by Maria C Collins

Created on: May 04, 2008   Last Updated: July 02, 2010

I learned to crochet with two friends when we were all fifteen. Crochet was very much in fashion at the time. I'm particularly unco-ordinated but with a great deal of patient help from my friends, I eventually, was able to crochet. Our first projects were large granny square afghans, the kind where you crochet around a central square until the afghan is big enough. It took me nearly three years but I eventually ended up with a double bed sized afghan for my bottom drawer and a skill that was to bring me so much joy and comfort in my life.

I find crochet helps in all of life's trials and tribulations. It must be something to do with the gentle rhythmic movement of the hook along the row and seeing the yarn go in one side and the finished stitches coming out of the other. I have crocheted away the sadness when a (too young) early marriage broke up, and crochet helped relieve the worry and anguish when my Mother was very dangerously ill, I crocheted and prayed all night during the crisis of her illness. I have crocheted to unravel tricky problems and to reach decisions and conclusions. I have crocheted away anger and rage, the hook really flies when I'm very angry, but usually I have to pull out a lot of the work, because in my fury, I have made errors. Whenever I am troubled I reach for my hook and yarn. Crochet is better than meditation since not only does it relax the mind so that you can see the way forward clearly, but also you have something to show for your time.

There have been happy times with crochet too. I'm still in touch with one of the friends with whom I learnt to crochet all those years ago. She still crochets, but now she crochets for her grandchildren (where did all those years go?). I used to go and stay with her once a year. We would go and visit a huge knitting and needlework show and buy lots of yarn and patterns. Then we would go back to her house, tired and with sore feet, but very happy, and start on our new projects straight away, companionably crocheting together far into the night talking about this and that, and setting the World to rights. Now, that I live in France, I'm not able to do that any more and I miss those times sorely.

Crochet is a stress reliever, but more than that, it is also a safe way to release anger and negative feelings. It is a way to pass the time when waiting for something. It is also a way to give to pleasure to others, since most crocheters rarely crochet for themselves but give away what they make. Crochet has been my safety valve, so many times but, most of all, crochet has not only enriched an old, and much treasured, friendship but has also enabled me to make new friends, who are from all over the World, courtesy of the internet. Crochet has truly brought me so many things.

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