With having a new baby on board I find it quite difficult to find the time to crochet. I used to be able to pick up my hook and skeins of yarn just about any time I wanted. I could work up a crochet pattern in an hour, a week or a month. It didn’t matter how fast or slow I went because I had the time. Nowadays I can’t even keep my dates straight and I’m certainly living hour by hour, aka feeding by feeding. I’m not sure how all you parents and grandparents find the time to work up those new patterns. When baby sleeps, shouldn’t you be sleeping? Or eating or doing laundry or cleaning bottles or doing anything baby related! Baby comes first these days. Sometimes when my husband comes home I think “hey, maybe I should pretend to have a really bad stomach ache and go crochet in the bathroom and he’ll never know.” HA, that’d be quite interesting.
With that I bring you to today’s Reader’s En-Gauge question. Last week we asked you how you learned to read crochet patterns. This week it’s all about finding the time to crochet patterns. If you’re a parent, a grandparent or even a nanny who loves to crochet, how do you do it? Where the heck do you find the time?
What are some tips on how to set aside crochet time to yourself?
We can’t wait to hear all your great answers!
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I always blocked off a few minutes everyday for me. The kids grew to know that was my time and unless they came in with a bloody stump (LOL) they left me alone. If Mom was happy, everyone was happy. I also let my husband know I was in need of time for me, everyone was clear and it got me through the day.
Anytime I have at least one minute. I even do it waiting at a red light or waiting in line at the store. I always have a project with me in my oversized purse.
I work on it at night when I watch tv. I also joined a knitting group that meets twice a month. The weeks that the knitting doesn’t meet, the crochet group meets. I also work on it during the weekend.
I find the early mornings are quiet times so thats perfect for me before all things must begin for the day! easy to sit and stitch while the house is quiet …. just me my yarn and some coffee
I crochet whenever I sit to watch tv or in church. I crochet whenever I sit down, ride the bus, while waiting for appointment, any time that would otherwise be wasted time. I enjoy crocheting in church as it allows me to listen while doing something and not fall asleep.
I crochet or knit when ever now that I am retired. I try and sit for an hour or so daily as it is helpful to get away from the stress of life and enjoy ones hobby.
when I was young, I raised 5 boys,had a full time job so not much time to knit, did little projects, now, my boys are older, but still have 2 at home, they both work so I keep it beside my couch and every time I sit down to watch news or show, I grab it and work on it. also, I learned to croquet and I am doing an afghan. Every little stitch counts.
There are several things that I do. First of all I try to plan meals that I can use left overs to make a second “quickie” meal. ( I work 10+ hours a day, so every little bit helps.) I also de-stress at lunch by knitting or crocheting a few rows of a project before returning to work. And I also try to put an hour or so aside at the end of the night, put on some music, and relax before bed..sometimes with a nice cup of herbal tea, or even with a nice chardonnay.
I crochet while watching TV or on Sunday afternoons while my husband is watching games on TV. Sunday afternoons are the perfect time to sit in my rocker and crochet…if I can keep the cats out of my yarn bag!
I always carry a small project in my purse because even if I squeeze a row in here and there while waiting it gives me peace.
ANY time is a good time to crochet! That’s the great thing about crochet – you can pick it up and quit and start again anytime you want!
I’m single, with one job, and I wonder how anyone with kids gets anything done, myself! I virtually live the life of a bachelor, with few duties, but I never seem to have time!
ANY time is a great time to crochet! That’s the neatest thing about crochet -you can start and/or stop it anytime you want!
Needlework, whether crocheting, knitting, or some other form, is relaxing for me, so it is a part of my self-care routine. I have, indeed, been known to take my handwork into the bathroom and close the door for a while. These days, as I am a clergy person and expected to say Morning and Evening Prayer, I find that listening to a recording in the morning and just doing a couple of rows starts my day in a peaceful way, settling me into being of help to those around me every day, and I make progress on my projects at the same time. Positives for everyone!
i work on my knitting while watching tv at night or late in the afternoon. I also belong to 2 knitting groups that meets for 2 hours each once a week. I take my knitting with me when I have doctor appointments. I hate sitting somewhere with nothing to do.
I used to belong to a knitting group so in trying to not look like a failure I was motivated to knit a bit everyday. But mostly I find the best way to find time to knit (or crochet) is to leave the house and the kids. The library is a good place too.
I carry my crochet work with me almost everywhere. That way, I can always sneak in some time throughout the day. When everyone is watching TV is also a good time.
I leave my house extra earlyin the morning in order not to get stuck in traffic and run the risk of arriving to work late. I usually arrive in work 45 minutes to an hour before my actual start time and I’m the only one in. It’s absolutely amazing how much I can accomplish and how relaxing it is after driving in rush hour traffic. Sometimes, because I know this will be the only time I will have during the day to work on my project, it gives me the extra incentive to get out of bed and get out the door.
I have to set aside time specifically for crocheting/knitting. I don’t have a set time of day, but I always have some time to craft.
In the evening after supper and dishes, everyone knows that’s my crochet time as I watch tv, until I go to bed!
I typically sit down to crochet for about an hour a night. Its always after my child and hubby go to bed, its my way of unwinding the day
You don’t “find time” to crochet – you just do it, and the time finds itself. If you look for, and try to schedule the time, you’ll rarely have time.
I crochet when ever my little Granddaughter eill let me or when they go out for a little while
I am lucky, I get to knit at work (sorry I don’t crochet, I know how I just can’t seem to make anything right) My boss (me) doesn’t mind if I knit as long as my work gets done.
So I basically knit all the time.
I send my kids off to the neighbors. I tell my husband he can do what ever his heart desires, then I get my things together turn on my radio & start my over due projects.
I crochet while watching tv. Since my husband is a sports fanatic I don’t care so much about “watching” it, but it makes for background noise and we are technically spending time together – each doing our preferred hobby.
I’m also part of a Knit or Knot group that meets once a month and that gives me a chance to get out of the house and connect with other crafters.
Two winters ago I got together with some of my girlfriends and I taught them to crochet. While we were doing that the husbands spent time with the kids and talking about whatever men talk about. Now a days I just set some time away like when everyone else is watching tv or I crochet before chores are done. They will always be there.
Well, I know that if you don’t find time for yourself you will find that you lost yourself. You just got to find time somehow and some way to crochet or other hobbies just so that when you come back to the “real” world you will be rested and ready to face it head on.
I crochet on the city bus. Great way to make new friends.
I also work on projects during TV time when husband wants to watch something I’m not as interested in. It’s also in my bag whenever I’m sitting or driving in the car, husband driving of course!
I leave the dust bunnies, dishes and housework to the cleaning fairies and my hubby does most of the cooking. That about sums it up. Hi my name is Robin and I’m a Crochetaholic.
I work on my projects at night while watching tv. I’m a work at home mom to a 13yo and a 6yo. By 8pm work is finished, dinner is over, kids are in pjs and it’s time to crochet! I also love to crochet while watching my beloved Jets =)
I make myself crochet while my son naps. Then I crochet at night. Then one day a week I go to a friends house who also crochets and while our kids play, we can crochet!
When my babies were little and as they grew, my time was after they all went to bed or before they got up in the morning. Now I jus thave to set aside a time that is all mine to do as I want and it is ususally crocheting, knitting, or sewing.
I just make the time. I’m involved with getting my grandkids to school and from school. The rest of the day and evening are mine. Hurry up and do a little cleaning then crochet like mad. I’m selling my baby afghans, so I have to do it. But I love it.
Whereever and however I can find the time. Not only am I addicted to yarn, but also knitting. Im know as the knitting lady. You will never see me without needles in my hands.
I do enjoy when hubbt goes to bed, and I put on the radio, shut off the TV.
Peace and quiet… Knit Time
I make time! Even if it’s just 5 minutes between chores, that is 5 more minutes you have placed into your work. I even took it with me on vacation last week and worked on it in the car.
I get to do my crafts at night and after my work around the house is done,I take it with me to the doctors and work on it while waiting to be seen,
I always got something on hook, usually in a basket by my favourite chair, has are very popular this time of year for christmas gifts, I also have craft day on saturdays with my friend, we sip wine, chat , next thing you know I have something finished. I can’t sit down without having something in my hands to work on. I love it!!
I crochet on the way to work sitting in traffic, when I take a break at work, at home in the morning (I get up extra hour early to crochet) and in the evening! Any spare minute I can!!!
Like some of the other comments, I crochet whenever I have time for it. I do think it’s time for us, as women, to make time for ourselves, to take care of ourselves, mentally, spiritually and physically so that we can be all we need to be for our families. It’s a proven fact that crocheting/knitting is great for mental health.
I’m retired military and have all day to crochet now.
When I was on deployment on the USS Iwo Jima, I brought my yarn and hooks with me. Crocheted in the berthing on my off time.
While watching tv. Keeps me from eating mindlessly. I have no babies but I do remember nursing and knitting at the same time
I have been recently disabled. I have all day to crochet. and I do!
any time the baby is sleeping! lol but i do alot of late night crocheting while hubby is watching his shows!
I work from home so I make the time to crochet. I crochet the most however when my family is watching TV after work. They like the most “interesting” shows…. Big smiles
I usually crochet while watching television, after my 4 year old has gone to bed. I also prioritize crocheting over a full night’s sleep.
I love to crochet while watching TV. It relaxes me and keeps my mind from thinking of things I should be doing instead.
In the evening when I watch TV is my time. My granddaughter is 6 and she has picked out 2 sweater patterns and the yarn for each. She loves to watch her sweaters as they are made.
I crochet when my kids are sleeping. As they get older, it becomes less necessary to sleep when they’re sleeping! Hang in there.
I take my projects along whenever I know I’ll have the opportunity to work on them.
I always keep a project in the car so if I have to wait somewhere…voila!
I am retired and so is hubby so when we both have projects we want to do and not be interrupted slow cooker and casseroles are my best friends. When I want to do a project I dislike having to do other things. Other times I take my projects with me and get in what I can. Have a great day
I try to set aside time at the end of the day while I’m watching tv to work on my latest project. I usually get a little extra time on the weekend to work in some ‘me’ time and get some extra work done. Like many others I use crocheting as my stress buster. So if I have had a hard day or am feeling stressed for whatever reason, I make the time to sneak in a little crocheting. After about ten minutes I have relaxed and can resume my day.
sorry but I do not like the way ur page is set up to many lines and very hard to read.. But I wish u good luck..
Just like anything else you do for yourself, you have to make the time. If you are like me, everyone else comes first, so it’s really hard to make time for yourself (and not feel guilty). I crochet any time I am sitting still. I keep a couple projects by my chair in the living room; one for the house (because it’s too big to take along) and one that’s portable. I crochet while waiting to clock in at work, waiting to pick up someone from work or drs appointment, etc. If all else fails, I crochet while watching the news before bed.
I love to crochet, very relaxing.
The kids are grown and gone, but I found early morning (when I was a stay-at-home mom), or after bedtime were the best times. Now that I work full time, it’s after supper while watching TV.
I crochet or knit in the evenings while hubby controls the remote!
Instead of sitting down and watching tv, I make I keep my hands busy crocheting. I also do it when I am procrasting from other chores!
I always set aside time in the evening after dinner. I find I am more relaxed then.
whenever i am waiting for supper to cook or waiting for my husband to get home from work, i just sit down and grab my crochet and stitch away. a few minutes here and there adds up and in no time you have a project all finished!
In the evening after dinner and all the chores, and kiddos are all ready for school for the next day, I sit down and watch a tv show or a movie and pull out my hook and yarn and get busy.
My day job is as a telephone fundraiser, calling up people and asking them to donate to worthy causes, and I crochet while on the phone. Some of what we do can be rather monotonous – the phone rings, I get their answering machines or no one answers, I mark it as such, and move on to the next call, etc – so I crochet to both keep my hands busy and keep from going cRaZy.
I set my iPhone to alarm every day at a time when I expect to have time or when I will need a break from working. Just scheduling a 15 minute Crochet/Knit break does wonders for a stressed out afternoon.
I still don’t get as much time as I would like, but I actually “make” time to “unwind” in the evenings. After a long day of work I just make my time while I’m sitting down taking a load off my feet for once during the day. In addition, any time I have to ride with hubby to his doctors appointments I take a project with me. “make time for me time” is what hubby calls it..
I crochet while my son naps and at night. When I crochet during the day, he hands me yarn when I need it and gets excited when I start/finish a project (usually crochet things for him). He’s learning to crochet @ 17 months old lol.
It is very hard when the Baby is small and needing 100% + of your time. But by 4 – 5 months, it gets easier. I use to knit or crochet while the baby had tummy time, or swing time, or here lay under this mobile time. I would also crochet small projects while breastfeeding…baby hats and slippers, or even small squares for blankets. Once you both get Breastfeeding down, it is easy to modify you actions to use your free hand. Now that my 3 kids are all in school, I have Mommy TV and Knitting time and I knit while I wait for Piano lessons, Dance lessons, school recitals, school sports…everything.
I keep a WIP in my car for those times I am at the doctor or car dealer, and I don’t watch very much TV, so I curl up with a project and pot of tea.
Ohhh there are about 20 different places and moments to steal a quick stitch or two! I like to have a bag ready to use in a moments notice but the best is just to say ok I need a break and I head to the beach. Perfect place!
When my children were young I was a stay at home mom and I did home daycare. naptime was always the best time to crochet. I found that even if I didn’t take a nap with the children crocheting was a way of relaxing and when naptime was over I was just as refreshed they were. The house was almost always clean because I would clean as I went along. Dinner was prepared while the children enjoyed some cartoon time.. Some how it all worked out .
I work on my knitting usually when my daughter is asleep (naptime or night) or when I can leave her with my husband and get away from the house. I will work on it in my car, then, usually.
I really believe that to be an effective wife and mom (or husband and dad) that we need to take time for ourselves. I am a grandmother now, but when my children were little, I crocheted when they were napping or at school, even if I had to wait on doing a load of laundry or dishes. Mental health is important when rearing children. After all, we don’t want to hurt them! LOL
back in the day, i did my handwork when the babies were down napping, daily chores while they were were ‘up’ and content to watch me buzzing around … then i took and hour after dinner stuff was done and hubby had kid time, for more handwork. that kinda set the pattern so i always had time for me. easy to manage, as i was not a working mom.
To tell you the truth, it’s very difficult with a newborn/infant because you only have a couple of hours between feedings and awake times. I too got very little done in the way of knitting or crocheting during those first few months – at home. At work was a different story – I did lots of crocheting during my pumping breaks. I loved it (and miss it). However, now that my daughter is a toddler, once she goes to bed (and sleeps through the night), I can usually get an hour or so of craft time before I drop off to sleep myself.
As with anything, if it is important to you, you will find the time. I like to work on my projects in the evening, many times enjoying a cup of tea. It’s very relaxing.
I always have a project, or two, going. I work whenever and wherever I can. I have OCD and my Crocheting is very helpful in dealing with it!
Sometimes I crochet on the bus on the way to work. It’s almost an hour long ride. Sometimes I even go into work a little early to give myself a little crochet time. Otherwise I sit down in front of the TV and work on things there. I also joined a group on crochetville where we report in on how many balls or skeins of yarn we use up in a week. It inspires me to find the time somewhere.
I retired! Now, I can crochet whenever I want to, and I DO–ALL the time. Otherwise, I keep small projects in the car for traffic jams, doctor’s office waiting rooms, or ANY place I might have some ‘down’ time.
When I had babies I used to crochet when singing them off to sleep….usually walking up and down the bedroom with my little one in a baby sling @ 2.00 a.m.
I live in the West Indies now so can’t be part of the competition…but I hope you find your crochet way!
Well, I’m not working right now so I do have more than the normal amount of time. I also crochet while watching tv, riding in the car, and just because I want to. I find it’s a great stress reliever and takes my mind off of the things I don’t want to think about for awhile.
I am generally a quilter, but when I need to take breaks and do a different activity because of muscle soreness I knit or crochet…When I started learning to knit and crochet I treated myself like I was in a school where I was the teacher and had to also be the student so as I did this I generated a time pattern for my stitching and knitting and crochetting, which now includes embroidery as well…Nowadays I quilt in the morning and afternoon, then crochet or knit in the evenings…Commercials in tv are helpful too (kind of like crochetting during recess, you know)…Since I love quilting and now knitting so much I find the time is just there…Have a great crochetting or knitting day!!!
I always carry mine with me if I am going to be in the car for more than 5 or 10 minutes. I also work on my projects in the evening while the tv is on.
I like the early morning and late night hours for being able to focus on my project. I also found a few years back that it is really helpful for me to take a class for two hours once a week. This makes it a scheduled activity!
Since I work 2 full time jobs, I try to crochet at lunch and dinner as I really don;t have much time:(
I make a list of things to be done and give it to my husband and I sit and crochet!
No seriously, I just crochet when I want to crochet. Lately I’ve been obsessed with the ruffle scarves!
I use part of my lunch hour ever day. I
also put one hour aside every night while sitting with the family.
My children are grown so I knit (I don’t crochet) while watching tv and my job is such that I can knit at work when I’m not busy. When my children were small I did scrapbooking and got most of it done at a monthly crop. Set aside some time for yourself, even with a baby. Dad can take over for an hour a two on the weekends and for a little while each day. It’s good for both dad and baby and you need the time to keep you sane.
I crochet while watching tv in the evening. It’s relaxing and gives me something to show for the time. Just watching tv is so unproductive.
I find time to crochet when my great granddaughter is in school…….
She is 5 years old……. she wants to learn so when she turns 6 i will try to teach her like my mom taught me at a young age…..
i used to crochet alittle on the weekends if i wasnt working but now that i dont work i can do it anytime i want. i have crocheted alot the past 8 mnths and joined some online groups but still havent found a group that meets that would be close to me.
I find that if it is someting you really want to do – you will find time. I take my crocheting everywhere and crochet any time I have a few extra minutes. Found out that I am a much happier mom, wife, person once I decided I needed and deserved time to do things that relaxed me and made me happy. My best crocheting is in the evening after supper. I AM Happy now!
Now that my boys are all grown and on their own, I can knit every evening while watching a good TV show or movie.
I crochet on trips, by car, plane, or coming later this month, train. I crochet in the evening while watching movies, and during the night if I cannot sleep.
I crochet while waiting at a doctor’s office, at my local senior center before I teach my class in watercolor, when I should be washing dishes or sorting the laundry. I keep several projects going and can pick up any one of them at anytime.
Even though my daughter is grown, it is hard to juggle work, home, and leisure time. I would say its about prioritizing. If I don’t knit or do some sort of crafting one night, I make sure I make a point to get in some “me” time the next night.
My grandkids are not babies anymore. When I go to watch them, I grab my “away” basket. I have some of the older kids wanting to learn to crochet. I am so glad to pass this craft on to them.
Even before I had children and had a busy life I knew crafting was too important to neglect . I set aside a certain amount of time every day for my crafting . it varies day by day depending on what other things I might have to do that day . I raised two children and am now rasing a grandchild and I’m still following my “time budget” It does help that I’m a homemaker and do not work outside the home . Women who raise their families and keep a home and work too are and will always be my heros . I also am vision impaired and don’t drive so I use any and all car trips as “free” time to craft or read .
I am thirteen and I knit and crochet, so when I’m done with school and homework I do either one for a bit. All the Christmas present I give are home made.
I like to knit while watching baseball games – I can get an apple hat done during one game!
Eat first, then Crocheting on my lunch break, and while watching football on the weekends.
I ALWAYS have a project with me. I work while waiting for trains or waiting at doctor or dentist offices. Crochet while the car’s oil is being changed or as the kids have swimming lessons. If I can be discreet and it is any easy project where I do not have to be constantly looking at the pattern, I have been know to work on a small project at a concert or lecture. Whenever someone else is driving, crochet in the car.
I love to crochet for my granddaughter and grandson! Just finished a beautiful baptismal gown , winter hats and am working on a dinasoar sweater for grandson. I love making dolls and crocheted animals for these kids. Crocheting relaxes me and my kids get something made just for them!