Letter From the Editor - Sept. 17, 2026

Call Me a Hooker

In the multiple attempts of writing this letter, I think I have finally settled on what I want to talk about. Crocheting.

About a year and a half ago, I took up crocheting. Which I have been told is a “grandma hobby.” I started with a dishcloth. Dishcloths are supposed to be square. I knew this, but mine ended as a triangle. I got better however and now I can make a square. Yay!

I have realized that when I start a hobby, as I seem to do every other week, I tend to try it, make a little project, and then decide I am an expert. This was no different. After finishing my triangular dishcloth and a four month hiatus from the craft, I found a granny square, sunflower blanket pattern and thought “I can do that.” Could I? I bet you are just shaking with anticipation. And the answer is: well kind of. After making about fifty granny squares, I realized that I had been doing the rounds incorrectly. But they did look like sunflowers and I was pleased. I had proved I could do something beside a triangle. I abandoned the project and set to other things. I kept crocheting and it is the main way I spend my freetime. I now get made fun of ruthlessly by my less granny-like friends.

Currently, I am working on a crochet quilt and I gave myself until Christmas to finish it. I have one square done with 15 left. I am also working on a mesh and hexagon sweater, setting a completion date for October. I am dead set on completing these. And I will be showing my progress in every letter. It keeps me accountable and hey, this is my letter now, and while I am allowed to write, I might as well enjoy it.

If anyone is looking for a hobby, I highly recommend crocheting. Is it relaxing? Yes. Well, not when you skip a stitch and have to frog it. Or when you are learning how to do a magic ring. Or when your yarn decides to barf. Is it inexpensive? Yes. Unless you see that Michaels has a bunch of yarn on clearance and you break your no buy rule. But it is satisfying and fun and incredibly versatile. Want to make a minecraft cup cozy, a cowboy dinosaur, or a nice beanie. Crocheting can do all that. It may make you cry, but it will build character. I couldn’t have sat through all three seasons of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” without it.