11 ways to combat the crocheting slump
Many of us have been here before. You love crochet, you’re addicted to crochet, but then something happens that squishes the very enjoyment out of this pleasurable hobby of yours.
Crocheting is something you no longer want to do. It has become a chore. Something that’s there, that you could do if you wanted to, but it doesn’t excite you anymore.
Maybe this feeling lasted for a day or two. Maybe it lasted for weeks, months, or even years. Hell, maybe this feeling is now such a far distant memory, that you wonder if you even remember how to crochet anymore.
Get my drift?
It’s happened to me before, and it’s happened to 87% of the crocheters who responded to my recent poll on Instagram (thank you guys, you’re all awesome!).
Who knew? You’re not alone.
This is the first post in a blog series I’ll be publishing on combating the crocheting slump. My goal is to help you reignite your passion for crochet, and help you drag yourself up and out of that crocheting slump of yours.
To start off with, I’m going to outline the 11 ways that will help you combat the crocheting slump. Since there is so much to be said about each particular tip, instead of writing a 20 page essay blog post (which I did start to do *facepalm*), I’ll be following up this post with a blog post on each tip. These posts to follow will allow me to deep dive into each suggestion with more detail and actionable points that will be there and ready to help you when your crocheting motivation is at an all time low.
So stay tuned to find out more, but to kick us off, here are the top 11 ways to help you combat the crocheting slump:
#1 Reflect on what is killing your crochet motivation.
Reflection is such a powerful tool. When you figure out what killed your crocheting motivation in the first place, you are better placed to take action to avoid it happening again in the future. Reflection is a tool to be used. So the first step in being able to kick this crocheting slump is to ask yourself, “What made me lose my motivation to crochet?”.
Once you know the answer, choose the step (or steps!) below that apply most to combating that reason you’ve identified, and you’ll slowly start to regain that crochet passion you once had. It’s a journey, not a race, and all good things worth having take time.
#2 Find your crochet community.
Community is so important. It makes us feel safe, secure, and connected to others with the same interest, in this case, crocheting. It also helps us grow. A good community should help motivate you, inspire you, challenge you, and educate you. And remember, only you can decide whether a particular community is the right fit for you.
From online crocheting communities that can be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Reddit, and Ravelry, to face-to-face crocheting communities (when it’s safe and okay to meet in person again) that you can find in your local area through yarn shops or online at meetup.com - there are so many crocheting communities out there for you to explore. I challenge you to discover a few crocheting communities, connect with some fellow crocheters, and find the community (or multiple communities) that is the best fit for you. If it feels right, it probably is. Just go with your gut.
#3 Listen to your body - if you need a break, take a break.
This may seem counterintuitive, but it is so important that we listen to how our body feels. If we’re really not feeling it - this thing called crocheting - maybe it is time to just take a break? Sometimes it’s better to just leave things to settle, our feelings about crocheting at this moment in time for instance, and come back to it when we’re feeling better. A break can do us wonders, and sometimes it’s better to walk away for a while then to dig ourselves into a deeper hole.
#4 Look for some serious crochet inspiration.
This is one of my personal favourite things to do! I absolutely LOVE looking at what other people have crocheted. Sometimes they are things that make me go, “ah, wow, I want to make that!”, and other times crocheters’ projects render me speechless and I’m simply in awe of the amazing talent and creativity that has gone into a particular piece of work. How can you find crochet inspiration? There’s loads of it online! Try a google news search on crochet, scroll through various crochet hashtags on Instagram, do a crochet inspiration search on Pinterest, or scroll through funny crochet videos on TikTok. Whatever strikes your fancy, I promise you’ll find something you love. You just need to test the waters, and give yourself permission to go down that crochet inspiration rabbit hole. Trust me, it’s well worth it.
#5 Find a crochet pattern that excites you.
What is an item you’ve always wanted to crochet? The answer should be personal to you. It doesn’t matter what someone else thinks you should make. I want you to focus on you.
What is that one item that you’ve always wanted to crochet for yourself? Have a think. You don’t need to know the pattern, just the item. Then I want you to pattern search like no tomorrow, so you can find the pattern of your dreams!
If you’re talented enough to design your own pattern, then just do it - and get designing.
But if you’re like me, and you’re not ready to design yet - start searching far and wide. Search through Pinterest for ‘crochet patterns [insert dream item here]’, Ravelry, Etsy, or scroll through Instagram hashtags like #crochetpatterns. Only you will know when you’ve found it - your dream crochet pattern awaits. Make sure you LOVE it, and do not settle!
Then, get started, no excuses. Order your yarn, and start crocheting away.
Yes, as crocheters, we are often inherently gift givers, and giving gifts does make you feel great, but sometimes you need to take some time out for you, and make something just for you, to help you ignite that motivation for your passion. Give yourself permission to focus on you, and crochet something that you love.
#6 Keep a project diary.
This is what really helped me stay focused, stay on track, and keep my motivation for crocheting alive. For each project I make, I reflect as I go along. I reflect on things that worked well, things I find challenging, new tutorials to help me through, as well as things that didn’t go so well and what I could do better next time if I made the item again. I also keep track of what date I started a project, and when I finished it. This has helped me not only hold myself accountable for my projects, but has encouraged me to keep learning and improving the more I crochet. I couldn’t recommend it more. If you really want to get fancy, there are even some already laid out crochet project journals you can buy online or download for free. I’ll get some examples for you out in the more detailed blog post about this, but if you’re curious, have a google search, or a look on Etsy or Amazon - there are quite a few on there to get you started.
#7 Get hooked on some gorgeous yarn.
You know the feeling when you see a picture of some gorgeous yarn, that you just have to have because it’s beautiful, but you never end up buying it because you don’t know what you’d use it for. My next challenge is coming… The next time this happens, and it will, I dare you to just buy the yarn.
I can hear you thinking from over here, “but what am I going to make with it?”. Who cares! You’ve seen some yarn you love the look of! Grab on to that feeling with two hands and press the ‘buy now’ button.
Then when that yarn arrives. Hold it. Revel in its beauty and how amazing it looks. Be proud that you purchased something you LOVED. You know Marie Kondo’s ‘sparks joy’ movement - well this is a ‘sparks joy’ yarn moment. Embrace it.
Then, of course, work out a project you can use the yarn for. But worry about that later. Just get the yarn, and enjoy that moment. End of story.
#8 Challenge yourself by learning something new.
I love a challenge, and challenging yourself is a great way to regain motivation. If you’ve been doing the same boring stitches, time and time again, and everything is feeling a bit too monotonous for your liking, it’s time to challenge yourself with learning some new crochet techniques. If you normally crochet amigurumi, step outside of your comfort zone and try crocheting a garment, or vice versa. If you crochet homewares, try crocheting a hat instead. If you normally crochet bikinis, why not try crocheting a blanket? You get the gist of it now. Try crocheting something you normally wouldn’t crochet. Challenge yourself. If you don’t fancy doing that, why not challenge yourself by learning some new stitches instead? There are a plethora of crochet stitch dictionaries out there, and countless how-to videos on YouTube of all the crocheting stitches under the sun. Find something that will challenge you, and go for it. Don’t forget, allow yourself to fail. It’s a good thing! It means you’re trying something new. It certainly won’t be boring.
#9 Mix it up! Multiple WIPs never hurt anyone.
This tip is going against the grain for me, but I know it works for some people. I’m personally a one WIP kind of woman, BUT if you’re lacking motivation for crocheting, maybe that isn’t right for you? Maybe you need to mix it up. By mix it up, I mean adding another crochet project or two into the mix so you can switch between them depending on your mood. Don’t feel stuck with the one project you’re working on. This is your hobby, your thing - it should make you happy. So if you don’t feel like working on one particular project, don’t work on it. Crochet another work in progress instead.
#10 Get organised.
Do you love ticking off an item on your to-do list? Do you have so many WIPs you don’t know where to begin? If so, this tip is for you! And if this isn’t you, ah, maybe it should be? (Just saying *shrug*) Getting organised, and figuring out a plan can help you big time, especially when it comes to sparking up that motivation. Break down bigger goals into smaller steps, and write a to-do list. Then tick off each step as you go along. As you see your checklist go down in size, you’ll also feel more motivation to tick yet another item off of your to-do list. Just a word of warning… don’t consistently add too many items to your list, otherwise you may feel extremely overwhelmed. Remember, one thing at a time - we can’t do it all.
#11 Find resources that reignite your passion for crochet, without having to crochet.
Say whaaaaat?
Want to get your crochet motivation back without actually having to crochet?
Sounds strange, huh?
Surprisingly, it isn’t as strange as you think, and it can help you get motivated back into crocheting!
What the hell am I talking about? Well, there are so many ways you can get hooked on crochet, without actually crocheting. Think blogs, books, magazines, videos, documentaries - the list goes on. Get hooked on crochet, without actually hooking, and it may actually spark your interest to pick up your long lost passion again. Just, maybe.
I hope these tips have helped, and if you have any to add to the list I’d absolutely love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment below, or get in touch with me here.
Remember, I’ll be expanding on each of these tips in separate blog posts to follow as part of the ‘Combating the crocheting slump’ series. Each tip has so many avenues yet to be explored, and I can’t wait to share with you all that I know.
A special thank you and mention goes out to my awesome crocheting community on Instagram, that contributed to these tips and shared their own experiences with me. It has helped loads, and I hope it helps to know that I’m not the only person backing these ideas.
Until next time, happy crocheting x
P.S. The happy is there for a reason. It should be a good experience ;)
