Timmy Willie!!

Behold… Timmy Willie!!

Or, in other words, my first attempt at cross-stitch. Lately, I’ve been into reading, fishing, and shooting, but I decided to put the books down, pack the fishing rod up, and wash the lead off my hands to give cross-stitch a try. I think that sentence is actually code for my librarian, older brother, and grandmother are my best buddies, but no complaints here. I’d be a shell of a person if my days didn’t look like struggling to outshoot my brother before sitting down to tea with my lovely grandma.

Anyhow — cross-stitch. I think as far as indoor hobbies go, this one might be fighting its way to the top of my list. Even though I’ve loved crochet since first picking it up a few years ago, there are a few points I struggle with; first, I could not follow a pattern if the livelihood of the entire Earth depended on it. In my last attempt, I endeavored to crochet a super-simple lab puppy. I think my grandma screamed when she saw it.

My other qualm with crochet is it’s hard for me to find a clear stopping point. I become so intent on finishing the project, I forget to eat, sleep, leave the continent, buy an island, form a new country where annual Wii Sports Olympics (think Hunger Games, but gorier) are required for residency, or even use the bathroom! I get so absorbed in the project, I can’t seem to put it down until it’s finished. And, if I do make the mistake of pausing the project, there is a .03% chance I will ever pick it up again. Dopamine is weird, man. If there is a project that interests me, I’ll work at it all day with nothing but a sip of water and a single well-timed bathroom break. In the same breath, simple, dull tasks — like taking eight seconds to put away a pair of socks — can’t be completed before I’ve had three full meals and two hour long peptalk. I’m Sisyphus and those dadgum socks are my boulder.

So… cross-stitch! (I promise I’m focused this time.) Cross-stitch sidesteps my crochet conundrum by having a very easy-to-follow pattern & very clear stopping points. When I become overly focused on putting in stitches and forget exactly where I was, it’s very easy for me to reference my guide and find my place, rather than constantly counting and recounting the rounds in my crochet project.

This also helps with my second issue — stopping and starting. Because it’s so easy to find my place, it’s far less daunting for me to take a break and return a few minutes (or hours!) later. Constantly switching floss to change up the color is also helpful in setting obvious stopping points. I tell myself I’ll take a break once that length of floss or color is finished, and return to the task once I’ve gone for a walk or had a snack. As a result, the project has felt far more enjoyable and less like a chore. I still think crochet is a sweet hobby to pick up, but I’ve definitely found my preference!

I’ve heard that we humans spend a great deal of time now consuming, while our inner psyche begs us to create. Whether it be stories, music, recipes, a home, a country with a bizzaro annual Wii Sports Tournament, or a teeny mouse formed by colored threads, creating/building is a fine way to spend your free time.

P.S.: You can find the Timmy Willie cross stitch kit here. This isn’t an affiliate link — just thought I’d include it in case someone was interested in it!