Tips for Maintaining Your Mental Health While Crocheting or Knitting

It doesn’t matter how long you have been crocheting/knitting, we can all get overwhelmed. Life can get in the way and we can feel like we don’t want to do anything at all let alone something that requires energy or creativity. 

Remember to always be gentle and kind to yourself and here are some tips to help make things a little easier on yourself when crafting. 

• Do not beat yourself up about perfection – You will make mistakes. It can be frustrating especially as a person who wants to get everything right the first time. You can always put things down. You might just need to rest and come at the project with a clearer head. Give yourself time. Mistakes are how we grow as humans and I promise you will become a better artist because of them.

• What may not be perfect to you might be perfect to someone else - You have finished a project but you notice a million things wrong with it. There is a small hole or you dropped a stick or you didn’t quite nail the placement when sewing it together. Remember you have probably been staring at this thing for days/weeks/months. You are going to notice something but others may not. To someone else it’s an incredible piece of handmade art that they love and they are proud of you. 

• Never be ashamed to unpick/frog a project - It doesn’t matter how much planning or time you spent on a project it can just not feel right. It might be repetitive or difficult and frustrating. You might even decide you used the wrong yarn. Whatever the reason you are unhappy there is no reason why you can’t pull it apart (frog it) and either start again or put that idea to bed. There is no shame in admitting that you are not enjoying a project no matter how much time or money you have invested. You shouldn’t continue with something that makes you unhappy just because you’ve spent a lot of time doing it. 

• Don’t try to take on too many projects at once - It is extremely easy to get overwhelmed by so many different ideas and projects that you need to complete super quickly for someone’s baby or new house etc. Be realistic with yourself about how much time things actually take for you. Someone will appreciate a lovingly handmade item even if it’s late. Never be afraid to say no. You may feel guilty about it but the person asking may put it out of their mind quickly and you need to care for yourself. You are precious and your health matters most. 

• Remember to make something for yourself - It is worth taking the time to focus on a project purely for you. You are important and talented and deserve some of your beautiful work for yourself.