☞ Question of the Week: What do the people around you think of your passion for handcrafts?

Dear users and authors,
how do the people around you react to your crafting, your stash of yarn, and the constant clacking of needles while you watch TV?
Are the reactions mixed or consistently positive?

Well, in my case, the reaction is actually always positive. Yes, I do get the occasional sideways glance now and then, but I’ve never taken those as negative—rather, I’ve just brushed them off as “poor, uninformed soul.”

Our yarn stash—especially the scrap box—is used enthusiastically by the whole family. It’s freely available to everyone, and whether we need to quickly build a trap (currently for zombies at the playground), tie up the blackberries outside again, or even if my husband needs something to tie something together—we always find what we need in the scrap box.

As for the constant clatter, I don’t really have that with my crochet hook, and when I do knit, I only use wooden needles.

But even so, I tend to be supported at home and among my friends, and I always try to return the favor—whether by helping out with crocheting or, in the really tough cases where someone just can’t seem to learn, by giving them a little crocheted something.

Since there are only two of us in the household at the moment, there’s only one person I have to deal with in that respect—my boyfriend.

He’s just annoyed by my massive amounts of yarn and by the fact that, despite my constant crocheting, the pile seems to be growing rather than shrinking ;) As someone who doesn’t do crafts, he just doesn’t understand that you can’t just use any old yarn—you have to buy more for every project.
Fortunately, crocheting doesn’t make any noise, so the only other point of contention is the light in the evening when the TV is on.

To accommodate him a little, I’ve been crocheting more thick scarves and hats out of chunky yarn and leftover yarn (using double or triple strands) over the last few weeks, so the yarn mountain is getting smaller (and I have room for new yarn ;))

The rest of my “circle” likes the hobby—they benefit from free hats and scarves. If any of them see discounted yarn somewhere, they think of me in return and bring it to me (much to my boyfriend’s chagrin).

Dear Tina,

that really made me laugh out loud. There weren’t always four of us. A long time ago, it was just the two of us, and you really described my situation back then.

My husband (who was my boyfriend back then) and I made some compromises. Only the yarn I’m currently working on is left out; everything else gets put away (you wouldn’t believe where we manage to store it all without any extra space).
And as for the light, I have my own lamp, and a fabric bag hangs over it so it doesn’t blind him—since he got me an extra-bright light so I can see clearly. I’ve been meaning to crochet something pretty for the floor lamp for quite a while now, but something always comes up.

So eventually he got so used to it that it now seems strange to him when there aren’t any craft projects lying around on the sofa and the living room table.

Actually, nobody has a problem with it—

except for the fact that, lately, my stuffing has also been stored in the pantry (I don’t know if that’s what you call it in Germany?... a room where food supplies are kept). Right in there among the pasta, jam, etc.... I’ve already been told: “That’s not for eating!”

We don’t have the sound of needles clacking next to the TV here: I do everything in my study, since I don’t watch TV… and anyway, I’m usually crocheting :-)

Most of the yarn is well hidden, and if I ever come back from shopping without any yarn, I get a raised eyebrow, as if to say, “Did something happen today?”

It’s only when I sit at the computer a little longer or talk on the phone with a friend who owns a craft store that my husband gets nervous. Like yesterday, when I had to pass on her warm regards to him—instead of a “thank you,” he immediately asked, “What did you buy?” After I answered, he said he was going to figure out how much it would cost to convert the attic so I could set up shelves for my yarn....

So everything’s pretty normal, right?

Well, my family is fully behind me. My husband does everything he can to make things easier for me. He builds shelves and cabinets for my yarn stash or works with me to figure out how we can store the yarn in the smallest possible space. My kids are always coming to me with great ideas and sometimes even have good suggestions for improvements :)
So all in all, I’m super happy that my family is so accepting of my work.

Whenever possible, I don’t talk to anyone about my crafting, because it’s always judged negatively or dismissed as childish. But since I live alone and don’t feel much need to talk about it, it doesn’t bother me much ;-).

In my case, my passion is actually well received. Many people are delighted by the items I’ve made when I proudly show them off. I often find someone who’s happy to take one. And all the yarn scattered throughout the house brings a smile to their faces … that’s just how I am. Quite the opposite: when I don’t have a needle in my hand, everyone watches me very strangely and very closely, because then something isn’t right in my little world. 

At my house, everyone’s used to it—my mom even weaves in the ends for me while I’m already working on the next project ;). And every now and then, my mom and brother ask things like, “Couldn’t you make this or that sometime?”

My 14-year-old cousin even asked me recently if I could please crochet him something for Christmas again—it was really sweet.

And when you consider that my parents’ living room and the basement are full of yarn and stuffing, you can only say, yes, they’re doing just fine with it ;)

At our house, the yarn I’m not currently using is stored in a large chest in the bedroom (and in boxes under the bed and next to the closet); there are also two large bags in the basement, and I’ve gotten into the habit of leaving only the project I’m currently working on in the living room.
Right now, my husband isn’t too happy about my hobby (“You don’t do anything else but crochet anymore…”)
, but he actually accepts it pretty well. If something turns out nice, he’ll tell me so, but he’s also open and honest when he doesn’t like something (even though I’m sooo good at handling criticism;) ...)
Our son doesn’t really care either way (he’s 17 and has his own things on his mind), and our daughter would love to hoard everything Mom has made, whether it’s an amigurumi or a piece of clothing. So I’d say it’s a mixed bag. As long as I don’t go overboard, everything’s fine. But crocheting is just so addictive, and before you’ve even finished one piece, you’ve already got the next project in mind.... you know how it is.....

Everyone knows me only ever with various needles and yarn in my hands. ;-)
And they definitely take it positively that they get a finished product every now and then.
My mom, who taught me my first stitches as a child, admires that I can make such beautiful things. She always says she can’t do anything besides knit stitches and purl stitches anymore. ;-)

Good morning!

I’ve always been into crafts and needlework.
Many of my friends and acquaintances don’t know me any other way.
And almost all of them have benefited from it at some point (whether I’ve made school cones for their kids or sewn, crocheted, or embroidered something...).
At home, of course, there are mountains of yarn and fabric that can’t all be stowed away in the study—I always keep yarn and needles within easy reach, and there’s a whole corner of the living room next to my spot on the couch where there’s also loooads of crochet stuff.

My family doesn’t know it any other way; the kids just accept it as is and sometimes even place orders for what they want me to make.
My husband loves my crafts and doesn’t mind the yarn and such lying around…
The only thing that makes him roll his eyes is when I sit at the computer in the evening writing patterns…he’d rather have me sitting next to him on the sofa, needles in hand :)
After all, the workday is over in the evening *laughs*—even though, of course, almost all my needlework is “work,” since I’m usually working on items for the (Christmas) market or new patterns.

Love, Nina