Can crocheting be addictive?

Dear users, dear authors,
what do you think about this? I certainly don’t want to downplay any real-life addiction issues. This question appears on Google when you search for crochet topics, so I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

If in doubt, please join the Crazypatterns crafting group. There you’ll find like-minded people. 

Well, I do think it has a certain addictive quality.

I mean, when you consider that I can’t go anywhere without taking at least 2 balls of yarn and 4 different crochet hooks with me.
If I don’t, I get nervous… so crocheting just totally relaxes me. Without crocheting, I get bored, and besides, it lets me express my own unique creativity 100%.


So I think it can actually become an addiction, just like coffee and sugar.

Best regards, 

I think so, too.

We’ve all been there… Sitting on the couch in the evening. It’s 11 p.m. and you should be in bed. But “just one more row” and “one more row” and “I can just quickly finish the head now.” And “those two ears will be done in a flash, too.” And before you know it, it’s 2 a.m. and you’re in a panic because your alarm is going off in 4 hours.

Admit it—that’s happened to you too, hasn’t it? :) 

Yessss, dear Tina. I know that feeling too. But this is an addiction that has positive effects on my well-being.
That said, knitting, sewing, crafting, photography… all of these trigger similar feelings of happiness in me.

Probably because crafts have such a relaxing effect, they’re also used as occupational therapy in mental health or psychiatric clinics. That makes sense, too. It simply helps you find peace—because you can’t focus on the stitches and mull over problems in your head at the same time.

Love, Ina

Definitely YES
It’s like a vacation from everyday life
Your mind is free and can flow beautifully.
It’s like dreaming and being creative at the same time

That’s exactly right!

Yes, but it’s usually a positive kind of addiction. “Just one more row”—I don’t know how many times I’ve thought that. 

I need my crochet supplies on bus or train rides that last longer than 15 minutes.
It’s a kind of “stimming” for me—it helps me, as someone on the autism spectrum, get through the trips somewhat more easily.

At home, I reach for my yarn and hook every now and then. 

Hi,
I can’t go without it either (even on long car rides)—though that goes for knitting now, too 😇. The only downside is that since I’m currently working with 2–3 colors a lot, it’s too much of a hassle to bring everything along.
So I usually have a single-color project (with a simple pattern) on hand as a side project—that’s just how the UFOs pile up 😲