Disadvantages of Crafting

Dear users, dear authors,
from your perspective, are there any disadvantages to crafting?
Let me know.

You can discuss the benefits of crafting here:
Fun factors in crafting?

I just love crafting. It’s such a great way to relax, and you end up creating something wonderful and new. The only downside I see is the sheer lack of space I end up with—whether it’s because of all the yarn I’ve accumulated or the finished projects I make with it. I don’t even know where to put it all anymore—I only have a small apartment. But soon my boy is joining the Austrian Armed Forces—heh heh… Then I’ll have another room to use!

Well, you can find downsides anywhere if you look hard enough.

When it comes to crafting, it might be the time factor.
If you need something “quickly,” it’s usually already too late to make it yourself.

Depending on WHAT you’re making, it’s also a financial consideration.
For example, I’m currently crocheting a motif blanket. (A motif from a video game)
In total, I’m spending over 100 € on yarn, and I don’t even want to calculate the hours it’s taking me...
But I always say: Why should I buy something ready-made for 20 € when I can make it myself for five times that price in hundreds of hours? ;)

Another point that comes to mind is how it’s perceived.
It doesn’t really matter what others think... But many people do get made fun of for this hobby.
It’s seen as a “granny hobby,” totally “unnecessary”...
Luckily, we’re all helping to improve that image with our amazing creations :)

There are certainly other points...
But I couldn’t care less about them (just like the ones I mentioned) :)
I’m happy with it, and that’s what matters.

But I always say: Why should I buy something ready-made for €20 when I can make it myself for five times that price in hundreds of hours? ;)

Brilliant ;-)

One downside might actually be that you do invest money, but that probably doesn’t mean you buy any fewer clothes. What annoys me more (well, “annoys” is relative) is that it’s not a hobby where you get much exercise. But I don’t really like crocheting on the cross-trainer either ;-)

The only disadvantages I can think of are:

• It costs time and money.
• It takes space for yarn and spreading out creatively, and that space is sometimes limited.
• It takes understanding from the family when balls of yarn and fuzz are lying around everywhere.

However, the many advantages outweigh that, so I’m happy to accept it. These days I don’t buy ready-made woolen items anymore. I’d rather invest the money in yarn and design the clothes myself. Just like Krea_Tina’s motto: "Why should I buy something ready-made for €20 when I can make it myself for five times the price in hundreds of hours? ;) "

Absolutely brilliant!

• Not enough hands
  At least lately, I’ve been feeling that my hands simply aren’t enough for all my ideas.
• Expensive
  Especially if you’re not working with cheap yarn from the bargain bin.
  My tablecloth—which I’ll probably start in about 100 years—has material costs of €100.

@ Tina
Great quote — I completely agree with you. :-)

For me, the biggest disadvantage is also an advantage.
Every piece looks different despite being made the same way; sometimes that can be pretty annoying. On the other hand, a handmade piece is one of a kind and something special.
As many have already mentioned, space is a problem; for me, it’s more about tidiness. There too, I’ve turned the disadvantage into an advantage: “If you keep things tidy, you’re just too lazy to look for them.”

As with any hobby, the rule is: Too much of a good thing isn’t healthy!

How true, Ruth! The same goes for the yarn stash and the projects swirling around in your head!

... there are just no hands free for household chores ^^

Personally, I can’t really find any downsides...

—All hobbies cost money, some more, some less

—The same goes for the time it takes

—I don’t have less time for family or friends because of it; I make time for them

—Whether others call it a “grandma hobby” or something similar doesn’t bother me at all, because where else, if not here, can we be convinced of the complete opposite? Crafting is booming, and I hope it lasts forever^^

Okay, there is one tiny downside to the whole thing → I lose track of time and space, and because of that, I’ve burned my food a few times, “overlooked” the housework, or ignored the phone on multiple occasions ← If I have to count, I have to count^^

With that in mind, I wish you all lots of creative ideas and fun putting them into practice :-)

Claudia

Ah, Claudia, that’s a good one... I regularly “overlook” the housework too... hehe.

@ Tina: That quote is brilliant and fits so well.

@ Petra: It’s good to know I’m not the only one who thinks that way.

Every hobby has its pros and cons and costs money. That’s just how it is.
Still, I have to say that when I’m shopping for yarn, I really have to be careful to stick to my tight budget. That’s when common sense often kicks in and says, “That wasn’t in the budget for this month.” But of course, common sense falls by the wayside now and then ... as so often in life.

Too much of anything isn’t healthy, so I always have to take breaks—which is, of course, super hard with such a great hobby—and then it’s easy to end up learning the hard way.

Things always look a little chaotic at my place. My living room is also my workspace. I’m totally fine with that (after all, it’s called a “living” room, and if I’m living there, you can definitely tell), but when guests come over, my guilty conscience kicks in.

Then there’s another important point: a lot of people like my stuff. That’s actually an advantage, but I end up giving things away and therefore hardly have anything left for myself. Even if it really (!) was meant for me ...

Best regards, Marlies

It takes up so much time that there’s no time left for vacuuming.

I don’t see any downsides to crafting. I grew up knitting, and I taught myself to crochet with what I still remembered from elementary school.

There are some people here who think I’d be bored because I do crafts, while others think what I make is really cool.

My daughter makes the most requests—she asks me three weeks in advance whether I’ll still have enough time to crochet gifts.

I don’t stress myself out either—if I don’t get around to crafting sometimes, then that’s just how it is; then I’ll be ironing or something.

My kids know sayings like, “I can’t right now, I’m busy with my yarn,” or “Just let me finish this row quickly, then I can help.”

Well, I’ve moved to a new city, and working through my many crochet patterns definitely isn’t going to help me make new friends. And the prospects for a new relationship are pretty slim.
But I’d rather have a great hobby than a bad relationship... Unless my partner crochets too: :-)

Well, I have to say, crocheting is truly by far the most dreadful and harmful hobby I have ever had!!

1) Every free minute I sit surrounded by my yarn stash and try out new patterns and shapes

2) Even when I actually don’t have a free minute (meaning I’m at work), I spend the whole time thinking about patterns, shapes, and yarn!

3) I have no dining room anymore! - That’s where all my “photo stuff” is now (props, backgrounds, etc.).

4) Even though my couch is actually oversized, I usually find hardly any free spot left - there are half-finished projects everywhere, or stacks of balls of yarn in different colors for the next project

5) Because of the lack of couch space and missing dining room, I can’t have guests over anymore!

7) Even on my PC there are pictures saved all over the place of things I want to crochet someday “when I have time” 

8) It’s not just my 2 (!!!) yarn cabinets that are slowly but surely overflowing. No! The other day I even found yarn in the linen closet!

9) I can’t go on a single peaceful stroll through town anymore without coming home with an empty wallet and a full yarn bag.

10) Even craft stores and hardware stores aren’t safe from me anymore!

11) And then there’s always that feeling that you won’t manage, not even in 100 years, to finish all the projects on the to-do list!

So girls (and boys), let this be a warning to you! 

................. HOWEVER, the freedom in this hobby is simply the best part! Nobody tells me what I have to do and when. I decide completely on my own and only do what I feel like doing. 
And I get to be as creative and individual as I want - a wonderful contrast to my job at the bank! ;-) I enjoy it to the fullest, having my little creative refuge here - my little colorful oasis with cute little animals and wonderfully soft yarn ;-)

So, I hope you read my list of many “disadvantages” with the same wink it was written with, and happily keep wielding your crochet hooks and knitting needles :-D

I’ve found another disadvantage—which, depending on the situation, can also be an advantage:

It’s hard to eat with knitting needles or crochet hooks in your hands.

Another downside: I’m not taken seriously!
When asked what I want for my birthday, I replied, “A gift card from the yarn shop!”
But no matter who I give that answer to, the reaction is always the same.
They always say, “Why don’t you wish for something real!” or “Don’t you have another wish?”
If I now have to let others dictate what I should wish for, I wonder why they even ask in the first place.
It’s my hobby, after all, and yarn can be expensive....
Other than that, I’m perfectly happy.