Hook to heal! : 100 crochet exercises for health, growth, connection, inspiration and honoring your inner artist

294 Pages·2015·3.11 MB·English

by  Vercillo

Hook to Heal!

100 Crochet Exercises For Health, Growth,
Connection, Inspiration and Honoring Your
Inner Artist

By Kathryn Vercillo
Copyright © 2015 by Kathryn Vercillo All rights reserved. This book, or parts
thereof, may not be reproduced or copied in any form without express
permission of the author. The author is more than happy to consider such
requests. You can contact the author through her website
(www.crochetconcupiscence.com) to request such permission.

First Printing, November 2015

ISBN-13: 978-1519300447
ISBN-10: 1519300441
A Loving Note to My Readers

I am an indie DIY author and this is a self-published labor of love. If you believe
in this work, you can support it. Each of the following things truly helps:

Buy a copy of the book as a gift for someone else.
Suggest the title to your local library; many library websites have a
tool that makes this easy!
Suggest the title to your local yarn stores, craft stores and small
businesses; they can purchase it wholesale through Amazon.
Write a positive review of the book for Amazon and/ or Goodreads.
Blog about this book on your own site.
Recommend the book to others through social media, forums, web
groups, etc.
Tell your friends what you liked about the book.
Gift copies of the book to doctor’s offices and other waiting rooms.
Leave a copy of the book in a local Little Free Library bin. Or leave
a random copy behind in a coffee shop or public space.

You are welcome to quote the book directly when you are sharing it as long as
you refer to the book by title and author when you do so. You are also welcome
to use any images of the book’s cover. However, please do not copy and share
any of the exercises without getting my express permission. Doing so violates
terms of copyright. I’m happy to work with you! You can email me at
[email protected] with any questions.

Whether or not you choose to share this book with others, I hope that you find it
to be a useful tool. That you are even choosing to try it for yourself makes me
endlessly happy. May you find peace, joy and growth in these pages.
Resources for Learning to Crochet

The exercises in Hook to Heal are designed to be adaptable to all different skill
levels of crochet. However, this book does not teach you how to do the craft.
Here are some of my favorite resources for learning how to crochet if you’re a
beginner. (These sources were relevant and active as of November 2015):
Online Crochet Lessons

You can gain a solid introduction to the basics of crochet from the following
sources:
Crochet School (23 Online Lessons) by Craftyminx:
http://www.craftyminx.com/2011/11/crochet-school-.html/
Learn How to Crochet (Beginner’s Course) by Moogly:
http://www.mooglyblog.com/learn-how-to-crochet/
How to Crochet for Beginners (24 Courses) by The Crochet Crowd:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL69F5A7FE3F95232F
Various Online Classes at Craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com

You can also find links to a variety of specific techniques and tutorials on
Crochet Concupiscence at http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/how-to-
crochet-crochet-tutorials-roundup/.

“How to Crochet” Books

There are many, many great crochet books out there. Some of my favorites for
beginners are:
The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert
The Crochet Workshop: Learn to Crochet in Quick and Easy Steps
by Emma Osmond
Basic Crocheting and Projects by Sharon Hernes Silverman
How to Crochet by Sara Delaney
Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet

You can also learn to crochet from in-person lessons, which are usually offered
through local craft stores. Everyone learns differently, so find the learning style
that works best for you!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
How to Use this Book
GATHERING THE TOOLS YOU NEED FOR THIS CREATIVE JOURNEY TOOL #1: CROCHET
JOURNAL
TOOL #2: MINDFULNESS
TOOL #3: YOUR CREATIVE COMMITMENT
MINDFULNESS CROCHET
MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #1: BASIC PRACTICE MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #2: NOTICE
EVERY ASPECT OF THE STITCH MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #3: MANTRA CROCHET MINDFULNESS
CROCHET EXERCISE #4: 60 SECOND OBSERVATION MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #5: INCREASED
BREATHING TRIANGLE MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #6: NEVER-ENDING CIRCLE MINDFULNESS
CROCHET EXERCISE #7: CHOOSE A MINDFULNESS CUE MINDFULNESS CROCHET EXERCISE #8:
MICROMOMENTS OF CROCHET LETTING GO, RELEASING, RELAXING
LETTING GO EXERCISE #1: THE “WRONG” MATERIALS LETTING GO EXERCISE #2: BE A BEGINNER
LETTING GO EXERCISE #3: JOIN A MYSTERY CROCHET-A-LONG LETTING GO EXERCISE #4: RIP IT, RIP IT,
RIP IT LETTING GO EXERCISE #5: TOSS YOUR WIPS
LETTING GO EXERCISE #6: INTENTIONAL MISTAKE SELF-CARE AND SELF-ESTEEM BUILDING
AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #1: UNCOVER YOUR NEGATIVE CRAFTY SELF-TALK AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #2:
EXCAVATING THE NEGATIVE SOURCES AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #3: FLIP IT AROUND
AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #4: UNCOVERING YOUR AFFIRMATIONS AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #5: SIMPLE
REPEAT AFFIRMATION AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE #6: END-OF-ROW AFFIRMATIONS AFFIRMATIONS EXERCISE
#7: SETTING INTENTIONS SELF-CARE EXERCISE #8: CROCHET FOR DIET CRAVINGS AND ADDICTIONS SELF-
CARE EXERCISE #9: CROCHET AS PART OF YOUR SLEEP ROUTINE SELF-CARE EXERCISE #10:
DECLUTTERING YOUR MAKES SELF-CARE EXERCISE #11: MAKE SOMETHING THAT YOU NEED SELF-CARE
EXERCISE #12: CROCHET A BASKET FOR ITEMS YOU LOVE SELF-CARE EXERCISE #13: SET THE
ENVIRONMENT SELF-CARE EXERCISE #14: A LIST OF SAFE PROJECTS EMBRACE A SENSE OF
ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE EXERCISE #1: RANDOM LINES PATTERN ADVENTURE EXERCISE #2: FOUND LINES PATTERN
ADVENTURE EXERCISE #3: RESEARCH A CROCHET ARTIST ADVENTURE EXERCISE #4: RESEARCH A PERIOD
OF CROCHET HISTORY IN DEPTH ADVENTURE EXERCISE #5: OTHER AREAS OF CROCHET RESEARCH
ADVENTURE EXERCISE #6: GO ON A CROCHET RETREAT ADVENTURE EXERCISE #7: USE UNPREDICTABLE
COLORS IN CROCHET ADVENTURE EXERCISE #8: CROCHET IN AN UNEXPECTED PLACE ADVENTURE
EXERCISE #9: ORDER SURPRISE YARN!
FACING FEARS
FACING FEARS EXERCISE #1: FEAR OF CHANGE
FACING FEARS EXERCISE #2: BUILDING BLOCKS OF GROWTH FACING FEARS EXERCISE #3: FEAR OF
TRYING NEW THINGS FACING FEARS EXERCISE #4: FEAR OF NOT BEING PERFECT FACING FEARS EXERCISE
#5: FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN FACING FEARS EXERCISE #6: MAKE A MAGIC BALL OF YARN FACING FEARS
EXERCISE #7: JEALOUSY & FEAR OF NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH FACING FEARS EXERCISE #8: FEAR OF
REJECTION FACING FEARS EXERCISE #9: ADDRESSING EXCUSES FACING FEARS EXERCISE #10: THE VALUE
OF CRAFT CREATE ABUNDANCE
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #1: FEAR OF SCARCITY
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #2: ABUNDANCE OF PROJECTS ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #3: HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #4: ENJOY YOUR YARN
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #5: “NOT ENOUGH TIME”
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #6: CROCHET IN EXCESS
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #7: “NOT ENOUGH SPACE”
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #8: “NOT ENOUGH ENERGY”
ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #9: THE STAGES OF HAPPINESS ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #10: CROCHET FOR ALL FIVE
SENSES ABUNDANCE EXERCISE #11: CROCHET YOURSELF A SPECIAL GIFT RELATIONSHIPS AND
CONNECTING
RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #1: SWAP CRAFT LOVE WITH YOUR PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #2:
FAMILY CRAFT HOUR RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #3: APPRECIATION BLANKET RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #4:
RE-CREATE A FAVORITE MEMORY IN CROCHET RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #5: CROCHET A GIFT WITH
INTENTION RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #6: MAKE FRIENDS THROUGH CROCHET RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE
#7: CREATE A CROCHET BOOK CLUB RELATIONSHIPS EXERCISE #8: CRAFTING FAMILY TREE GIVING
BACK
GIVING BACK EXERCISE #1: CROCHET FOR A CHARITY GIVING BACK EXERCISE #2: TEACH SOMEONE TO
CROCHET GIVING BACK EXERCISE #3: DONATE SUPPLIES
GIVING BACK EXERCISE #4: YARNBOMBING TO RAISE AWARENESS GIVING BACK EXERCISE #5: CHARITY
CROCHET GROUP GIVING BACK EXERCISE #6: SLOW YARN!
GIVING BACK EXERCISE #7: SUPPORT FAIR TRADE CROCHET BALANCE
BALANCE EXERCISE #1: SAME ITEM, DIFFERENT YARN BALANCE EXERCISE #2: HOLDING YOUR HOOK
BALANCE EXERCISE #3: ONE ITEM, ONE CHANGE BALANCE EXERCISE #4: FOUR-HANDED CROCHET
PROJECT BALANCE EXERCISE #5: MANY HANDS, ONE PROJECT BALANCE EXERCISE #6: CONVERTIBLE
CROCHET
BALANCE EXERCISE #7: REVERSIBLE CROCHET
BALANCE EXERCISE #8: SYMMETRICAL CROCHET
BALANCE EXERCISE #9: CROCHET A PUZZLE
BALANCE EXERCISE #10: CROCHET THE MISSING PIECE BALANCE EXERCISE #11: THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT
YOU WANT TO MAKE BALANCE EXERCISE #12: CROCHET A STONE PAPERWEIGHT BALANCE CROCHET
EXERCISE #13: CHAKRA CROCHET ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT
ART EXERCISE #1: FRAME YOUR CROCHET
ART EXERCISE #2: CROCHET A FRAME
ART EXERCISE #3: CROCHET COLLAGE ON CANVAS ART EXERCISE #4: CROCHET PAINTING ON CANVAS ART
EXERCISE #5: CROCHET A 3 DIMENSIONAL SCENE ART EXERCISE #6: CROCHET A SELF PORTRAIT
ART EXERCISE #7: MIXED MEDIA CROCHET ART
ART EXERCISE #8: CROCHET A COLOR WHEEL
ART EXERCISE #9: CROCHET INSPIRATION BOARD ART EXERCISE #10: WRITE A STORY AND CROCHET THE
CHARACTERS ART EXERCISE #11: SUBMIT YOUR WORK TO AN ART EXHIBIT ART EXERCISE #12: CROCHET
A DREAM CATCHER CONCLUSION: BACK TO THE BEGINNING
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
BOOKS
CHARITIES THAT ACCEPT CROCHET DONATIONS
FAIR TRADE CROCHET ORGANIZATIONS
SPECIAL THANKS
Introduction

I am an artist. So are you. Bear with me if you don’t believe that yet,
because by the end of your journey through this creativity workbook you’ll
understand exactly what I mean.
I was born into a home that was absent of religion. In the vacuum, I had
to invent my own belief system. I had to seek and search and question and
struggle. It is still difficult for me to comfortably say aloud that I am spiritual.
And yet, it has never been difficult for me to say that I am creative. An artist?
Yes, that was hard to learn to say and own. A writer, slightly less so but still
difficult to claim. But creative? That was never tough to say. Creativity seems
like the most natural way of life for me. And in learning to embrace that natural
drive that is my creativity, I came to view creativity as the foundation of my own
spiritual practice.
We all create. We do it in ways big and small every single day,
intentionally and unintentionally. We create personal fashion styles through the
clothes we select and combine and wear at different times in our lives. We create
magical moments when we say the right word at the right time or allow the right
space to happen when things need to pause. We create relationships with others.
We create ourselves. Creation, creativity … it’s at the heart of all that we do.
And yet there remain so many people who deny their creativity. I find this all too
often in my life and it especially saddens me when I see it in the craft
community where people are making something by hand every single day and
yet hesitate to name themselves as creative, let alone as artists!
I am here to show you that you are creative. I am here to let you
discover for yourself that you are an artist. And more than that, I am here to
encourage you to own those names and honor them because in doing so you
make more room for creativity and art in your life. In my opinion, the world
thrives when each of us creates in the way that is truest to our hearts, when we
do it often, when we do it daily, when we create in every single breath that we
take and word choice that we make and stitch that we pull up onto a hook.
Anyone who follows my writing for any length of time will eventually
come to hear me share my very favorite all-time quote. It is the quote from
Martha Graham when she brilliantly said:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated
through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of
time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist
through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it.
It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor
how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it
yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even
have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open
and aware to the urges that motivate you."

I not only love the language of this quote but it remains my favorite
quote over all the years and everything else I’ve read because it hits so close to
the core of what I personally believe is true. I believe that we are each born with
a unique self and this self gets information and input and influences all
throughout the course of life. There is no one else in the entire history of the
universe who has had the exact same combination of the original born self and
those influences and experiences and therefore there is no one who is exactly
like you. I believe that it adds value to the entire world when you share that
unique self with others through your creativity. We are all connected, we are all
contributing to a piece of a larger whole that is this world and this history that
we both inherit and create, and we each have the responsibility to become our
best, fullest, truest selves in order to give the most back to that bigger thing
beyond us. How magical it is that in doing that we also get to be entirely self-
focused in the sense that we get to turn deeply inwards and really hear and
experience our own truths as valid. We get to have our own original unique
experience and expression and simply by doing that we offer something to the
world around us.
I believe that this is a magical opportunity, a true gift, and also a
responsibility. I believe that when we fail to become our fullest creative selves,
the world loses out. And I believe that when we denigrate or dismiss our creative
abilities, when we are too scared to call ourselves artists and too timid to carve
out the time to intentionally create, that we are doing damage to the world
around us because we are not giving it our maximum potential. Some have said
that it is selfish to take time to create art. I know of people who crochet that hide
their yarn stash and lie about the amount of time that they spend on their craft
because they feel guilty, thinking that they are being selfish by indulging
“wastefully” in this craft that no one else understands. I say that this way of
thinking is a harmful lie. I say that it is the opposite that is the truth; it is when
we don’t create art and when we don’t take time for craft that we are really being
selfish because it is in the act of not owning our full creative potential that we do
the most harm to others around us. I believe that the only way to be our best