floss), disasters made from old feed sacks, and learning to crochet from an elderly neighbor with thread and teeny-tiny steel hooks – which I still consider a medieval torture technique.

    I stuck with it and through the years have become a fairly competent seamstress and crocheter. I have crocheted for 50 years of my life through school, marriage, children, employment and all the rest. I still can feel that warm, glowing “all is right with the world” feeling when I work on a project or buy that special yarn I’ve been lusting over. Crochet is a life sentence for me!

  12. Caissa says:

    I am overwhelmed by all of these wonderful stories of why we crochet. I am reading them all and would LOVE to have a personal conversation with each and every commenter! Since that’s not possible, let’s keep the conversation going here in the comments! Feel free to speak with one another as well!

    Fran, I am inspired by your story of discovery and persistence! Naomi, I have heard of crochet’s healing benefits and am comforted that this craft will be with me even if I am in a hospital bed! Kelly, I love the relaxation of crochet as well. It is GREAT to hear that your technique allows you to use inexpensive materials with excellent results! Judy, I also love the ease of mistake correction in crochet!! Meg, I would love to see some of your finished crochet pieces! Jennifer, I also love the way crochet feels. Kim, practice makes perfect, but I embrace happy accidents as well! Jana, Crochet Spot is the *perfect* place to learn to crochet. I hope you will join us whenever you feel the time is right!

  13. Kitty says:

    I see most responders are saying pretty much the same thing: grab some string/yarn and a hook to make something useful and/or beautiful for people or your home. Like Judi above, I’ve been crocheting for 40+ years–I started at age 1 heheheh– and absolutely love the feeling of accomplishment when a project is completed. Yes, there are many crafts to satisfy one’s need to “create,” but some can be downright expensive. Catch a good sale and yarn is something that won’t put a major dent in your wallet.

    Might seem odd to some, but, finishing a set of very simple cotton coasters or an entire Christening set makes me feel “good.” I like variety and often have several projects going at the same time…6 of ’em currently LOL. Oh! I forgot about this centerpiece that has in progress for several years. It’s a stunning thread centerpiece for my dining room table. Oh so pretty, oh so tedious. I am on round 59 of 65 whew~ Well, one of these days it will get done. 🙂

    Have really enjoyed this thread from fellow crocheters.

  14. Autumn says:

    I love to crochet because I love the feel of the fiber sliding through my fingers, and I love the color exposure for my eyes. I find both of those factors cheer my spirit.

    Also the rhythm.

    Knitting just does not do it for me. The rhythm of the hook for me is so satisfying.

  15. Bunnie says:

    I want something to do when commercials come on the TV. Some of them are so long that you could finish an afghan in no time!!

  16. Sandy L. says:

    I am 17 and have been crocheting for about 7-8 years, and i love it. it gives me something to do at school, i am often found making squares that i will some day donate. my favorite reaction was the day that i was using chenille yarn and a large hook and trying to crochet blind, just to see if it would be possible to watch the teacher write notes while i crocheted, it worked and i have done so for about 4 years now.

    • Amithyst R. says:

      It is great to see someone crocheting from such a young age. I too am young at 15. I’ve been crocheting for 6 years and I love it so much. It also gives me something to do during free period at school (haven’t learned to crochet without looking)

      • Terry says:

        You girls are the future of our craft! I am thrilled to hear about your devotion to crochet. I would love to see you join the CGOA (Crochet Guild of America) someday. Is there a crochet club at your school?

  17. Barbara says:

    I started seriously crocheting making afghans as my grandchildren finished high school and went on to college – taking with them an afghan in the college’s colors. It is something that reminds them of me, how much I love them, and keeps them warm in their dorms on cold winter nights. Then I started making special afghans for the women in our family as they reached the age of 50 – started with a sunflower afghan as my oldest daughter loves sunflowers. So far I have completed four with one more to go. I have made prayer shawls for my church and for friends who needed comforting. And it goes on and on. I am on Pinterest now and have started many projects – scarves, water bottle holders, hats – the list can go on and on. And by the way, I am in my late 70’s.

    • Barbara says:

      This is a reply to my posting above. I have now reached the age of 80 and my project now for several months has been cowls (neck scarves) which will be Christmas presents for familly and friends. I found a yarn with sparkle running through it and the cowls are beautiful. My next project will be a unicorn winter hat for great granddaughter. It is very rewarding to create such lovely handwork and hopefully all will love want they receive. In the past I crocheted dresses for my great granddaughter and they also turned out quite lovely.

  18. Ernie says:

    I like the structural aspect of crochet, as opposed to knitting. While it is possible to make circles and curves, crocheting these is so much easier. Once I learned that theere was a ribbing technique. It wasn’t that long ago that I learned ribbing so now I’m on a roll! A curvy and round roll!!

  19. Bethintx1 says:

    That question is like asking painters why they paint. I honestly do not know. But It is something I have to do. It’s a creative outlet. It is fulfilling. I can paint, sew or even *gasp* knit 😉 , but they do not give me the same satisfaction crochet gives me. Some look at crochet as a skill, but to me it is an art form. Skill is something you know how to do. It changes to art when you turn that skill into an expression. If you follow a pattern exactly even down to the color & style of yarn, it could be considered skill. It turns to art when you veer away from the pattern and show your feelings through color choices, texture and shape.

  20. Jan says:

    I started out knitting, but it takes me too long. I also do various other things, but when I want/need something finished quick, I crochet. I know that if I make a mistake, I can correct it quickly without dropping stitches. I learned all my crafts from my grandmother except for crochet. She didn’t crochet. My mom did but she was left-handed so I had to teach myself. I am still learning. All the new babies get a crocheted baby blanket and now I am making afghans for all the grandchildren. I realized how much I love to crochet when I was in the hospital last year and the operation affected my coordination and I couldn’t get my fingers to crochet. My therapist told me that crocheting was the best therapy I could have.

  21. Caissa says:

    We have something really incredible here. Again, I am impressed and overjoyed with the wonderful stories we’re all sharing here.

    Kitty, 😉 We are AGELESS and I am PROUD that you have been crocheting for 40+ years!! It makes me happy to know that I can do the same thing! I also love the sense of accomplishment from finishing a project. I tend to go for the quick projects – big hooks, but my CGOA chapter members (and Rachel) are getting me to think differently about that. Hey, when you finish that centerpiece, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see it!

    Autumn, may I quote you? “Knitting just does not do it for me. The rhythm of the hook for me is so satisfying.” I was clapping when I read that! 😀

    Bunnie! I am impressed at your speed, and also at using commercial time well. We crocheters are ever productive. In fact, I finished a few rows on my shrug while waiting at the bank today! 🙂

    Sandy, as a teacher it warms my heart to imagine you crocheting while in class. Although some teachers may be distracted by the action, I am encouraging of crafting while in class *if a student is simultaneously paying attention*. In fact, the kinetic motion and pleasant emotional experience of crochet combined with the visual and auditory stimulation of watching a lecture/notes gives the learner the highest chance of retention outside of actually teaching him/herself! In short, you go, girl!

    Barbara, you are reminding us that seasoned crocheters with passion and life experience are making a difference EVERY DAY and also incorporating technology into their daily lives! Bravo for sharing here and on Pinterest! I love to see people of all ages using crochet AND technology!

    Ernie- I also enjoy the sculptural possibilities. Crochet is incredible and I love how focusing on a particular technique provides endless possibilities! 🙂

    Bethintx1 – “That question is like asking painters why they paint.” Oooo. Right you are! I love your thinking on the transition from skill to art. It’s such a valuable perspective.

    Jan, thank you for sharing your story. I think it is fascinating to hear how folks learned to crochet. I agree, for me, crochet is really quick! I love that! I had to develop my own way of knitting quickly, but crochet is so satisfying, I just keep doing that instead!

  22. Caissa says:

    Let’s keep this conversation going! I’d love to see why each and every one of us crochets! Tell your friends about this post, and share! I’ll keep reading and responding, and I hope you will, too!

  23. Terry says:

    I gave up trying to crochet when my son was a baby, because he would play with my yarn and I couldn’t get anything done! I didn’t get back to it until much later.
    I was nearly killed in a car accident 20 years ago. I could no longer work, and I needed to find something I could do with limited strength and energy. I tried painting and pottery and that worked for a while. When I developed arthritis in my injured joints ten years ago, I had to stop doing many of the things I had been doing.
    I read somewhere about the CGOA, and picked up a copy of their magazine- Crochet! I started crocheting again! When I am too tired to do many other things, I can still crochet. It is a perfect fit.
    I have made so many wonderful friends through this craft, and in many ways it has given me my life back. I look forward to getting up every day and working on one of my projects.

  24. DeeDeeDi says:

    when you crochet you need very little … basically one hook and a small ball of yarn … it really is as close to creating something from nothing! Yay! for beauty eminating primarily from creativity!

  25. Barbara says:

    I have enjoyed reading all the reasons why woman crochet – and each and every one of the reasons is valid and worthy. I have recently joined Pinterest (March) and Pinterest has inspired me to try my hand at other crochet projects – such as handbags, kids’ clothing, home decorations (made a wreath recently). Since I have been in a YMCA exercise class (finishing five years), we are asked to bring a water bottle for hydration – and I have gifted many fellow participants with a water bottle cover – so much easier to take to the Y – and found the the pattern on Pinterest. I enjoy gifting friends and family with crocheted items. It warms my heart.

  26. Tracy says:

    I like to crochet and knit. I crochet because it relaxes me, and I love that it is something I made with love. The finished product makes me proud.

  27. Dvora says:

    I love to work with beautiful yarns and create beautiful things. Some day in the future, I would love to design my own things but for now I happily use others patterns to create beauty. I totally go through stages where I love my hook more than my needles & vice versa. These days I have multiple projects of both sorts going on. I have been doing this on & off since I am 7 or 8… now 40. 🙂

  28. paula says:

    well i crochet because it is a good thing i been doing it since i was 13 yrs old i learned from a teacher home economics i never forget her, she taught me how to make biscuits… they came out like a hockey puck. but anywho.. i have a beautiful grandbaby. now. and she is the light of my life. i made my sun baltimore ravens hats. he always go to tailgating games. he and his wife. plus its cold in the northeast. and i like gloves since i got older i get colder.. and people love my neckwarmers its good to make knits etc. for people and knits can be pricing. save money. as well.

  29. Caissa says:

    Terry, your story is so inspiring! There are many people who have wonderful stories about how crochet has helped them to heal.

    DeeDeeDiDi, What a cute name! I agree- crochet makes me feel very creative, and you don’t need much!

    Barbara, your answer points to something else remarkable about crochet- its ability to help us solve problems! You filled a need and made everyone happy with your water bottle holders. I’ve made Rachel’s water bottle (pattern from Crochet Spot) as a gift before! 🙂

    Tracy- yay for crochet pride!

    Dvora- crafty life is one to be proud of! Here’s to many more years creating!

    Paula, you sound like you are supplying your loved ones with some wonderful pieces! 🙂

    Thanks, everyone for sharing!! Please keep the stories coming! Wouldn’t it be cool if we could get 1000 crochet stories right here on this thread? 😀 Y’all are so fascinating! 🙂

  30. Neva Rodez says:

    My Mother and an Aunt crocheted for their Bazaars to raise money for the church. My Mother sent me to a neighbor lady to learn to knit and crochet because she wasn’t good at teaching. I was 9 years old at the time. Of course I took to crochet much quicker and helped them make simple pot holders as far as I remember. That was in 1961. In 1973 I was living in Chicago and decided to learn to read patterns. So I went to Wiebolts and bought “I Taught Myself to Crochet” and ” I Taught Myself to Knit” books and off I went. During those early 70’s I sold custom crochet hats and scarves to match peoples coats in the winter, and shawls and purses. Didn’t pick it back up until 2001. I still do very little knitting. But I will be retiring soon, so I guess I’ll do more. I make Holiday gifts and baby blankets for the family mostly now, and shawls for myself and friends.

  31. Tipsy says:

    At 17 I was watching an Aunt crocheting a blanket and I asked her to show me right away and I have been addicted ever since. In times of depression it has kept me going as looking at all the different yarns and amazing colours always made me feel better. I am now 62 and want to try and crochet everything I see, but of course that is impossible, but I will keep trying.

  32. Nelle says:

    My mom once knitted me a sweater that turned out to be far too big for me. It was HUGE !! As a result, That sweater lived in the back of my closest for a very long time. Years later, after I had retired, I decided to unravel it and ended up with very ample supply of yarn. I’d never been handy with knitting needles, but could crochet a bit (thanks to mom) and wanted to do something with the yarn; so I started experimenting with different granny square patterns. By combining my huge hank of off-white (used to be a sweater) yarn with odds and ends of other colorful yarns, I was able to cobble together a respectable looking afghan, which I gave back to my mom. She loved it; It felt wonderful having created something special from almost nothing. I was hooked. I still like to crochet granny squares, but absolutely love to crochet amigurumi. The little critters work up quickly and turn out so darned cute. …. and that’s how I developed a love for crochet.

  33. Dorit says:

    II like to crochet from my early years, I am now 67. My mother teach me, it was for me then like
    a miracle, and I learn it so fast!
    Crochet is something that always you are learning and there is so many stiches that i dont know and I am waiting to learn, it make me happy and relaxed. I was so happy to see my granson so happy to play with my amigurmi,I like to bring things that I made to friends an family, and now my firstborn grandaughter ask me to teach her to crochet. this is happiness…

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