Just so you know… I’m currently chuckling away at my attempt to be comical in the title of this blog post… #sorrynotsorry

ANYWAY, to the point Ella to the point…

Crochet

Crochet… crochet… crochet (the more you write it the more of an odd word it seems).

Last night over on Twitter as part of the #mhteaparty hashtag led by this week’s Mental Health Voices curator Learning to Float we somehow managed to get into a really in-depth conversation about crochet and knitting. I think it’s partly my fault… I was trying to list ways that I can relax yet keep my mind busy, colouring is of course my favourite thing in the world at the moment but last summer I did dabble in knitting. (Dabble is 100% the right word to use here – I in fact just decided to carry on knitting a scarf that I’d started when I was about 12 years old…)

My knitting skills are fairly poor, and I’d get really obsessed with knitting but really annoyed by the fact my thumbs and wrists hurt… That being said I did really enjoy knitting, yet I didn’t have the patience to teach myself fancy new methods or patterns, so I now have a really look, really uneven lime green scarf (that’s still attached to the knitting needles).

The conversation on Twitter last night really encouraged me to try more craft-based activities. When I was younger I loved cross-stitching and other sorts of craft or arts based stuff. I like how you are able to focus your attention on something fun and productive, yet at the same time you have enough space in your mind to think things through in a relaxing and calming manner. It’s often said that creative stuff is really good for your well-being. (I’ve said that last point really informally here – but I myself have done some academic research into this!)

I was really excited and happy to see the images and tips people were sharing on Twitter! What was also really nice was people admitting that they wanted to improve their skill level etc. It was a great mix of people who were really good at crochet and then people like me who hadn’t even tried…

But, I’ve been convinced… I may be absolutely awful but when I move into my new flat my mission is to crochet a blanket! (I’ll keep you updated…)