Since I started my You Tube channel and got a bit better at filming reels for socials I've become a target for the Crochet Police! The main thing that seems to really offend people is my crocheting technique. Apparently it's not normal...........
Awkward seems to be another popular word to describe my technique. I do actually hold the yarn in my left hand and both my hands do work in unison so I've no idea what this person was on about!
and another……
Short, not sweet, definitely unnecessary….
and tortured was an interesting adjective to use. Far too many unnecessary words in this comment......
More unsolicited ‘advice’ from the experts…
and this one I've only screenshot a bit of, it was very long, a very detailed lesson on how I should be crocheting........(not sure about the use of ‘lol’ here, I’ve not found it hugely funny to be honest)
Another totally unnecessary comment ……
There's been many more over the last 18 months, these are just the ones I've managed to lay my hands on at the moment. One of my personal favourites was where I was told my technique made the viewer feel physically sick! Yep, they really do get that extreme! At no point in any of the videos these comments were left on did I ask for advice on my technique. Some people just can’t help themselves . Comments like these speak volumes about the type of person they are.
I thought I'd take the opportunity here to show the ‘experts’ some of the crochet I’ve done using the ‘wrong according to you’ technique and give you some background as to how my technique has come about. As a child I learnt to knit before I learnt to crochet. As you probably know knitting is generally a two handed/two needle process. I learnt the standard english way of knitting, continental style is something I've only come across in my adult years and although I’ve given it a try it’s not something I've been able to do as my hands naturally prefer the way I originally learnt. I knit perfectly fine the way I've always done it……if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
I learnt to crochet in 1994. You Tube didn't exist in 1994 and like the majority of people back then I didn't own a computer. Crocheting wasn’t ‘on trend’ in the mid 90s like it is now so there also wasn’t craft groups everywhere where you could learn from someone else in person so I borrowed a 'How To Crochet' book from the local library. It was an old book and the instructions were in text and black and white illustrations. There was no moving visual reference so I followed the diagrams in a way that was comfortable to me and I expect my established two handed knitting experience came into play. It works totally fine for me and with over 200k followers across my socials accounts I'm clearly doing something right!
When I go to my local Craft and Chat evening not one of us crochets in the same way! What we do have in common though is that not only do we crochet in a way that we are comfortable with we also don't feel the need to tell the person next to us they're doing it wrong just because it's different to how we are doing it. We treat each other with respect and we compliment each other on what is being produced……you should try it.
Sometimes other things will influence a person’s technique. Arthritis or injuries can mean that people have to adapt how they hold and move their hook and yarn so don’t be so quick to judge, there may be real challenges behind why someone crochets the way they do.
I'm actually quite an introverted and a private person, I don’t splash my personal life all over my public social media accounts for a reason, I keep it to crafts only on purpose to hopefully provide some positive escapism from every day life. It’s taken a lot for me to film myself crocheting and put it out there in the public domain. Every time I upload a video the temptation to take it back down again immediately is very strong but the kind comments do far outweigh the nasty ones so I'm trying to focus on that and not let the trolls win. Every time I get one of these unnecessary, unkind comments I say to myself that it's the last time I do it and for a while I did disable comments on my You Tube videos because I just didn't have the headspace to deal with them as well as all the other pressures of everyday life, something had to give!
I know that with the number of followers I have there's bound to be a few trolls but it doesn't make it any easier to deal with. I just want to urge you to think before you comment, not just to me but to everyone..........is it necessary? does it add value? is it positive? and probably most importantly is it kind? Read it back to yourself before hitting send, how would you feel receiving your comment? I certainly won't be changing my technique to suit a stranger on the internet and I will have no qualms blocking you from my social accounts if necessary although I kinda like leaving the rude, holier than thou comments so others can see what a delight you are too.
If you're one of those people who are continually told by the Crochet Police you're doing it wrong I really hope seeing how I do it gives you confidence that it really doesn't matter how you go about it, how you hold your hook, how you hold your yarn, how you 'feed' your yarn, whether you're fast or a bit slower, it's the end result that matters......the proof of the pudding is in the eating after all!!