Crocheting in public not only benefits you but also the people around you! Here are 5 benefits of crocheting in public you may not have thought of before.

As you sit in the quiet lobby at the dentist office, waiting for your appointment, you can practically hear your yarn calling out to you from inside your bag.

These are the first few minutes you’ve had to yourself all day, and a little crochet time would be the perfect way to take advantage of them. But what will the people sitting next to you think?

Would crocheting in public make you look weird?

The quick answer is no, my friend, but if you want to dive deeper into the “why”, continue reading to learn 5 excellent reasons why you should be crocheting in public!

1- Crocheting in Public Sparks Inspiration

We never know what the strangers around us are going through. It’s so amazing to me to think, the person sitting next to me has a whole world of worries, troubles, likes, dislikes, and stories, completely different than mine, I will never know.

But what if that stranger sees you making something amazing with just a skein of yarn and a crochet hook.  You could spark something new in them and could potentially change their life!

You could give them a new outlet for dealing with stress, a new hobby for a side hustle, a new charity idea to start changing lives nationally, you never know what seeing you crochet could do for someone else! 

2- Crocheting in Public Initiates Self Promotion

If you crochet for a business or side hustle, taking your WIP with you when you’re in public can be a great form of self-promotion, without being spammy or sales-y.

You are just sitting there crocheting, minding your own business, then suddenly people are so captivated by what magical yarny thing you’re doing and they can’t help but ask you about it!

“What are you knitting?” They may ask.

“Im crocheting a messy bun beanie for my Etsy shop.” You may reply… then the snowball effect takes hold.

End the conversation by casually handing them a business card and you may have just secured a life long customer! 

3- Crocheting in Public Reduces Stress and Anxiety

According to All Free Crochet, crocheting and knitting can reduce stress and anxiety in our lives.

If you are a socially anxious person and don’t enjoy being in public places (where my fellow introverts at ????????‍♀️), crocheting in public can help put your mind at ease.

It gives you something else to focus on, and the repetitive motions of your stitches can be super calming! 

4- Crocheting in Public can Kindle New Friendships

I don’t know about you, but if I see someone crocheting or knitting, I immediately want to talk to them!

Im curious where they got that beautiful squishy yarn, what are they making, is it a gift, do they make for business or as a hobby?

All these thoughts go scampering through my head and I am compelled to go up and introduce myself! This is a great way to make new friends and bonus, you don’t have to be the instigator! Yarny folks may just come up to you and start talking!

5- Crocheting in Public Promotes Confidence

If you are a maker, and you can crochet something with just yarn and a crochet hook, you are like a magician to people who do not know how to crochet.

This is something to be proud of!

You have a talent that has been developed over hours and hours of trial and error, endless frogging, multiple trips to the yarn store, and an uncanny ability to collect crochet patterns on Pinterest.

You have spent time perfecting your skill and now you are amazing.

Silently showing people how amazing you are, by working on your crochet projects in public, is a great way to build up your self-confidence. 

Next time you are dragged to a family event, are spending hours sitting at another soccer practice, or you are taking your kids to the park for some good ol’ vitamin D, bring your WIP along! It may just change your life 😉

PS the backpack holding all my yarn in the picture above is the Namaste Makers Backpack from Jimmy Beans Wool! You can read my full review here!