Over the past few weeks I’ve talked to a few crocheters and knitters about their crafting habits and have overwhelmingly found that they hide in the safety of their homes to work on projects.
I don’t get it.
So many projects are portable why not take them with you? Let’s be honest with ourselves. How many times do you go into a public space, pull out our cell phones and start looking at whatever app amuses you this week? What do you gain from it? Very little. Right? Just think about it, before the rise of the smart phone we had more direct social interaction with those that where physically around us. We went to the coffee shop and struck up conversations or actually noticed the independent art exhibit on the wall. We where much more observant of what was going on around us. We had more interaction with people.
So I propose a bit of a challenge. Pack up a small project and toss it in your bag. When you have a few moments whip it out and throw in a few rows instead of grabbing that cell phone. Let’s see what interactions it triggers.
I travel a lot and frequent the local coffee house more often than I would like to admit. About a month ago I started taking projects with me and have had some amazing interactions with people around me. Public crafting has introduced me to new people and conversation, a few of these people are beginning to turn into friends.
Give it a shot and see what happens. Don’t worry what others think, just do, and see what happens. Besides, taking a few minutes to make something tangible instead of beating the next level of Candy Crush is probably more fulfilling. Think of this as a revolution! Be the interesting person in the room! And feel free to share your public crafting stories in the comment section.
Rough Purls 