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Can Crochet Save Your Life? Your Health?

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I’m turning over the crochet reigns today to Kathryn Vercillo so she can give us good information about her latest survey.  Please feel free to respond to her here and to go to her site (linked below) to participate in the survey.

Now, Kathryn writes:

How Has Crochet Helped You?

This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo, author of Crochet Saved My Life and blogger at Crochet Concupiscence. You’ve read about her on this blog before.

She has created a new survey to explore the healing aspects of crochet. How has crochet helped you? Has it helped relieve depression, anxiety or other mental health symptoms for you? Has it distracted you from difficulties in life including grief or chronic pain? Has it provided you with a creative outlet, improved your sense of self-esteem or been your saving grace during bouts with insomnia?

Crocheters cite these benefits as well as others in their stories about why they crochet. However, the details of how crochet helps people have yet to be studied in depth … until now.

We have seen studies that look at whether or not crochet helps people, and those studies have added a lot to our understanding of the craft. They have taught us that crochet is likely to help reduce depression and may prevent age- related memory loss. But those studies have typically looked at crochet as one of several crafts, and they’ve been asking if crochet helps people rather than exploring how crochet helps people.

I have created a new survey to expand upon this existing material and study the many different ways that people are healing through crochet. I’ve based the survey questions on existing research including the research I’ve done myself in the writing of my crochet health books and articles. The survey is designed to examine the benefits people are currently getting from the craft. I will be analyzing and publishing the results.

It is my hope that the published results can help people in a variety of settings. If we can prove the ways in which crochet heals, we can get more support for the craft in hospitals, recovery centers, therapy groups, prisons, schools and more. And all of us
can have a better understanding of how this craft that we love is helping us in more ways than we even know.

Please consider helping by taking the survey now. Or you can learn more about it from this press release.

Thanks, Kathryn!  Your hard work in this area is going to pay off.  Many crocheters are already aware of the benefits of crochet to their health and well-being.  Now, more will have this information.  Please keep spreading the word!

Comments

  1. I started crocheting when I was pregnant and stressed. It completely eased my mind by slowing my breathing and focusing my mind on one project (which of course made me think of a million other projects u couldn’t wait to dive into lol)

  3. when I’m crochet in front of the TV I’m not eating stuff like chips so that’s good for my health!

Have you read?

Crochet Christmas Dove Ornaments With a Printable Gift Poem

There is something especially lovely about a handmade gift that comes with a few thoughtful words. These crochet Christmas birds pair a folded yarn ornament with a decorative poem card, turning a little crochet project into a keepsake.

The design has a rounded head, a tiny embroidered eye and beak, and a forked tail. A broad overlapping section forms the wing, giving the bird that folded, origami-inspired appearance. It is a simple-looking shape with plenty of handmade charm.

A Crochet Bird That Doubles as a Gift Topper

What appeals to me most is the idea of using the bird twice. Tie it onto a wrapped present as a gift topper, then let the recipient hang it on their Christmas tree afterwards. The wrapping gets recycled, the ribbon goes into somebody’s “far too useful to throw away” drawer, and the bird becomes part of next year’s decorations.

Cream would be a lovely choice for a Christmas dove, while cranberry red, sage green and dusty blue offer a different seasonal look. Keeping the wing plain lets the crochet texture and folded layers stand out.

For a personalised crochet gift tag, an embroidered initial is a sweet addition. One small letter gives the ornament a purpose without needing to squeeze an entire name onto the wing.

The Printable Christmas Dove Card

The accompanying printable brings the gift together. Watercolour-style holly, evergreen branches, berries and gold accents frame the card, with space above the poem for attaching the crocheted bird.

The original Christmas poem shares wishes for peace, joy and love, then invites the recipient to hang the dove on their tree. There is also a “With love from” line, so the finished card feels like a complete little present.

I would print it on firm cardstock and attach the bird with a removable thread or ribbon loop. That way, the recipient can lift it off the card easily when it is time to decorate the tree.

It is a thoughtful Christmas gift concept, especially for crafters who enjoy making small decorations with a personal touch. The bird and poem card belong together: a little handmade ornament, a Christmas wish, and something to bring out again next December.