The Woobles Effect

When Emily and I picked out Woobles crochet kits for ourselves as Christmas presents back in December, I had no idea how much it would impact my life.

I had no idea I was about to discover a new hobby that tapped into my creative nature, supported the hard-won nervous system regulation that allows me to be peaceful and create at the same time, and turned out to be genuinely healthy for my brain.

And here I am, not quite three months later, fully immersed in crochet.

Who knows how long it will last.

Maybe the rest of my life.

Maybe it’s just a season.

That part doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that I am enjoying it right now.

Recently, I got to experience one of the most special parts of making things by hand. I made a scarf for my daughter Emily and gave it to her.

She beamed.

She immediately put it on, started taking selfies, and sent them to her friends.

And now, I have a request to make another.

An added bonus to this hobby is that suddenly I have something new and fun to talk about with people.

It turns out there is an entire crochet community in Ketchikan.

I’ve made new friends in unexpected places simply because we share this common thread.

It reminds me of when I first started growing flowers. All of a sudden I discovered there was a whole gardening community too—people swapping tips, sharing excitement over what was blooming, and celebrating the small victories that only other gardeners understand.

The nice thing about crochet is that I can do it even when it’s snowing outside.

And there are no slugs to battle.

A couple of days ago, I received an unexpected message from someone who has crocheted for decades. She just wanted to tell me that my stitches are perfect and that my work is beautiful. She shared photos of her work and tips on where to find patterns. It was a wonderful exchange.

It truly made my day.