Hooked on Crochet

My latest yarn adventure

I have a confession: I'm completely hooked on crochet. And yes, that pun is absolutely intended.

I've always loved manual work – there's something deeply soothing about creating something with your hands. Some years ago, I taught myself basket weaving, which I absolutely love, but it takes up quite a bit of space, so I don't do it as often as I'd like.

The false start

A while back, a friend tried to teach me crochet. I was in awe of amigurumi – those adorable little crocheted creatures – and she assured me it was easy. But I think my head was too deep in my last burnout at the time, and I just couldn't find the motivation to really learn. The hooks and yarn sat there, mocking me with their potential.

The train journey breakthrough

Then, some weeks ago, I had a three-hour train journey with no internet. Before the trip, I grabbed my crochet supplies, some yarn, and loaded a crochet book onto my Kindle. I decided that this time, I was really going to learn to crochet.

My first project was meant to be a simple rectangle – a long chain followed by some single-crochet rows. The result? Well, let's just say the sides weren't parallel at all, and the tension was anything but uniform. It looked more like a wonky trapezoid that had been through some kind of textile accident.

But you know what? I was hooked. (There's that pun again.)

The addiction begins

Since then, I've been carrying my crochet kit with me almost everywhere. When I have idle time – waiting for a meeting to start, sitting in a café, or just relaxing at home – instead of automatically reaching for my smartphone, I reach for my hook and yarn.

It's become my new mindfulness practice. There's something incredibly meditative about the repetitive motions, the rhythm of the stitches, the gradual emergence of something from nothing more than a continuous strand of yarn.

Learning the magic

I've been steadily working my way through the fundamentals:

• The magic circle (which really does feel magical when you first get it right)
• Increases and decreases (the secret to shaping)
• Crocheting in the round to create spheres
• And finally, my first amigurumi

That first amigurumi? It's objectively ugly. The proportions are off, the stitches are uneven, and it has a distinctly wonky charm. But I absolutely love it. It represents hours of learning, of muscle memory developing, of that satisfying moment when your hands finally understand what your brain has been trying to tell them.

Why I love it

What I love most about crochet is its portability and immediacy. Unlike basket weaving, which requires space and setup, I can crochet anywhere. On trains, in waiting rooms, while watching TV, during video calls (camera off, obviously). It's productive procrastination at its finest.

There's also something wonderfully analog about it in our increasingly digital world. No batteries, no updates, no notifications – just yarn, hook, and the ancient human satisfaction of making something useful and beautiful with your hands.

Yarn adventures ahead

So yes, I'll definitely be using this blog to document my yarn adventures. Expect posts about projects (both successful and spectacularly failed), techniques I'm learning, and probably way too many photos of wonky amigurumi creatures.

Because sometimes the best obsessions are the ones that keep your hands busy and your mind calm, one stitch at a time.

What manual crafts have captured your attention lately? I'd love to hear about your own analog adventures in the comments.

Cheers,

Horacio Gonzalez - LostInBrittany