Or Why It’s Good To Challenge Things
Today is International Skeptic’s Day. “What on earth does that have to do with crochet?” I hear you cry.
Well, nothing at first glance.
But, after thinking about it, there have been lots of claims made within the world of crochet that I have been sceptical about. And I’ve been proven wrong on all of them!
Expensive yarn is always better than cheap yarn
Part of the love of crochet is taking time to choose something to make and then choosing the best yarn for the job. I love trying out yarns, as my stash will attest and I have worked with MANY different ones over my time as a crocheter. I have found that there are some awful cheaper yarns and some awful expensive yarns. There are also some gorgeous high-cost yarns and some equally gorgeous low-priced yarns. Obviously, this isn’t a scientific experiment, but I’m sure that many crafters that work with yarns would say the same thing.
My recommendation is to try whatever yarns you can, and if you can, ‘squish’ them first and you will absolutely feel whether the texture will be nice to work with, or not.
You will learn everything about crochet
After nearly 40 years of crocheting, I am still learning new things. Literally, most days I will find a new technique or a new pattern that I intend to try, or I might learn a new or better way of doing something that I already know how to do.
And that is one of the main reasons I love to crochet – it never stops and there is always something new to learn. So, try out different techniques, patterns, and ways of doing things and those that you fall in love with, you can return to. And those that you don’t can be banished, never to darken your doorstep again.
Wool should only be worn in the Winter
This is something that I have heard many, many times and as I posted earlier in the year, I decided to give real wool a try. And over several days, including the hottest day of the year, real wool did indeed keep me cooler than my normal t-shirts. Maybe next year, I will try and see if the same is true of acrylic yarns.
Crochet (and knitting) have no physical benefit
In the past, many people seem to have viewed crochet and knitting as just a craft, with little or no physical value beyond that. However, over the years, it has felt like there has been a definite shift away from yarn crafts being seen in this way.
As I have mentioned on many occasions now, I find crochet to be a real help with my own mental health issues and it is definitely one of my coping mechanisms – that and rewatching Buffy! And it seems that I am not the only one that is noticing this. If you have a search on the interwebs, you will find that there is a growing argument proving this, but this article really nails it down as to the possible reasons it is so helpful to the health of, not just our mental health, but the actual physical structure of our brains. It’s a quick and very interesting read.
PS – I had to check because I was sceptical about the spelling, but skeptic can be spelt with a K or sceptic with a C!
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