Coffee Cozies and Benefits #diglitclass

So, this week not only did I do some actual crocheting, but I also researched some of the health benefits of doing yarn crafts such as crocheting. For my actual project that I did this week, I crocheted coffee cozies for a friend of mine. She loves coffee and bought some coffee mugs. They aren’t the easiest to hold while hot coffee is in them though, because of how hot they become. So, she asked me to crochet her some really simple coffee mug cozies. This project didn’t take me quite two hours to complete though, so I decided to do some research on the health benefits of yarn crafting. In the article 10 Most Important Health Benefits of Yarncrafting, there are some huge benefits. One benefit is that knitting and crocheting are stress relievers. they allow people to just forget about their troubles for a short time. Yarn work also decreases anxiety. Crocheting and knitting also relieves depression. The article states that the repetitive motion of crocheting releases the natural anti-depressant hormone serotonin. Crocheting and knitting also has been linked to the postponing or reducing of dementia. The article says that the act of knitting and crocheting soothes those experiencing memory loss and that the simple acts of these activities can postpone memory problems. Another benefit that hits a different area of health is a higher self-esteem. The completion of a project is a satisfying feeling. It boosts your self-esteem to see that people think you are good at something. Crocheting and knitting can work at relaxation which in and of itself is a huge health benefit. Another benefit that may benefit a person in a slightly different way is crocheting and prayer. In my church, we have a prayer shawl ministry. Prayer has been proven to be a huge health benefit for many people and crocheting is an outlet to give you the time and clear mind to pray.

In the weeks to come there are several projects I would like to begin and complete. I still would like to make a stuffed animal bunny. I should be able to begin and complete that fairly soon. I also want to start on the afghan project for my dad within the next week or two. I would also like to complete some baby hats to donate to the local hospital.

To get some ideas of projects I could do, I reached out to my friends over Facebook. One friend messaged me asking if I would like his mom to send me some patterns. I said sure and gave him my address. A few days later, I received a stuffed envelope full of small magazines that had patterns and several paper copies of random pattern ideas from my friend’s mom (whom I’d never met). She enclosed a letter explaining what some of the patterns were for. She also enclosed a bookmark cross made by crocheting thread. It was so awesome how crocheting builds a community and helps make friends. I might try crocheting using thread.

The left picture is the coffee cozies that I made. The right picture is the mail I received from my friend’s mom! Both pictures were taken by me.