Book Review: Crochet Saved My Life

Sunday, March 10, 2013

If you’ve ever turned to your hooks
and yarn when times were hard, you will probably see yourself in Crochet Saved My Life: The Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Crochet. Kathryn Vercillo, the blogger behind Crochet Concupiscence, has written and self-published this compelling
non-fiction book which tells the stories of 24 crocheters (including
herself) who attest to the healing power of crochet.

Kathryn’s personal experience using
crochet as part of a comprehensive plan to manage her depression
sparked her interest in researching the mental, physical, and social
benefits of crochet. The book takes a journalistic approach to
exploring research into the potential for using crochet as part of a
treatment plan for several physical and mental health conditions
(depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, post
traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, bipopular disorder,
Alzheimer’s and other age related memory conditions, and stress).
Kathryn also explores the use of crochet as part of pain management
and occupational therapy regimens.

Each chapter includes a clearly written
overview of research as well as existing programs using crochet (or
other needlecrafts) to treat these conditions. Kathryn’s writing
style is accessible and casual, but she has clearly done her homework
and documents her sources. She also peppers the anecdotal
experiences of the many crocheters she interviewed for the book
throughout the relevant chapters, so you can learn about how crochet
helped them manage their health.

The book includes appendices with
mindfulness activities, hand stretches, and other exercises for
crocheters. Kathryn also shares the complete story of each crafter
she interviewed in “Meet the Crafters” profiles. Crocheters who
are active online will recognize many of Kathryn’s interview
subjects, who include bloggers, Etsy sellers, and designers. The
profiles provide a personal touch and a window into the many ways
that crocheting, creativity, and a community of crafters can support
healing during difficult times.

Although the book is self-published, it
is well written and thoroughly edited. Other than the unconventional
font (which is highly readable), there is little to distinguish it
from a book produced by a major publishing house. Before picking up
the book, I feared it would be depressing, but it is actually quite
uplifting and inspiring. Through the profiles of these creative
women, the reader gets to experience the healing powers of crochet.

Fans of Kathryn’s blog will recognize her conversational tone and
enjoy the opportunity to learn more about other active members of the
online crochet community. This book would also make a delightful
gift for anyone in a helping profession or caregivers, since there
are some great suggestions for using crochet specifically and
needlecrafts in general to support healing.

Retail price:
$17.95 (paperback), $9.99 (Kindle edition). This book is also
available to borrow via the Kindle Lending Library for Amazon Prime
Members.

1 comment:

CGOA welcomes your comments! To help us avoid comment-spam, all comments are moderated. Damaging, hateful, profane, advertising, or solicitation comments will not be approved. If your comment is not approved, please feel free to reword it and post it again. For guild-related questions, please send an email to: cgoanow @ crochet.org (to help us avoid spam, cut and paste address into your email program and remove spaces from "@").

CGOA Member Pics from Chain Link

Important Blog Information

About This Blog

CGOA Now! is the place to find book reviews, the latest news and information about CGOA, and general items of interest from the crochet community. The content of the blog is overseen by the Board of Directors and Chain Link editor Kim Guzman.