Four years ago I taught myself to crochet. I was working at a local craft store while between jobs and bought a kit with hooks and a how-to book to get me started. Years before my grandmother, an avid crocheter, had taught me to chain but I never ventured further than that. The impetus to learn was that one of my friends was pregnant and I thought a handmade gift would be something lovely to give. I worked feverishly at home and eventually brought my project to work so that I could crochet on my lunch hour. I never encountered anything negative from crocheting at work and it was the only public crocheting I would do for awhile. The blanket was a success, despite my beginner status.

Now, four years later I have branched out with my crochet and have done numerous afghan’s for friends and their babies as well as making purses. My job now has me traveling several times a year and I frequently take a hook and some yarn to work on whatever project I have going at the time. Getting through security has never been a problem for me, though I do watch the scissors and try not to have them in my bag. While waiting to board the plane or during the flight I will usually crochet to pass the time. Most people just stare silently and dart their eyes if I look up. On a recent trip to South Dakota two older ladies watched in awe as I worked a single crochet baby blanket. They had crocheted in the past, making dishcloths and blankets, but now their hands were mired with arthritis. I chatted with them for awhile, but mostly kept to myself, due to my uncertainty about how to react when there is interest in what I am doing. Do I explain in detail or quickly state what I am doing and get back to my project?

Recently I moved my endeavors from airports to the swamp. My husband and I are avid hikers and we frequently explore the wilds of South Florida. We were planning to spend the night at a cabin in a local state preserve so that we could join several other hikers the next morning and take off bright and early for the swamp to look for orchids and bromeliads. Unfortunately I was also under a self imposed and baby imposed deadline to get an afghan completed before the little one arrived. So, I sat myself down on a hanging chair and whipped out a few squares in single crochet and a basket weave pattern. Two men, other than my husband, that were at the cabin showed an interest in what I was doing and asked a few questions. Later I found out a short video clip had been taken and I got nicknamed the “Granny”. I found it a little discouraging to be called that, but then again I have to take it in stride as grannies the world over started out crocheting when they were young. And to be called a granny is much less offensive than many other epithets that could be said.

A more positive public display of crochet I witnessed happened just last week. I went to visit my grandmother in a rehabilitation facility where she has been staying due to a broken leg. As I walked down the long corridor I saw a woman in a wheelchair crocheting away at a variegated yarn. I had brought a project to work on as well and as I sat with my grandmother for a while my mom and I mentioned the lady down the hall. My grandmother informed us that the lady had been making baby afghan’s for any of the nurses and doctors who were pregnant. Going beyond herself and thinking about others when she was in probably not in the best circumstances health wise, makes me hopeful that most crocheting and crafting receives a positive affirmation from non-crafters.

Crocheting in public or crafting in general is something that can bring both positive and negative aspects. I certainly wouldn’t stop doing something I loved because someone was misinformed or rude to me. The only thing you can do is to educate those who ask about your project, let the bad things roll off your back and enjoy the creative life you choose to lead.

About the author: Misti Little is an environmental worker by day and multi-crafter by night. When she isn’t hiking in the South Florida wilderness with her husband, she can be found crocheting to her favorite movies, oil and pastel painting, gardening and hanging out with her two cats. The photograph is of Misti taken by her husband Chris Little. You can find Misti at her blog Oceanic Wilderness.