Some things are just so very cool. You know – like surfing off the Australia coast. Or being in a successful rock band. Or, you know, crochet.
OK, so perhaps this isn’t quite accurate. Of all the cool things in the world, I doubt that crochet is high up on the list. It is, mistakenly, seen as an activity for grannies, the sort of strange crafty activity that is only undertaken by the infirm. It isn’t the sort of thing that people expect to see being done at the pub by a young and hip twenty-something, but more in a nursing home in the hour before nap time.
I am here to try and show you that crochet, for all its boring and negative associations, is actually really cool. It is the sort of skill that not only comes in handy when you need to whip up a blanket or find that perfect pillow pattern, but which gives you something to do with your hands when watching the TV or even, yes, whilst sitting in the pub on Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine, a good book, and some hours to kill.
Acquiring the crochet skills is actually quite easy. I managed it, and I have the spacial awareness of a giraffe, and the crafting skills of a newborn baby. Yet after a couple of sessions producing strange wiggly crochet patches, I finally got the rhythm, and haven’t looked back since. Now I am permanently in a fury of crocheting, with a rapidly growing blanket on my lap, and pillow squares in carious patterns all around.
So, what makes crochet cool? Well, firstly there is the fact that not many people can do it. By learning how to crochet, you immediately set yourself apart from the crowd, making yourself out to be a little bit kooky (in a good way) and talented (in a totally unpredictable way). Then there is the usefulness function. By being able to make all of these things (many of which are actually quite modem and funky), you save yourself money on Christmas presents, and birthday presents, and anything else that requires a gift! Plus, you have handmade it, and that always gets extra marks!
If this hasn’t persuaded you, perhaps you need to give it a go. And see how utterly addictive this craft is – and also just how good it is for keeping your hands warm and moving on a freezing cold winter’s morning!
Image via patti haskin's Flickr