I’ve always said that crochet is an art, and I’ve coined the saying “Inspire, create, and celebrate.” Often, we find ourselves saying, “I want to be a painter, musician, or something else.” Do people ever say, “I want to be a crocheter one day”? Probably not, because it doesn’t have the same ring in tone, but I argue crochet is more accessible and less valued as an interest when there is so much more to it.
Think about it next time you are in a yarn aisle and you are looking at the possibilities of colors, fibers and overall objective you want to hit. To someone who doesn’t understand crochet, they see fluffy balls of yarn without the concept that a yarn strand can suddenly be a hat, blanket and much more. More importantly, you have the skillset it takes to convert the ball into a textile. You start visualizing concepts in your mind and assessing whether you have the time, desire, or need to complete a task. Think painters do that when they are conceiving an idea? They so are!
The fun part of crochet is when you start to understand the tension of stitching and asking yourself questions such as, “I wonder what would happen if I do this?” You don’t run to social media to ask permission; you just do it, learn about the process, and see if it works for you.
I learned the Catherine Wheel Stitch when I was fourteen. For eighteen years, I had been doing it wrong, having misread the crochet diagram when I first discovered it. It’s an all-time favorite stitch of mine. I missed doing a chain-3 when you start the wheel, and as a result, the wheels turned into a spiral effect. I loved it, but I didn’t realize that my sample wasn’t the same as the instruction photos. That’s where crochet turns to art. My “error” wasn’t an error to me for all of that time, and I still loved the stitch, and it still worked out great. It makes my blanket feel so much tighter than it initially did. Sadly, though, since I learned the right way, I have never gone back to the way I was doing it.
My point is simple: when an error is not realized, and you are still happy with it, is there an error?
Of all types of crochet, the one I enjoy most is free-form crochet, where I match it to a shape or wrap it with intention around something, just like the crochet nutcrackers. The exterior is customized to the specific shape of the Nutcracker. Recently, someone asked me to make another that was five feet tall, and they told me to name my price to do it. For me, I have already accomplished doing two. Doing a third isn’t joyful. Maybe if the shape and concept were different, I would be more tempted. I declined. It didn’t give me joy to say yes.
Like a painter, if you look at their original work now and see a sample of years earlier, you can see evolution in their growth. Strokes will have changed, and details, most likely, have gotten stronger. Stitchers will see growth in other ways, starting with the simplest of items, but what is more key for them to see is the change in their stitchwork. The stitches will be more even, and a crocheter may be more ambitious—not just following a pattern but also adding details or key elements that bring them happiness. It’s when the crocheter starts to color outside of the lines that artistry is sparking.
Crochet is an art form. It doesn’t have to be yarn-bombed projects like trains, planes and automobiles, but it can be in the form of anything your heart desires. Some people—especially in amigurumi—really pick up skills, and from their first attempts to even months later can be astounding. They take what they’ve learned from one project and apply it to the next, and before they know it, they have so many different skills and plans to accomplish the goal in various ways.
If anyone tells you crochet is not an art form, now is the time to crochet a muzzle. Most people who crochet aren’t just hooking for the sake of it, they are doing so to give them a dopamine hit of creativity within. The excitement is real and the accomplishment is satisfying.
As I have said in the past and still believe today, “You’re the artist”, you decide what your creative journey will look like. Keep on stitching and enjoy.
Michael Sellick, known as “Mikey” by crocheters, pioneered crochet instruction on YouTube, transforming a simple idea into the thriving community, The Crochet Crowd. Driven by the uplifting moments he witnessed, Mikey has fostered a global community since 2008, designing over 300 patterns, including his popular “Study of” series—stitch samplers reflecting current themes. Read more about Mikey here.