Pay Attention to What Inspires Your Crochet
By Caissa "Cami" McClinton – 6 CommentsThe changing of the calendar year is a perfect time for reflection. It feels natural to look back at the previous year and decide to make a fresh start in the new one. I’ve found that through reflection, I’ve made a deeper connection to what inspires me. Inspiration is a GREAT feeling. I don’t know about you, but if inspiration is flowing, I will take any chance I can get to honor it, enjoy it, and capture it.
While reflection and inspiration could refer to just about anything in life, crochet is special in that we can turn our inspiration into a tangible, touchable thing. It could be cozy, like a warm shawl or blanket. It could be giant & joyful, like a crocheted playground. It could be almost anything at all, but the point is that crochet makes our inspirations real.
Image adapted from Rick Bradley via Flickr. License
Your challenge, Crochet Spotters, is to reflect upon what inspires your crochet. How? Think through the following questions, just to get you started. How, when, and why did you begin crocheting? When do you most often feel like crocheting? For whom do you crochet the most? While you’re thinking over these answers, let your mind wander and freely associate, too. See if you can identify at least one thing that inspires your crochet.
As an example, I’ll share my reflection on how I started crocheting. I was first inspired to craft with yarn after listening to a podcast called Craftypod by Diane Gilleland. The way she described crochet made it sound so interesting. I had also learned about the amazing Ravelry on her podcast and signed up for an invitation to join while they were still rationing invites. As soon as I got the nudge to join, I realized that I had better learn to crochet! From there, it took off. I began blogging my crochet and eventually meeting with a regular group of like-minded crafters. From this story I conclude that communities, both online and in person, inspire my crochet!
One final thought: Crochet is virtually unlimited as an artistic medium. The flexibility of crochet makes it open to any and all things. Your crochet inspiration could be more concrete (like hearts, leaves, or birds) or more conceptual (like surrealism). Your crochet inspiration is yours to create, so notice what inspires you. Go!
I want to hear from you! What inspires your crochet? Please leave your thoughts, ideas, or questions in the comments below!
I was inspired to crochet when I read about Mother Bear Project in a book published by Guideposts. I wanted to crochet bears to send to children affected by AIDS—just a little way to send love and hugs and support the efforts begun by a caring woman. The bear pattern was all singe crochet stitch, and it was good for my first time reading a pattern. From there I was ready to learn more stitches (I knew dc and hdc already) and follow more patterns.
What most inspires me to pick up my hooks are beautiful color of yarns, pleasing textures, awesome circular patterns, the great variants we can make with granny motifs, and the simplicity and quick work of creating striped afghans. I seem to be moved always to create a blanket for family members and like that it could possibly bring warmth and comfort through a few generations.
I too love that we have a global community of fiber artists, and their creations inspire me. While crochet comes most naturally, I find that handiwork appeals to me. Tools and notions fascinate me, and I sometimes yearn to do surface embellishment with stitching and simple applique and also admire the quiltmakers’ works and patterns.
I loved reading your comment. It is wonderful to use crochet to make others feel better and it’s cool that’s how you got your start. 💟
I learned to crochet a double crochet when I was about 12 which we used to make shawls. I soon became bored doing just those, and noticed in the pattern books my mom had that there were instructions in the back, so I started doing the projects. Doilies, afghans scarves whatever I felt like.
I started making baby blankets for my sister-in-laws after they all started having babies. Now, I make a lot of blankets for the Linus Project. It gives me so much pleasure to make these blankets for children in need.
I am disabled, and don’t feel I can volunteer, so crocheting Linus Blankets is my way of giving back.
Holidays, Birthdays, Baby Showers, Grandchildren, Friends, Yarn colors and textures, Love, free patterns, your CrochetSpot blog comments and tutorials and STRESS!
I am inspired by exciting creations, textures, unusual techniques. (Free-form crochet, combining crochet with knitting, weaving, jewelry making, etc.)
Why spend hours making something that looks the same as any run-of-the mill item you can purchase at a store. Or, I am inspired by techniques I have never tried on everyday items like rag rugs, Tunisian, broomstick, hairpin, tat crochet.
Whenever I need to be jump started to crochet, it usually comes in these areas-unless it’s maybe something I saw in a movie, catalog or magazine that I wish to save money by making myself or something I need to wear or for the house.
I get inspired by lots of stuff 😉
By the www, television, books, shops, hollidays, the cat of my nephew (free patten of keychain on my blog), nature, Facebook(groups), etc.
Sometimes there’s so many inspiration, I forget to crochet 😀
Greetings from Holland, Wendy