Craft and Writing

I've been writing stories since I was twelve. Like most people, I read and read through my childhood.

But it's not all I did. My mother was a believer in that old saying, "Idle hands are the devil's playground." So I always made things. My Dad was an autoworker and my mom was stay-at-home, but they were both makers. He worked with wood and she sewed and crocheted. From about the end of September on the kitchen table was Santa's workshop, and Mom taught us all kinds of crafts. We made napkin holders out of craft sticks one year for all the relatives. This was pre-hot glue gun, mind you. Later I learned to sew from those cutout pillow panels Joanne's used to sell. Then it was yarn and crochet. Then I spent my high school weekends doing craft shows with Mom. Turns out, that's how she paid for my college.

Crochet is what stuck with me. I've been crocheting for about 45 years. It's still my side hustle now.

What does this have to do with writing? I have been told more once that if I wanted to be a serious writer, I needed to stop wasting my time with my hooks. And I do. Want to be serious, that is. It's true, crochet takes up a lot of my time. Especially this time of year, with orders and shows.

I did give it up for a while. Without it, I lost focus. I stopped writing, I even stopped reading. I can't explain it, but for me, crochet is necessary to the work. Keeping my hands busy so my brain cah dream is, turns out how I work best.

All of this leads me to my most recently published story, "Crochetwork." Yes. it's a dark fairy tale about growing old and a magic crochet hook. It's up today at Reflex Press and you can read it here: https://www.reflex.press/stories/crochetwork-by-martha-j-allard/?fbclid=IwAR1rqHcOkakTA2YTMwLv3luz00ULUII6oIEK_lh64TzxjfRimEggmSQeCfI

I'm hoping Mom would be proud.