I Heart Crochet

I sat on the far end of the long table that I sit at almost every Saturday. More than a dozen of us had made it to the shop to sit and work on our current projects. Mine was a small crocheted bag that I imagine will be my lunch bag for the year or a cute way to wrap my niece’s Christmas present.

The first 10-20 minutes every Saturday is usually spent admiring the work others have completed over the last week. Finished projects are shown off and fawned over. When everyone has arrived and seen what there is to see and inspired it is time to sit and work. The conversation almost always revolves around the newest yarn in the shop, TV shows that are being binged, life events, and the latest project everyone plans on making next.

Things were going as expected. Most of us were sitting and working while the others were starting to settle into their own projects. Shop business also started to pick up. The people who come into the shop to purchase yarn usually stop by our table and take a look at what is being made. Sometimes they stop to chat and other times they just discreetly try to look at each project while still browsing for their own yarn.

This week a woman walked around the table and stopped when she saw me working on my crocheted bag. She confessed to trying to see how many crocheters were part of the group. She had on fabulous purple glasses, and beautiful purple flowered shirt, and matching purple lipstick. We talked for a few minutes about the construction of the bag I was making; which was unique and something of a challenge for me. She also asked if any other crocheters were part of the group. Unfortunately, I could only think of one other and she was traveling.

Sometimes, in the fiber community, I think crochet gets a bad wrap and/or is marginalized as a fiber art. I’ve known some knitters who feel like they have to hide their prowess and love of crochet. I’ve even been on the receiving end of some polite, tight lipped, smiles followed by the words, “What are you making? Oh, it’s only crochet.”

Only crochet?! ONLY CROCHET?! I have to keep myself from screaming sometimes. I am here to say that crochet is AWESOME! Crochet can literally be anything. Go to Ravelry or your favorite pattern site and look around. I dare you not to find some beautiful crochet patterns that go way beyond the classic granny square.

I am proud to be both a knitter and crocheter. I challenge some of my friends who only know how to do one or the other to try to learn something new. I am a better knitter because I know how to crochet and I am a better crocheter because I know how to knit. The two fit together and are equally spectacular, slightly related fiber art categories.