March is National Craft Month and since craft is our passion at Tierra Wools, we've compiled a list of the top ten reasons we love wool and weaving craft!
1. Crafting preserves traditions
The traditional methods of weaving, dyeing, and spinning that we use at Tierra Wools connect us to our crafting ancestors who perfected, preserved, and passed down these techniques to us.
2. Crafting connects us to nature
Working with our wools brings us into intimate contact with a beautiful, natural, traceable material – we know the animals who produced these fibers.
3. Crafting enhances fine-motor skills
Working with a drop spindle, a pair of knitting needles, or a weaving shuttle teaches new and enhances existing muscle patterns to promote small-motor dexterity.
4. Crafting promotes flow
Flow is a positive brain state described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in which we are able to use the skills we have to carry out a task that challenges our abilities in an immensely satisfying way - the very definition of craft.
5. Crafting nourishes your senses
We love the smell of wool, the feeling of a smooth shuttle or pair of knitting needles in our hands, the sound of the loom as we beat the fabric, and the way our creations grow right before our eyes.
6. Crafting sooths your mind
The repetitive nature of many crafts creates a quiet and contemplative mood that can relieve stress and promote relaxation.
7. Crafting enhances self-efficacy
The pride we feel when we learn a new crafting skill or complete a new project can boost self-esteem and give us the courage to learn or try new things in other areas of our lives.
8. Crafting promotes kindness
As crafters, we know that so many of the things we make are intended as gifts for others – the shawls for ailing friends, the housewarming pillows, the baby blankets we create encourage us to look outside of ourselves and give of ourselves to others.
9. Crafting connects us to each other
Giving and receiving technique tips, pattern ideas, and sharing the miracle of a newly crafted creation brings us crafters together.
10. Crafting brings us joy
And we can all use more joy in our lives!
Did we forget your favorite reason to craft? Send us an email and tell us why you craft!