Crafts Among Friends and Family: Is There Acceptance?

Dear users, dear authors,
how do the people around you feel about your hobby?

Oh, in our family, it’s a craze that’s even caught on with young adult men (24)—he got himself one of those rectangular *knitting frames and is now knitting a matching pillow for the shirt quilt I sewed for him years ago. The two youngest grandchildren are sewing; the girl (9) is now learning to crochet from her mom and has a penguin in the works. Our family has always done a lot of crafts—embroidery, knitting, crocheting, and sewing. My husband really supports me and my hobby, too.

I’m also happy to have a husband who shares my enthusiasm for my hobby and everything that comes out of it. I often knit together with my neighbor and friend. My son and his family are very grateful and really appreciate everything I knit for my granddaughters. That, of course, makes it twice as enjoyable. And my friend is always happy when she receives a knitted or crocheted gift. 

Well, the people around me react positively to my hobby. I always show my mom what I’ve finished, and she then shows it to her friends when they get together. Everyone admires it, and then I end up having to crochet this or that one more time to give as a gift.
Recently, I crocheted a lucky pig for my son’s colleague and sent it to her (she was in quarantine); she was so happy about it that she sent me a little package of German treats as a thank-you. That really makes it enjoyable.

A lot of people also ask me if I even have room left for all the figures (I mostly crochet small figures—otherwise there wouldn’t be any room left) :-)

Right now, I’m working on some beadwork in between other projects; the finished pieces don’t take up much space, but all the materials for them do.

My husband has several hobbies of his own, and we share our hobbies with each other. We ask each other for suggestions on how to improve our work.

In my circle, most people like my crafts; they even ask me every now and then if I’ll make something special for them—for a birthday, for example... But we don’t do crafts together. I probably wouldn’t get much done anyway—I get distracted way too easily.

My friends often ask me if I can knit something for them. My family tends to laugh it off. But I don’t care. For me, it’s a way to relax, and that’s what matters

Only my husband and my daughter know that I do needlework.
My husband helps me come up with ideas. And my grandchildren enjoy the doll clothes I make.
I wanted to give the next doll outfit to the kindergarten. Unfortunately, that’s not possible at the moment.