Crocheting is one of the oldest and common hobbies. Many people learn to crochet from their mother, who also learned from their mother, making it a family tradition. Crocheting allows a person to create their own items, including clothing, household decorations, and sometimes even bedding items. Although not all of the world?s crocheting hobbyists do it for profit, the hobby of crocheting itself offers many additional benefit.
Relaxation
One of the most common reasons for taking up the art of crocheting is for relaxation. The act of moving your hands back and forth requires little thought, allowing you to relax your mind and concentrate on something else. Women of career age are learning of the stress relieving benefits of crocheting and have increased significantly over the years. Between 2002 and 2004, the number of women knitters in the U.S. ages 25 to 35 increased nearly 150%.
Learning hands on skills
Some people learn to crochet and knit from a very young age. Others do not learn until they are much older. However, the act of learning how to maneuver your hands to create is wonderful for learning other hands on skills. It does not matter if you use natural fiber yarn or fine cotton yarn, because you are learning a skill. The dedication and passion it requires to learn to crochet a full item will translate into other important areas of the life. You will also learn about different types of yarns, from recyclable yarns to natural fiber yarns.
Great for social growth
Crocheting gives you a hobby that you can share with others. It creates a common ground for making new friends and acquaintances. It also gives you an activity that you can enjoy with your crocheting friends. Crocheting and knitting groups are a great place to not only increase your skill, but to also meet other crochet enthusiasts. About 7 in 10 (69%) of knitters and crocheters have participated in a knit or crochet group. Our respondents experience the following positive benefits when knitting and crocheting with others, social (78%), happiness (59%), sense of community (58%), and a sense of proudness (53%).
The ability to create
Some hobbies do not give you the ability to see the final result. When you participate in sporting events or exercise, you may struggle with seeing results. However, when you craft with your hands, you have the ability to create an end product. You can experiment with different types of yarns from the yarn mill, including natural fiber yarn and cotton yarn. You can create different items, based on switching up the specific stitch and material that you use.
Creating clothing items from crocheting hobbies has been around for many years. It is even possible that your great ancestors relied on crocheting and knitting for their apparel. Clothing and other items made of wool have been found throughout much of the ancient world, from 3,400 year old Egyptian yarn to fragmentary textiles unearthed in Siberian graves dating from the first century B.C. Some yarn materials, including natural fiber yarn are stronger and thus, can last for many decades of years.
Charitable abilities
A significant portion of the population wishes that they could help those in need, but do not have the financial means to do so. Because crocheting and knitting creates warm clothing and household items, it can actually be a great charitable donation. You can easily turn your hobby and source of stress relief into a charitable donation. Many charities openly accept crafted items that are donated. You can even pair up with a local hospital or homeless half way house to provide clothing and blankets.
The hobby or crocheting and knitting have been around for many years, even dating back to the Egyptians. People crochet for many different reasons. Regardless of your reason, you are likely to experience many of the benefits that come along with the hobby. You will notice a decrease in your stress, an increase in social connections based on crocheting and knitting, and you will have the ability to either pass on the skill or the items you create to those in need.