JOURNAL: FIND YOUR CRO JO
Lost that crochet loving feeling? Hannah Cross shares the tricks she’s learnt to help you keep your cro-jo up
In a topsy-turvy world it can sometimes be tricky to keep your spirits up and find the time and energy to dedicate to the things you love. I recently found myself having to think hard about what crochet meant to me after having to have a break from it. I’m so happy to say that in no time at all I was back on track and enjoying my craft more than ever. So if you find yourself needing a bit of a cro-jo boost I want you to know that you are not alone. It happens to all of us and it’s possibly the best thing that could happen. It can give you a chance to rediscover and reconnect so that you can enjoy it with renewed energy and drive.
It seems odd to say that something that we all love should need a reboot every now and again but even the things you enjoy most in life sometimes need refreshing and seeing through new eyes. Whether, like me, you have to take a break from it, you get stuck in a never ending project (we’ve all been there…) or you lose your momentum and can’t decide what to start next, then there are some really simple steps you can take to keep moving forward and keep finding pleasure in all things crochet.
The first step I’d take is to literally take a step back, put your crochet down and don’t worry about it. It will still be there when you are ready for more. I found that having a go at other crafts really helped me so why not try your hand at something else? Knitting, painting, weaving, gardening, running, rock climbing, whatever your other kind of jam is… I spent lots of time knitting (something I shy away from as I’ll never be as good as my mum) and I enjoyed it so very much! It was so lovely to have something else to focus on while I thought about crochet and how I could reconnect with it.
The next steps I took to rediscover my love for crochet was to have some fun! I sorted out my entire yarn stash, gave a huge amount to charity and then enjoyed playing with the rest for a while. I used some to experiment with new colour combinations, learn new stitches and techniques (I may have fallen in love with Tunisian crochet while I was doing that) and made some really quick projects for my boys to feel like I’d achieved something. Another thing you might like to try is having a good read of any crochet books and magazines you
have or creative blogs you enjoy. There is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration out there to discover and lap up. Whatever you choose to do I guarantee that something will spark your imagination and get you fired up and hungry for more. Once you’ve done that you’ll be ready for the next stage of the process.
There’s such a temptation to launch into a massive project and for some people this might work, but if you want to keep your love for crochet in tip top condition then I recommend going gently and being kind to yourself. Absolutely go for it if you’d like to but don’t just focus on one huge project, have a few little ideas that you can pace your bigger project around. It’s OK to indulge in something and not set a deadline, it’s OK to be selfish and make something for yourself that you really want to, it’s OK to scroll and scroll for inspiration, it’s OK to find new parts of the craft community to connect with, it’s OK to treat yourself to some of that beautiful yarn you really want. Crochet is an important part of life for so many of us and helps us both physically and mentally so investing time and effort into it is exactly the right thing to do. Even when other things in life might seem out of place, crochet and craft will always be there for you, even if you take a break, even if you get a bit lost, even if you want to try something new for a while. I promise that when you are ready to rediscover and reconnect it will always be waiting for you with open arms.