Keeping it Cool w/ Crochet!

Written by Kimberly Kaleta

Imagine this: the day is February 21st, 2022, and you're a marketing student that's already completed their homework. Do you:

A) Study for upcoming exams

B) Catch up on sleep

C) Eat a nutritious meal for once in your college career

D) Learn how to crochet because you've already put it off for so long

If you're like me, you would've chosen option D; learn how to crochet because you've already put it off for so long and you feel like you owe it to yourself to develop a worthwhile hobby. Ever since the fall of 2021, I've found myself to be obsessed with what the Internet calls "crochet cat hats," and made it my goal to crochet one whenever I found the chance to. Thankfully, this chance appeared in February of 2022 when I finally found the motivation to go out and buy the necessary crochet equipment/materials to start and pulled up a cat hat tutorial. As seen above, my first crochet project could honestly be labeled as either a hit or a miss. For myself a year ago, I was absolutely smitten with my first creation. It was one of my favorite colors and kept my little head warm in the winter, and the stitches honestly looked pretty good. Nowadays as I've gained more experience in crocheting, I'd say otherwise. Though my first hat will always be a precious memory to me, I'd have to say that my current work is a lot more presentable and quality looking.

Now you may be wondering, "Kim, was that cat hat the end of your cat hat craze?" No, no it was not. Since that fateful day in February one year and one day ago, I have created eight more cat hats, all varying in color and size. Not only have I created hats for myself, but I've also created four others that I have sold to friends and random people on the Internet. When thinking of cool new hobbies I could try my hand at, I found crochet especially nifty because of three aspects; the beautiful designs people come up with, the ability to make my own clothes, bags, etc., and the potential to make money. As a frugal college student, being able to capitalize off a passion sounded like a dream to me. I was a marketer by heart, so I took this passion and ran with it; all the way to Instagram. To truly market myself as the cool and creative person I am, I pulled out all the shots (my average-at-best creations and my family's hamsters) and took all the photos imaginable. Though I am by no means successful whatsoever, I've found that making cute and unique pieces for myself and others (paid for or unpaid) to be a highlight of my days, and a nice way to fulfill my need for a hobby (and $$) and my desire to take photos and post on social media.

Overall, the decision to learn how to crochet was one of the best I've ever made in my life, and I'm eternally grateful for my crochet-loving roommate at the time for inspiring me to finally get started. Though it's only been a year since I started, I have grown so much as a creator and I'm so proud of each and every garment, bag, room decor, etc. that I have created. Crochet has brought me closer to my friends, family, and community at school, and I cannot thank it enough. By finding such a cool creative outlet, I've been able to pour all my love into something that means a lot to me and improve my other creative skills in photography and marketing as well. I hope that as my crochet journey continues, I am able to design my own pieces to share with my community and show the world just how far your creativity can take you.

Pictures Included Above Can Be Found At: https://www.instagram.com/stitchedbykim/