Crafts: Recreation or addiction

I do a lot of crafts, hence I decided to start this blog to write about them, also to write about whatever else seems interesting to me.


I like crafts, all kinds of crafts: from knitting and crochet to sewing and woodwork, some I know, some I would like to learn. And every one I know say something like: “Ohh, I wish I could sew like that!” And it all seems so good, so beautiful, so healthy… I say healthy because it is considered a good way to spend your time, compared to watching reality shows on telly, reading gossip magazines, eating or drinking; Also you keep your mind working, and you don’t need the weather to be good to do it!

Yes, it is all so nice, every one sees me as such a good girl who stays home knitting instead of going out drinking, but is it really?

The four stages of addiction:

Stage 1. Experimental Stage of Addiction

One day shopping the groceries, my boyfriend when to do his lotto and while I waited I went into this small book shop, and there it was, a book about loom knitting, with its loom and a ball of yarn to make your first project: a scarf. It looked so nice that I thought: why not? And then I bought it. As soon as I got home I opened my new toy and started loom knitting, it was great, to relaxing, even therapeutic. But then that first ball of yarn did not last more than an afternoon, I wanted more, and with more options, so I started looking for more information and came across with knitting with actual knitting needles, and all the options, all the things you can do with knitting needles! Hence I got my first pair and chose a project, so went to the LYS (LYS is a knitting term, it means: local yarn shop) and it was amazing, I was surrounded by beautiful things, beautiful colours, and there, unlike in a museum, you can touch, and oh the textures, soft, warm, fresh, the smell of the new balls of yarn, like the smell of new toys on Christmas, it was magic. With a lot of will power I managed to buy only yarn for the project I had planned and then, it started…

Stage 2. The Recreational Stage of Addiction

I kept on doing my knitting, always finding solace on it, and keeping my hands busy they were not free to hold my biscuit and tea (since they could get my new shiny yarn dirty!) hence I even started to loose weight! It was a lovely way to spend the evenings…

Stage 3. The Early Dependency Stage

It was so good, that I started bringing my knitting to work; I would knit on the bus during stuck on traffic, at my lunch hour, and every evening. But still, my knitting project was not progressing fast enough, I needed more time to knit, hence I started skipping the gym every once in a while, eating from a tin of tuna or beans instead of spending time making dinner, it was taking too long to cook, I could knit 10 or 20 rows in the time it took to cook, I could not miss on that!

Stage 4. The Full Dependency Stage

The only good thing were the weekends, oh yes, the weekends, did not have to go to work! I started getting up at 7 am on Saturdays and Sundays just so I could start knitting earlier, no time to brush my teeth or take a shower, I had to knit more, no time to cook either, would just order something already made, no need to change into day clothes, my pyjamas were fine and comfy, not smelling very nice anymore, but who cares about the smell, I was knitting, knitting, haaaaaa hahahahaha, knittiiiiiiinnnnng!! I was spending all my money on yarn, they were so expensive but I had to buy them, my stash was growing, I needed more time to knit all the yarn I had been buying! And then, the cycle would start again.

Withdrawal symptoms

Yes, my house was dirty, I was smelly, messy hair, bad breath, wearing pyjamas and eating take away, but I forgot to mention: I live with my boyfriend! So I started worrying when I saw his armpits smelt better than mine, and then I touched bottom…

I started trying to take time to clean the house, clean my self, and having a better diet, it was horrible, my hands were shaky, I thought of buying waterproof yarn to be able to take my knitting into the shower.

I was clean again, my hair done, went back to the gym and to eating healthy, but still, felt that there was a hole in my soul (yes, like in the song of Aerosmith).

Now I am rehabilitated, I knit with moderation, I am a social knitter (antisocial knitter actually), still, I think there should be rehabilitation centre for knitting junkies, maybe I should found one and become a millionaire...