This past year has been a difficult time for everyone due to the several national lockdowns disrupting our everyday lives. However, a positive of these lockdowns is that it has allowed more time for people to try something they have always wanted to do but never had the time for beforehand. A hobby I took up during the third national lockdown is crocheting, as it is a skill that has intrigued me for a while. If you would like to hear more about the world of crocheting and why it is a creative and sustainable craft then keep on reading.

What is crocheting? You may be familiar with knitting, which is when you use yarn and two needles to create something such as a garment or a blanket. Crocheting is very similar, but a crochet hook is used instead of two needles. It is a fun and rather easy skill to learn, and you can create various things, ranging from items of clothing to teddy bears. It is something that Queen Victoria enjoyed, and it is said that she crocheted scarves for British servicemen during the South African war.

What inspired me to start crocheting as a hobby? A big passion of mine is fashion and trying out different outfits. On social media I saw someone wear a crochet green skirt, which I wanted to purchase for myself. I realised that many businesses were selling them for quite a high price, and as I am a student, I was unable to purchase one. I decided that it would be a fun and affordable idea to learn crochet and make a skirt for myself, which I am currently in the process of doing so. Although it is rather time-consuming, I have found crocheting to be a relaxing craft that I can do whilst simultaneously watching a film.

How did I learn crocheting? There are many talented people on social media who are kind enough to share tutorials and crochet patterns for free. I mainly used tutorial videos on YouTube to learn the different types of stitches such as double crochet, chain stitch, single crochet and half double crochet. I also used a specific tutorial on how to crochet a skirt, which helped me learn to make the skirt to match my body measurements. As you can see, there are many resources out there that are either free or very affordable if you wanted to learn how to crochet.

Why should you learn to crochet? One reason that you may want to take up crocheting is that it is a relaxing hobby, which you can do whilst watching something or listening to music. It is also very fulfilling as you can keep challenging yourself to create something that may be difficult, such as a dress or a very big blanket. If you like the look of crocheted items of clothing, then it is important that you buy it from a small business or create it yourself. This is because you are not able to crochet clothing using a machine, which means that everything would need to be hand made. If you were to purchase something that has been crocheted from fast fashion, then most likely an exploited worker would have been pressured to create this item in a small amount of time under poor working conditions. This is why crocheting something yourself is more ethical than purchasing it from a large company.

As we can see, crocheting is not only relaxing and easy to learn but it is also a more ethical option rather than purchasing it from a fast fashion business. This pandemic has meant we have had to spend more time at home than usual, so it is important that we try new things so we don’t feel like our days are becoming draining and repetitive. Learning a new hobby, such as crocheting, is one way we can do this.