Top 6 Things to Do While Crafting

This is overwhelmingly a popular answer for what to do while crafting! People love enrapturing themselves in long TV series while completing a knitting project or other time-consuming craft. Most popular TV shows to craft to include:

• Friends
• Dr. Who
• Criminal Minds
• Downton Abbey
• Harry Potter
• Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
• Grey's Anatomy
• The Golden Girls
• Outlander
• Reruns of anything!

Watching TV may be the most popular option for multitasking while crafting, but it can be hard to actually look at the TV! Many people who claim to watch TV while crafting admit they end up listening to the shows rather than watching them. Instead of struggling to watch TV and craft, you might want to try audiobooks! How cool is it to think you might complete a crocheted afghan pattern and read a book at the same time.

Some might worry that listening to a book isn't the same as reading it. Forbes explores this question in their article Is Listening to Audio Books Really the Same as Reading? and they say, "research ... suggests that reading and listening are strikingly similar cognitive processes". It depends on what you're reading of course. A difficult work of classic literature may be more challenging to absorb in audio form than sitting with the text, and this is made even more challenging if you're multitasking with crafting! Much like beach reads, a light and fun book may be a good first choice for listening while crafting.

Even audiobooks can be challenging to listen to while crafting because you might zone out and miss an important detail! Something soothing and enjoyable you can do instead is simply listening to music. Music is wonderful while driving or doing household chores, so give your favorite artist a listen while working on those knit slippers. 

Some music suggestions are below. What do you like to listen to?

• Elvis
• The Beatles
• The Beach Boys
• Enya
• Coldplay
• Counting Crows
• Smooth Jazz
• Instrumental Music

If you have a large block of time to work on that scrapbook, consider getting somehousehold chores done while crafting! One particularly excellent idea is doing laundry. Put the clothes in the washer and while the machine is running, work on your scrapbook. Move them to the dryer, than come back and work on a few more layouts! This also applies to cooking time-consuming dishes. While something is baking in the oven, pass the time with crafts.

What chores do you like to get done while crafting?

In a culture more and more obsessed with noise, being comfortable and content with silence becomes more and more elusive. Crafting in silence however can be a wonderfully peaceful activity, allowing your mind to wander and your thoughts put at ease. Cozy contentment is a very hygge aesthetic, and you can experience something quite hyggelig by, say, working on adult coloring pages in silence.

Best of all, if silence isn't your thing and audiobooks, TV shows, and even music don't particularly strike your interest while crafting, gather a group to knit and crochet together! This can be once a week during your lunch hour at work with a group of coworkers, on a weekday afternoon with your retired friends, just after church on Sunday, or at any time that's convenient for you and your group. It is so wonderful to craft together while sharing ideas, discussing what you're working on, and otherwise catching up! And don't forget to talk about your cats. That is a staple in our Stitch Circle, at least.