I have two projects at the moment that need to be finished in short order. The whys are not important, but it does make me wonder, can there be a crochet emergency?
I know that my crochet kit comes in handy when I am out in the world. When I have trouble opening a ketchup packet at fast food establishment or if a thread begins to unravel, I have a pair of scissors handy that can do the job quickly and efficiently. I’ve also learned that crochet hooks (particularly when you cart around a variety of sizes) have a lot of uses not covered in my myriad crochet books.
But while each of those scenarios could be considered an “emergency,” neither one is, technically speaking a “crochet emergency.”
The two projects I am working on now, and which I would like to have done in the next day or so, are meant to be gifts. In all honesty, it would be a more efficient use of my time to go pick something up at a nearby mall, wrap up the gifts, stop off at the post office on my way home and be done with it, but I much prefer to spend hours getting my projects to a point where I think they are exactly right.
My willingness to spend so many hours on a project rather than venture out to a store in search of something already made might be related to the fact that I receive very little satisfaction shopping in general, and shopping for presents is seldom much better.
Occasionally, I find the perfect gift, one which the recipient will delight in, but also something he or she would not think to get him or herself. Outside of those few, transcendent experiences, I find the process of shopping exhausting and dispiriting. From the time I back out of the driveway of my home until I return with bags of whatever stuff I have purchased, I am seldom able to find what it is I imagine I am looking for.
But crochet never disappoints. Even when a project does not turn out as I expect, is always an adventure I enjoy, and the ability to make the exact perfect thing far outweighs any inconvenience that might accompany the making, and I supposed that when there is a need for “the perfect gift,” it could really be a crochet emergency.
So I suppose it could be that what I like so much about crochet is that like life, it is a journey, not a destination.
I just finished working through a knitting emergency and survived. So yes, there are crochet emergencies. And there’s nothing better than a handmade gift from the heart.
How right you are about creating something versus buying and just having done with it. There is such a thing as a crochet emergency, btw. I have my own right now with a looming deadline. Best of luck to you.
Any one can go buy something at a store, just us crafty folks can make something with love to give as a gift. I know the gifts that mean the most to me have all been made by hand. Hang in there with your projects. It really is worth your time and efforts.
An adventure. That is, indeed, crochet in a nutshell.