Mindfulness and Mental Health Benefits of Crochet | Podcast Episode #59

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Why do you crochet?

Perhaps you use crochet as a creative outlet. Maybe you use crochet as a way to unwind after a long hard day. What if I told you that you can use crochet to help you achieve even more? If you enjoy this craft, there’s no doubt you experience joy and accomplishment but this episode challenges us to dig deeper and explore the internal benefits of crochet.

Special Guest

I’m joined by, Sandra, also known as Mobius Girl and she’s here to share how we can use knit and crochet as a way to meditate, be in the present, and train ourselves to maintain focus on tasks. This was an “ah-ha” moment for me – realizing that I could use crochet as a way to train myself to maintain focus.

Episode Transcript

Brittany:
Welcome to episode number 59 of the Be Hooked Podcast. I have a question for you today. When was the last time you said those words? It’s just one of those days. What if I told you that today’s episode just might actually help you the next time you find yourself saying it’s just one of those days?

I don’t know about you, but I often turn to my craft as a way to relax and unwind and be creative. And I don’t think it’s too risky for me to assume that you do it for the same reasons. We know this. This isn’t something that’s news to us, right? But the one thing that I really got out of my talk with my guest here today is that we can use our craft to help us not have one of those days.

We can use crochet and knit or whatever hobby that you pursue. You can use that as a way to train yourself to stay focused, to be in the present, to not be judgmental about your performance. And by the end of the show today, you’re going to see how we can actually turn our hobby into a way to reduce the amount of time that we find ourselves saying it’s just one of those days.

It’s totally normal for us to feel frazzled. I feel like I probably am all over the place at any given moment. But the one important thing is that I’ve realized that I have do this. And I actively try to improve, not necessarily in a judgmental kind of sense, but in a way that I recognize that there are ways that I could do better. And that’s how I’m always moving that needle forward.

And I find it really, really interesting that we can practice our craft and our hobby and we can improve kind of our mental state, if you will. For me, I have a lot of difficulty staying focused on one task. And so I’ve turned to things like meditation to try to help me with that. But I didn’t realize until I talked with Sandra that that I could also use crochet and use knit as a way to train my brain to stay focused and not jump around from topic to topic or thought to thought.

And because of this grand realization, I’m so excited to share this topic with you today because I hope that you kind of have that same aha moment that I did.

Well, before we get into today’s show, I want to take a quick moment to thank our sponsor once again, Yarnspirations. As you know, Yarnspirations is the online destination for inspiration and the yarns you love. The yarn that I use pretty much every day for pretty much every single project and you as a listener can save some money when you make a purchase from their website.

So all you have to do is go to yarnspirations.com, find all the yarny goodness that you want, put it in your cart, and you can save 20% off your order just because you’re listening to today’s show. You can save 20% off your order of $40 or more. All you have to do is insert the coupon code BHOOKEDPOD at checkout. That’s B-H-O-O-K-E-D-P-O-D.

Also, Sandra and I mentioned a couple of resources. She has this amazing book that she’s just come out with. You’ll find the link to that book as well as some other resources we talk about on the show notes page. You can access the show notes this week at behookedcrochet.com slash session059. It’s also a really great place for you to ask any questions that you might have or continue the conversation right there at the bottom of that page. That comment section is for you. And yes, I do actually read all of the comments that come in and participate as much as I possibly can.

Sandra is also known as mobiusgirl on Instagram, and if you spend any time on Instagram, I can almost guarantee that you have seen some of her posts. Actually, if you follow me on Instagram, I can guarantee that you’ve seen some of her designs because I have shared her a few times on Fan Friday. She is a powerhouse with color work, with mandalas, and I was so pleasantly surprised to find out that she is a real expert in our topic today.

Sandra, hey! Welcome to the Be Hooked Podcast. Thanks so much.

Sandra: 6:26
It’s so great to be here.

Brittany:
It’s a real pleasure to have you, and I’m really excited about our topic today because, well, as you know, the Craft Yarn Council… build a movement around the Stitch Away Stress campaign. And so I really wanted to align a lot of my content for April that aligns with that because crochet and knitting is such a healing process, such a therapeutic process for a lot of people. And I’ll be honest, there’s not a lot of people out there who will talk about this or who can talk about this.

So I’m really excited to have you and excited for what you can share on this topic with the listeners. But before we get into any of that, I’m really curious to learn more about your journey. Now I met you on Instagram and we’ve kind of fostered a relationship and other than that I don’t know a whole lot about you so I’m really curious to hear first of all how you started crocheting.

Sandra: 6:26
Absolutely. I first learned how to crochet probably about a decade ago. It was just after the birth of my son and I like to joke sometimes that my crafty gene got turned on after I had kids. I didn’t have much interest before then. But I asked my mom to sit down and teach me some of her many craft skills. She’s a crocheter, a knitter, a sewer.

And I tried to go with knitting first because that seemed like the most popular craft, I guess. Yeah. But I just was not able to wield two needles at the same time. That was just too much for my brain. But as soon as I tried crochet, it was something that really clicked for me.

And so I started off making lots of little amigurumi toys for my son, made a whole like crochet dim sum set. And then after that, I kind of dropped it for a while. I had gotten busy in my life. At the time, I was also in graduate school. And so I got away from crochet for a little bit. And then after the birth of my second child, five years ago, I had more time on my hands and kind of found that as my re-entry point.

Brittany: 7:40
Oh, that’s really cool. We have a similar startup story there too. I thought that knitting was going to be easier because you had two needles. For me, it just, it seemed natural that it would be easier, but I did not do very well in those early days and actually gave it up and went over to crochet and it really clicked for me too.

So it’s cool whenever I hear stories about people who started the same way and it makes me feel like I’m not the only one who wasn’t able to wrangle two needles at the same time in the early days absolutely so that’s neat how well it sounds like initially you were crocheting more more or less as a hobby when did it transform into something that was more business or career focused for you?

Sandra: 8:27
It’s really just been in the past two or three years that it’s become much more um business focused for me. I had some opportunities come my way through social media um that were hard to turn down, some offers of contributing some patterns to a book, and then later on an offer to write my own book. And that’s where the process of book designing and turning it into more of a business really took off for me.

Brittany: 8:54
Oh, that’s neat. I definitely want to get into that a little bit too. I’m curious though, where did your name come from? So you’re known as Mobius Girl on Instagram. So where did that name develop?

Sandra: 9:05
To be honest, I had my Instagram account years before I started, you know, really getting back into crochet. And it was just the first random thing that popped into my head. I have a background in, actually in physics and in math.

Brittany: 9:19
Oh, cool.

Sandra: 9:19
And the Mobius strip, you know, is this very unique surface that has only one side to it, right? And so I like the sort of geometry of it. I think Mobius was taken at the time, so I just tacked on Mobius girl, and then it just kind of stuck.

Brittany: 9:38
Oh yeah, that’s really cool because for me, the things that really, really stuck out to me when seeing your work online, well, first of all, you kind of have your own signature. You can just look at a picture, not see your name attached to it and know that it’s your photo.

And it’s cool learning that little tidbit behind the scenes because you do a lot of mandalas. And like you said, they are pretty much one-sided. So the pattern is really gorgeous on the one side but it incorporates amazing design and color work and interlocking crochet. I mean, it seriously is goals for a lot of people to be able to create some of the things that you create.

And knowing that you’re designing them too, it kind of just blows my mind a little bit. I mean, it’s It’s one thing to follow somebody else’s pattern when you’re working with so many different techniques, but it’s another thing to look at some kind of shape or inspiration and turn that into crochet. And I know that that has to be some of the reason for your success there on social and now with writing the book.

So tell me a little bit about that. The book, how did that develop for you? And what are some of the projects and things that people can expect when they get that book?

Sandra: 10:59
Sure. So the book is called Crochet Kaleidoscope. It was published by Interweave at the end of January. That’s a relatively new book. And it really grew out of a previous collaboration that I had with Interweave for the book Modern Crochet Mandalas.

So I had contributed 20 patterns to that book. And then my editor circled back and asked if I had wanted to contribute or to write my own book. And they had really pitched the idea to me initially as wanting to build a sort of dictionary of motifs.

So the book consists of 100 different motif patterns. Most are small, so they’re anywhere from usually about four to eight rounds. And the idea then is that you can join the motifs to make any kinds of patterns that you really want to. More common ones are things like blankets and shawls.

There are five projects in the book. There’s a blanket, a table runner, a rug that I made using t-shirt yarn. There’s a shawl and then also a cushion that has two different sides using two different forms of the same motif.

Brittany: 12:14
Yeah, that’s so cool. I’ve actually had the pleasure to look through the book and it’s amazing. The work that has gone into that, it really just kind of blows my mind. You said there are a hundred different motifs. How long did it take you to prepare for this book?

Sandra: 12:30
Well, when I was approached to write the book, I was given a deadline of six months. So it was kind of a process of crocheting during every spare moment that I had. I had a lot of late nights, you know, trying to put patterns together.

So I look back and I’m kind of amazed that I was able to finish all of that, including designing the 100 motifs and making all of the projects in six months time. But, you know, in all honesty, I probably could have stretched out the process a lot longer and maybe come up with a very similar outcome.

Brittany: 13:05
Well, obviously it has to be, your crochet has to be a therapeutic process for you. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have been able to make it through those deadlines and the stress that I’m sure was associated with that. So can you tell me a little bit about why you feel crochet is so important to you in that sense, like a healing kind of sense?

Sandra: 13:30
Yeah, I think, you know… Crochet as a healing process is something that I hear so many people talking about, and it was helpful for this interview to kind of try to take a step back and think a little bit more about some of the specifics of that. Why is it really a healing process for people?

And I think for me, personally, there’s probably a couple of different components to it. I think with crochet, there’s such a ritual to it for me. So there’s a certain place where I crochet. There’s, you know, I’m sort of surrounded by my yarn and my hooks. So the space itself has sort of soothing qualities to it.

And then at the same time, you know, as I’m crocheting, I’m usually, you know, drinking a cup of hot coffee or hot tea, which is soothing. I’m listening to music or whatever, or a podcast, you know, also which are soothing.

And in general, I think crochet really forces me to slow down. It’s such a counterpoint to, you know, what can be the very kind of hectic pace of life. And, you know, in that way, it’s sort of a built-in form of meditation or a built-in form of, again, just kind of slowing down, becoming more mindful and letting some of the other concerns and worries kind of fall away.

Brittany: 14:49
Yeah, that’s so true. It’s really interesting that I have been really focused on meditation in the past like three months or so. I know that it’s something that a lot of people use and a lot of successful people use as well.

And I got to thinking that there’s got to be a reason why so many people and so many successful people employ meditation in their morning routine or just their regular daily routine. And when you’re studying about meditation, mindfulness and being in the moment or being present in the moment, those are two things that constantly come up.

And I love how you’re able to associate crochet with those two fundamentals of meditation. It’s really neat how it really does keep you in that present moment because you’re kind of focused on what you’re doing and you’re being mindful of the process.

Sandra: 15:47
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think, you know, a lot of people talk about sort of the joys of doing mindless crochet, by which I think they mean, you know, the really simple patterns where you don’t have to think too much or you don’t have to count or focus.

And I really like to see those kinds of patterns as challenges to be more mindful. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but in my day job, I work as a psychologist. And so part of that process is teaching people the basics of mindfulness meditation, or at least for those who are interested.

And a lot of people tend to struggle with sort of a traditional sitting meditation. You know, they get kind of antsy or agitated and then they drop it, you know, because the starting process can be pretty difficult.

And I think something like crochet or knitting or even any other kind of crafting can take on meditative properties for people in a way that is a lot easier than just trying to sit and meditate.

Brittany: 16:51
Yeah. It seems like, well, practicing sitting meditation, because that’s something, that is something that I’m trying. I’ve actually got this device. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. It’s called the Muse.

And that little, it’s like a little headband you wear around, it kind of goes around the back of your ears and over your forehead. And it’s, it basically reads your brain activity and it gives you an instant feedback. So it’s a device that syncs up with your phone.

You listen to head buds or have earbuds in when you’re actually doing the meditation. And as it’s pulling the data, it’s giving you feedback, like audio type of feedback. So if your brain is really active or your mind is really active and you’re thinking about all kinds of things, then… the sounds that you’re hearing are intense weather.

So you hear lots of wind or crashing waves if you’re listening. They have a couple of different themes. You can do like an ocean theme. And in that case, you hear lots of wind, lots of crashing waves.

And when your mind starts to settle, you hear just more pleasant sounds. Maybe you’ll just hear the water run and trickle a little bit, but you also hear birds. So the birds chirping is kind of like you’re cue that you are really focused on your breathing and really focused on your meditation practice.

And I mean honestly without this device I could not I tried meditation but I didn’t really feel like it was working because I didn’t have any feedback or any gratification and I imagine the reason why people use crochet as a meditative activity is because they get that gratification at the end so they’ve sat there and they’ve And they’ve stayed focused on their project.

And at the end, they have something that they can either gift or wear.

Sandra: 18:47
Yeah, I would agree. I think that there’s something about the tactile quality of crochet that really aids or contributes, again, to being able to stay focused in a way that’s different. You know, that you can involve a lot more of your senses.

So not just… you know, trying to focus inward as in mindfulness meditation, but really, you know, taking in visual qualities of crochet, the tactile qualities, you know, even the sound of the hook moving through the yarn can create, you know, sort of these repetitive patterns.

And, you know, I think our brains really crave repetition and kind of can settle into a much more peaceful rhythm. The device that you were describing sounds really cool. I mean, it sounds like a neurofeedback kind of device maybe. Yeah.

Yeah, I think having that feedback, having that sort of tangible outcome can definitely make something like crochet a much more easy meditative process to stick with.

Brittany: 19:52
How does somebody know that they’re kind of in a meditative state when they’re crocheting? Is that something that just happens naturally or is it something that you have to consciously think about?

Sandra: 20:02
I think it’s less conscious thought and more about focus. So, for example, when I teach about mindfulness meditation, the very basic definition of it is that it’s paying attention in the present moment without judgment.

And for lots of us, that last piece is really hard, the without judgment. And I think crochet can help with that, too. you know, once you’re able to sort of let go of, oh, my stitches don’t look quite right or these colors aren’t working out the way that I’m wanting them to.

They’re like cues, you know, to help us sort of focus in on, again, on the present moment. And so how do you know when you’re in that state? I think of it like the more that you try to get there, probably the harder it is to achieve it.

Brittany: 20:54
Yeah.

Sandra: 20:54
I think there are these myths about meditation too, that, you know, when you’re in this meditative state, you know, your mind is free of thoughts. You’re perfectly at peace.

And really what I teach people is that meditation is so much more about being able to come back, you know, because our minds wander constantly built that way. But the more that we can notice that we’re wandering and then bring ourselves back, the more that we can achieve that state of mindfulness.

And so, yeah, I think of it much more, From a—

Brittany: 21:27
standpoint of focus. with crochet because we do have those natural tendencies to judge our tension. Maybe our stitches aren’t perfect or like you said, maybe the colors aren’t working out.

So that’s good to know those things and to know that that is kind of a form of judgment that really takes you out of the benefits of crocheting. Exactly. What about crochet as a stress reliever? I know a lot of people have They’re just under an immense amount of stress. Have you seen, just with your clients, any type of relationship between crochet or knitting as definitely relieving some stress levels?

Sandra: 22:36
I, for the most part, keep crochet and my job as a psychologist separate, honestly. And that’s more for my own privacy, I guess, as a psychologist. Not that I wouldn’t… encourage people. I mean, I encourage people to pursue hobbies and to pursue craft as much as possible.

But aside from that, crochet is a stress reliever, I think is, again, it’s something that I hear from a lot of people, you know, either through social media or some of the local craftspeople that I meet up with.

And again, I think so much of it comes back to it being such a counterpoint to the stresses of life. There’s something about crochet that is often you can do it without a particular goal in mind, without particular expectations.

And of course those arise naturally as part of the process, the goal being you’re trying to make something usually. But in contrast to sort of the just the expectations that come up as a part of daily life. I think crochet is really a nice way to escape for a lot of people.

It’s a way to be creative. And there’s a lot of important information about the role of creativity in relieving stress. But really anything that helps you to find a more relaxed state. And understanding that sometimes crochet can cause stress.

And if that’s the case, it’s time to walk away and to come back at a later time. But yeah, I think it can have many benefits in that way.

Brittany: 24:14
Yeah, I definitely want to circle back to that one too where crochet can definitely cause stress. But I think it’s interesting enough to point out that it seems to always go back to that being in the present moment mindfulness kind of state.

When we have stress, it’s almost like we crave some kind of hobby. And it really doesn’t even have to be crochet at this point. But having a hobby that keeps you focused and content with something that you’re able to create, it’s almost like we’re craving that state of mind that we don’t even know exists.

Sandra: 24:52
Yeah, I would agree. And I think something like crochet, you know, contrasted to lots of us try to use things like food to relieve stress or alcohol to relieve stress.

And those are really things that take us out of the present moment. And whereas crochet has this much more sort of built in, bringing you to the present mechanism, which in the long run is much more stress relieving than some of the other sort of short term processes that we sometimes turn to.

Brittany: 25:21
Exactly. So how do you feel like crochet can cause stress? Like what are some things that we need to look out for, some things that we’re feeling that can really throw us off course and make us forget the reason why we’re doing this.

Sandra: 25:41
I see sort of perfectionistic tendencies as being a big part of that. You know, wanting things to come out a certain way, wanting things to look a certain way, you know, comparing our work to other people’s work and judging ourselves as coming up short, I think can create stress in crochet. I mean, really, I think of it as being ultimately a process that is for you, you know, and you get to choose what’s enjoyable about it, you get to choose what you like and what you don’t like. But when we start to judge our own work, when we start to feel sort of overwhelmed with something that we’ve taken on, I think it’s okay to walk away from those things. It’s okay to choose a different project. I can’t tell you the number of things that I’ve frogged because I’ve gotten so far and I’ve decided that it’s way beyond what I want it to be or it’s not going in the direction I want it to and try to let go of frustration at that point and just say like, it’s okay. That was a learning process. That didn’t take me where I wanted it to go. I can start new or I can try to transform it into something else.

Brittany: 26:49
Yeah. I always say that time spent learning is not time wasted. So even though you may have put three, five or more hours into a project that you ultimately ended up frogging or ripping out, it’s guaranteed that you learned something from that experience. And in my mind, that’s not time wasted because I spent that time to learn why something didn’t work or maybe why this color palette didn’t go together or maybe I learned why you have to do a stitch a certain way. And those are valuable lessons, I think.

Sandra: 27:28
I absolutely agree. Sometimes I try to have fun with the ripping out, too. So I’ll recruit my kids to help me. Oh, yeah. And they will take one end of the yarn and run up the stairs. And, you know, just even feeling stitches coming undone, that can be relieving or relaxing. And knowing that I can start over and, you know, don’t have to put too much of my… sense of self-worth into whatever the finished product is.

Brittany: 27:51
Yeah, you can start with a clean slate no matter what. You can kind of just forget about that little failure and take the lessons you learned from it to improve your next project. Yes, exactly. So we can see that if we notice within ourself that we’re starting to get frustrated or struggling or we’re judging our work, one of the tips that we can do to just avoid that really is to put it down and walk away for a little bit, whether it be a few hours, a few days, a few weeks. I think it’s probably specific to each person, but what, what about for the teachers who are in the audience, people who teach beginner crochet courses, whether it be online, like in a formal setting or even an informal setting, if they’re just teaching a friend or a family member, if somebody sees that frustration, because it’s It’s pretty much always there. Beginners are always frustrated. They always have that judgment that I can’t do it or mine doesn’t look as good as yours. What are some tips that we can give those people as instructors to encourage them to get through that? Or is the answer the same? Do we just need to tell them to put it down for a little bit and come back later? I

Sandra: 29:08
Think the more that we can focus either as crocheters or as teachers on the process rather than the outcome, the more likely we are to be able to let go of frustration. I haven’t had experiences teaching crochet specifically, but I can think about teaching times when I’ve tried to teach my kids things and it’s clear they’re not getting it and I’m getting frustrated and they’re getting frustrated. And like you were saying, being able to come back and really drive home the message that, okay, this isn’t necessarily getting us the outcome that we want. But there’s still a process here that’s really valuable. We’re learning that this is not the way that is going to work best. All right, so let’s either put it away for a moment or let’s refocus and come back and try again. I think the more that we can hone in on and really make a conscious effort to notice the things that are going well, even in the midst of all of the things that feel like are going wrong, you know, the less stressed we feel as teachers, the less stressed our students will feel. Um, and, and the reality is that, yeah, there, there often is frustration present and being able to normalize that, like, and, and to share experience, you know, I was frustrated all the time as an early pro share and the things that I made, you know, were lumpy and the stages were all uneven. Um, and really, you know, like everything, it’s practice that makes that process easier.

Brittany: 30:43
Yeah, it really is. And I think, like you said, encouraging people to keep practicing. It’s one thing. I feel like the statement practice makes perfect is really cliche. We always say that. We say it so much that we’re almost numb to it, that we forget how true it is the importance of it so maybe if we find ways actionable ways of physically encouraging them to practice without maybe saying well you just got to keep practicing because when you’re frustrated that’s probably the last thing you want to hear is that you might be terrible now but you’ll eventually get better I feel like you got to focus in on the positive things too and that really helps people to focus on the things that they’re doing right rather than the various things that they might be doing wrong.

Sandra: 31:33
Yeah, absolutely. And just being able to switch gears sometimes, you know, if you’re working on one thing and feeling stuck in that, you know, switching to trying to work on a different kind of stitch, for example, or a different kind of project, you know, because I think our brains get kind of in a rut sometimes. There’s only so much frustration we can tolerate before we’re not learning anything anymore. Yeah. And so being able to try something new, I think, can really help to shake up some of that frustration too.

Brittany: 32:00
Is the cue for that just kind of when we feel like we’re kind of at our wits end and that’s our cue that, okay, at this point we really do just need to set this down because it’s not constructive anymore. Things are only going to go downhill from there. Or are there maybe like other cues that we could watch out for? I

Sandra: 32:17
Think the more that we’re in that mindful state when we’re crocheting, the earlier we’ll recognize that perhaps things aren’t going in a fruitful direction. And so it doesn’t necessarily have to get to the point of feeling like you’re at your wit’s end and you’re ready to throw your project into the, into the timeout corner, you know? Um, but you know, noticing maybe when your mind starts wandering more or when you’re feeling, um, like things just aren’t flowing as smoothly as you want them to. Um, I always think it’s, it’s okay to stop really at any point, um, and to, to try to come back with fresh eyes, with, uh, fresh perspective to start again.

Brittany: 32:57
Yeah. You mentioned finding your flow too. And I’m curious to dive into that a little bit too, because that’s one thing that you always hear about is finding, finding your rhythm. It’s a question that comes up a lot of time for me is how, how do you find a rhythm or how do you crochet so fast or how do you, how are you so consistent with everything? And I feel like finding your flow and finding, and kind of the tips that you have there are really going to help those people who are asking those questions.

Sandra: 33:28
Yeah. So I think about the concept of flow, which in psychology was developed by a Hungarian psychologist. His name is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I can’t spell his name, but I can pronounce it. And he really talks about flow as being this state of just very high focus where people really experience a lot of joy from whatever it is they’re doing. And you can find flow in anything. You can find flow in washing the dishes, in theory, although that’s never happened for me. But I think the idea is that you want to find something where both your skill level and the challenge that you’re taking on are on a par with each other and are also on the higher level. So people tend to find flow more often when they’re doing something that they’re pretty good at. So the things that they’ve practiced a lot and the things that also push them to reach in their skills a little bit.

Brittany: 34:31
Yeah.

Sandra: 34:32
You know, there’s something about that that really helps us to focus.

Brittany: 34:34
So almost like when we say we could do it in our sleep or we can do this without thinking, that’s really when you have achieved that flow.

Sandra: 34:44
Yeah, it’s like when the rest of the world kind of falls away and you don’t have to put conscious effort into it. People talk about the stitches just sort of flying off their hook. And it’s not always about speed, per se. I think it’s just, again, more about the focus and the concentration and the state of well-being that comes from that. You could be slow and still moving very slowly, but still experience a lot of benefit from it.

Brittany: 35:10
Yeah. So… Can you experience that same kind of rhythm and flow, but not necessarily be focused on your project? Like, let’s say you have something on your mind and you’re really focused in on that one thing. Is that still an okay situation where you’re getting the benefits of what you’re doing?

Sandra: 35:40
Absolutely. I think it’s a different kind of benefit. You know, it’s not going to produce the same sort of state of absorption being in flow well, but I often find that being able to do something with my hands at the same time as I’m trying to work through a problem somehow helps me to focus more on whatever the problem is that I’m trying to solve. And that’s often helpful. That’s what I need to be doing, the kind of crochet where I don’t need to think too much about it. I don’t need to count my stitches or it’s just sort of ingrained, that muscle memory. And then that allows me to hone in more on what I’m trying to think about or the problem I’m trying to solve. Again, our brains really like repetition. And so I think being able to do that repetitive activity with your hands and kind of create a state of rhythm in your brain also.

Brittany: 36:32
Yeah.

Sandra: 36:32
I have no evidence to support that. I just made that up.

Brittany: 36:36
But it sounds right. Yeah, it sounds right. And I think a lot of people would agree with that just from personal experience. I think it’s worth noting too why it’s so important to train your brain to stay focused. And this is really the reason why I turn to meditation, even though I’m not — honestly, right now, I’m not using crochet as a meditative activity, but I think that’s going to change after our conversation today. So like I said, I am using that device, and that’s just because I personally need that feedback. I’m kind of a data geek a little bit, so I like to see progress. I don’t like doing an activity if I can’t see or read some kind of result from it. But the reason why I turned to meditation is because I really wanted to make the best use of my time. I’m one of those people that I love my job. And when you’re doing this as an entrepreneur, it’s really hard to turn that mindset off because my home is my office and there really are no boundaries there. So my mind is constantly thinking about work. And it’s not because I work at home. It’s really just because I love what I do. But I know that there is a time that you have to turn that off. You have to be present with your friends and with your family. And I was having a really difficult time making that separation. And then I also started noticing my mind just jumps from one thing to another. I could be doing an activity and then something would just pop up in my mind. And if I don’t do it right away, a couple minutes later, it’s completely gone. And I felt like I was… not doing the best that I possibly could do because of these limitations. And the more I studied about it, the more I realized that when you meditate, you’re training your brain to stay focused on one thing and you’re also training yourself to realize when your mind does wander. And I think those are benefits that people can really grab a hold of. I think we can all relate to having wandering mind. For entrepreneurs, it’s called squirrel syndrome. If you’re pregnant, it’s called pregnancy brain. I mean, there’s something for any walk of life. And it really goes back to these benefits that training your brain to stay focused. It’s something you can actually do. I’ve been meditating for, I’ve really consistently really being serious about it for about three months now. And although my mind still wanders, I still wander during my sessions, I still wander if I’m doing one task, I’ll still think about something that I need to do later on. But I’m finding that I’m not acting on those things right away, but I’m also not forgetting them as much as I used to. So I think you really can train your mind to stay focused and use those benefits in all areas of your

Sandra: 39:40
Life. I think that’s really true. And there’s a lot of research, too, about the benefits of meditation in terms of improving focus, but also in terms of improving mood and reducing anxiety. People find it helpful in weight loss. So just a whole broad array of things that really can benefit from, like you said, the practice of training your mind to be able to focus. And again, it doesn’t mean that our minds are never going to wander, but that’s really cool that you’ve noticed some benefits already in terms of being able to remember longer, not feeling quite so distracted. And those are things, I mean, I think we are conditioned to be distracted in a way. Like there’s this idea that we’re supposed to be multitasking all of the time. And if we’re not, then we’re not being as efficient as possible. And in reality, our brains can’t multitask. It’s really just, trying to switch back and forth very rapidly between different tasks, which a lot of times ends up in us feeling less efficient and sort of less productive. But we’d like to believe that we can do everything at once, you know, and we’re sort of told, I think, especially as women, that we’re supposed to do everything at once. And as entrepreneurs, especially when you’re self-employed, you know, there’s no end to the work that you can do. No end to the amount of thought that you can put into it. So yeah, I totally agree that being able to refocus in that way is such a benefit in so many different areas.

Brittany: 41:17
Yeah, I completely agree. Now, when we were kind of planning for this interview, you brought up a topic that I’m really curious about, reducing isolation through crochet. Can you talk a little bit about that and really just kind of fill in those gaps for me as far as what you mean or what exactly that is.

Sandra: 41:40
Yeah, when you had come to me with the idea of, or when we had talked about the idea of crochet as really being a healing activity, one of the things that stood out for me was the idea that crochet can really create community. And that’s really been my experience with it, whether it’s virtual community, you know, through social media or in-person community through crafting groups, crochet groups. Isolation is really such a risk factor when it comes to both contributing to and then resulting from things like depression and anxiety. And the more that we can reduce isolation, the better off we feel. We’re sort of wired for connection. I can’t begin to explain how much of a benefit I’ve been able to experience through connecting with Kershares from around the world through Instagram. People sort of complain about the evils of social media and I think it really all depends on how you use it. I’ve found the community of Kershares to be one of the most supportive, one of the most encouraging and inspirational communities that I’ve really ever belonged to. And a lot of these people I’ve never met face to face in any way, but I know what’s going on in their lives. You know, I think about them and then we, we have this shared language, you know, or this shared experience of crochet. I think that gives us a shortcut to connecting that, you know, we don’t have with just the random person off of the street. And so I’ve just found tremendous benefit in being able to connect with people from all over the place through crochet.

Brittany: 43:22
Yeah, you’re so right. There really is something to be said about being able to communicate with somebody through whether it be your hobby or your job. I know I actually have a biology degree and I am still very passionate about the topic, but I’m really the only person in my life that has experienced the classes that I went through and really that has an interest in life itself. I was mainly focused on healthcare. I was actually pursuing a degree in pre-med was kind of my track. So I definitely did focus in on different, basically everything related to humans, health, well-being. And I found that I was always kind of pushing the things that I learned. I would learn something really cool and I would be really excited about it. And I would come home and share it with my husband. And him being the nice guy that he is, he was always listened and always responsive. But at the same time, I could kind of see a gloss over a little bit because I was speaking over his head. He didn’t know about the things that I was learning in school. And after a while, I got to the point where I just didn’t talk to him about those things as much. And whenever I would learn something in school that I was really excited about, I didn’t really have somebody to share that with that could really appreciate it as much as I did. And I felt somewhat alone in that because I couldn’t share some of the things that I was excited about. But that was really before… I did much on social media, so I didn’t have that online community either. So I can definitely relate to how it can be beneficial to have somebody who can really speak and understand the language because crochet, it kind of is a language all on its own. And we tend to kind of break off into that language when we’re talking about it. And social media really is a great way, great outlet for that.

Sandra: 45:32
Yeah, I can relate to your experience in a lot of different ways. And it can start to feel isolating when you don’t have the people in your life who can speak your language, who know without all of the preamble what you’re talking about. And there’s something about shared joy, shared excitement, you know, that just, I think, amplifies it for both of you. Yeah. And that just keeps on resonating.

Brittany: 45:56
Yeah, so true. You mentioned depression, too. And… the potential that there are some benefits of crochet for people who are experiencing depression. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Sandra: 46:09
Yeah, I think a lot of what we’ve talked about in terms of mindfulness, in terms of focus, in terms of reducing isolation, all of those things are very helpful in terms of alleviating symptoms of depression. There are a lot of different ways to treat depression, and one of those being sort of a more behavioral approach. So looking at, you know, what are the ways that you structure your day? What are the activities that you’re trying to include? And there’s a lot of evidence that looks at sort of the role of including activities that you feel like you have a sense of mastery with, you know? That feels sort of commonsensical, right? Like if you do things that you feel that you’re good at, you’re bound to feel better. And so being able to sort of very conscientiously or consciously add some of those activities, crochet being a prime one of them, that can be a sort of part of the process in addressing depression. You mentioned earlier just this process of you work on a crochet project. There’s the immediate benefit of increased mindfulness, increased focus in the present. And then at the end, you have this tangible object. And I think from the standpoint of art, having something beautiful to look at and to hold and to share, that goes a long way too in terms of helping us to have a sense of purpose, helping us to have a sense of meaning. And those are both very important in terms of alleviating depression also.

Brittany: 47:56
Yeah, that makes so much sense too. Would you ever feel like it might be… I’m going to say risky, even though that’s probably too strong of a word, but because there are some serious frustrations that could come from crochet and some self-judgment, do you think that somebody… who is experiencing depression and who is turning to crochet should be a little more aware of those situations and know when they should walk away because it’s not really benefiting them at that point.

Sandra: 48:28
Absolutely. You know, I think people who are prone to depression are also much more prone to self-judgment in the first place. And so it can work both ways. I think sometimes that being able to, again, create something that helps you to feel good can pull you out of a place of judgment. But yes, being mindful of paying attention to, okay, is this pulling me in a direction that I’m feeling better or is it actually making me feel worse? And so much of that is about how attuned we can be to ourselves. So I don’t know that I would say that it’s risky necessarily, but that it just drives home the idea that we benefit the most when we’re the most self-aware and you know, the same technique isn’t always going to help us for every situation. Sometimes I think that there are sort of a crochet project for every need, every situation. You know, like sometimes you are going to want to turn to the more sort of soothing projects. And sometimes you’re going to want to turn to the more sort of challenging projects. And being able to know yourself and know what space you’re in is a really important part of it.

Brittany: 49:37
Yeah, that’s really interesting. I hadn’t really thought about that. I mean, there are, like you brought up mindless crochet. There are some projects that are kind of mindless for us, even though they really should be called mindful projects because really you focus in on those things. But that’s a good point. If you, depending on your current state or the current benefit that you need to receive from your craft, you should kind of cater your project to that. And if you know that you need to be focused or if you’re really like for me, that’s right now is one of my goals. It’s top of mind for me. I want to improve my focus. What are some of the projects that I could create to do that? Am I looking for projects that are a little bit more repetitive and easy or do I need to focus in on projects that might be more intricate?

Sandra: 50:27
Again, I think it’s being able to match skill level and challenge level. So it’s really going to depend on where you’re at in the process. But I think finding something at sort of an optimal level of skill and also an optimal level of challenge is probably going to be the most helpful in terms of sort of organically helping you to focus. Whereas, again, the more sort of repetitive projects that you can do in your sleep—those are also beneficial, but maybe in a different way. Those can maybe serve as the backdrop then for more of a mindfulness practice or a more conscious mindfulness practice. But yeah, it’s a great question. I think it’s something to really put some thought into. What is your goal apart from making something pretty? And how do you tailor whatever it is that you’re working on to meet that goal? If nothing else, you know, it’s great justification to have like 10 different projects that you’re working on all at the same time.

Brittany: 51:31
Yeah, I feel like it could be different for every person. So it might be difficult to pinpoint exactly like, OK, if this is your goal, this is the kind of project you make. If this is your goal, you make this kind of project. Because as—after I said that, I was thinking that, well, it would probably challenge me more to improve my focus to work on a project where I don’t have to think about it. Because in those situations, my mind will probably wander more. So I feel like I’ll get more benefits from that. So I guess it’s really about trying to, like you said, figure out what your goal is and then maybe brainstorm some ways that you can achieve that goal through different types of projects and it doesn’t—when I say different types of projects I’m not thinking like scarf, blanket—it could be different things like different levels, working on a stitch pattern that is more of a higher level so I don’t know, broomstick lace or hairpin lace or something like that. Interlock crochet is also quite difficult. You have to stay focused. Color work is also something where you have to pay attention really to what you’re doing. So it’s not just about the project type. It’s kind of about the techniques that are involved.

Sandra: 52:44
Yeah, exactly. And what’s familiar to you and what’s new to you. You know, I started off in amigurumi, but I would have to brush off those skills because I haven’t done that in years. And so… that might not be my go-to project for wanting to improve focus, but I can make circles in my sleep or mandalas in my sleep.

Brittany: 53:06
Well, man, this has been such an amazing conversation. Honestly, I could sit here and pick your brain for another hour because, like I said, I really want to be able to relay this message to people, but I just haven’t been successful in finding somebody like you who is—extremely knowledgeable and kind of has the personal experience to back what you’re saying and make it feel like it’s more than just an intangible topic. Meditation and mindfulness, stress, all of those things, they feel like they’re out of our control and out of our grasp. And I really love how you were able to take those topics and make it feel relatable to other people. So thank you so much. I want to give people a chance to learn more about you, to find you online, to see, of course, your book, but your beautiful designs too. So what is the best place for people to find you?

Sandra: 54:05
There are two places where I’m the most active right now. Instagram has always sort of been my social media home. And so I’m at mobiusgirl on Instagram. I’ve also just recently started a Facebook group. It’s called Mobius Girl Crochet Nation. And that one’s a closed group and really with sort of the dual purposes of, you know, being able to connect around crochet again in that effort to reduce isolation. And also with the understanding that many of us do approach crafting either after experiencing something difficult or to help us get through something difficult.

Brittany: 54:44
Yeah.

Sandra: 54:45
And so I’m really wanting to foster it as a place where we can talk about some of those things as well.

Brittany: 54:49
Oh, that’s really great. That’s an amazing resource too. I will definitely include that information in the show notes page and encourage any listener to be a part of or try to become a part of that group if they’re going through a situation where they really need a community to surround them. So that’s a great resource. Now, tell us about where people can find your book. Because like I said, I have this book. I’m really excited to make some of the motifs that are in it. And I would love for people to check it out. I mean, you’re really known for color and unique designs. And this book is full of it. So where can people pick up a copy?

Sandra: 55:30
Yeah, so Crochet Kaleidoscope is available through the publisher, Interweave, on their website. And you can buy it in either paper version or digital version. And it’s also available on Amazon. Again, you can get a paper copy or a digital copy. I’m partial to the paper copy, but I’m old school like that.

Brittany: 55:49
Yeah, I am too. I like to—I mean, I do really enjoy reading books on my phone or on my iPad. But there’s just something to be said about having that physical book. It’s almost like, for me, because I’m also reading is kind of something, is a goal of mine. I’m trying to read more. And so having that physical book is almost like a trophy for me because that’s something that I conquered. I have that book, I read it, and I can feel it in my hands. It just makes it seem more real. But there’s definitely something to be said about having the physical crochet book in your hand too, rather than just having it on your device. So definitely encourage people to check it out. Like I said, beautiful designs in there. And I’ll also include a link to where they can get it from the publisher as well as Amazon too. So thank you so much, Sandra. It’s been such a pleasure chatting with you. I hope to keep the line of communication open because I really think that you have so much to offer this community. I would love that. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with you today. Sandra, thank you again for not only coming on the show and sharing some of your knowledge with us today, but also for fostering that aha moment that I had and realizing that I could use my craft as a way to help me train myself to stay focused, but also because I know that you’ve helped my listeners today kind of find that same realization.

So I want to challenge you today. If you’re listening to the show, head over to the show notes page, beyokedcrochet.com/session059 and tell me what you got out of this episode. For me, like I said, it was realizing that my craft could be a way to train myself to stay focused on one task and to help me not forget the things that kind of pop into my mind as I’m doing that task. I want to know what you learned from this episode. So head over to the show notes page, leave me a comment and let me know your aha moment for this episode. I appreciate you so much. I appreciate your time and attention week after week.

I also want to thank our sponsor once again, Yarnspirations. It truly is a wonderful partnership here because whether you knit or you crochet, Yarnspirations has something for you. It makes it very easy for me to share them with you because I use their products, I use their website for inspiration, and as many of you know, I also work with them to teach you some of their patterns. So if you are looking for inspiration for free patterns, for video tutorials, and of course, amazing yarn, just head over to Yarnspirations.com. That is the spot for all of that stuff and their yarn, Patons, Bernat, Karen, and Lily Sugar and Cream.

Well, in case you missed it at the beginning of the episode, I want to remind you again that you can save 20% off your order of $40 or more at Yarnspirations.com just because you’re listening to the show today. Now, to redeem that, all you have to do is go to Yarnspirations.com, fill up your cart, and at checkout, you’ll enter the coupon code BHOOKEDPOD. That’s B-H-O-O-K-E-D-P-O-D. And that’s it. You’ll save some money.

I really hope that you are enjoying this topic for April. I’m really loving having a central focus, right? Here comes that word again, focus, for me for each month. And I think it makes for a better listening experience for you. So if you have found some value in this show, whether it be inspiration or you’re learning something new, thank you so much for watching. I’m doing this to inspire you and to teach you. And that’s my goal. So leave me a rating and or a review in iTunes. You can access that very easily by going to behookedcrochet.com/itunes. And again, if you find the time to do that, thank you. I really, really appreciate it.

Well, you can bet that you will find me next week right here with another amazing show. I have a return guest. Stay tuned for that next week. Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you then. Bye-bye.