5 Things Crochet Taught Me About Patience (That Chronic Illness Didn't)

Living with chronic illness means that patience is supposed to be second nature. Patience for test results. Patience for medication adjustments. Patience for your body to heal, or at least to not flare up every single day. But if I'm honest? That kind of patience feels like waiting in the world's worst doctor's office where the magazines are awful and outdates and the clock ticks louder every second.

Crochet, on the other hand, has taught me a completely different kind of patience. One that I can actually live with. Yarn doesn't judge me. A hook doesn't scold you for being behind schedule or not being able to do enough that week. And stitches, unlike symptoms, don't show up uninvited in the middle of the night.

Here are 5 lessons about patience that I've learned from Crochet that Chronic Illness couldn't quite teach me:

1. Progress Can Be Invisible (Until Suddenly, It Isn't):

When you're crocheting something huge, like a blanket, it feels like you're stitching into a black hole. After a while, you get to this point where you've put in hours at a time and feel like you've gotten nowhere. But then one day you spread it across your lap and it can keep you warm while you work (which is always one of the best feelings!) and realize "Oh wot, this is actually growing, I'm actually making this!"

Chronic illness is a lot like that, except sometimes the "growth" is too hidden to feel encouraging. Crochet reminds me that patience isn't always about immediate results, but more about trusting that little actions add up, even if you don't notice them right away.

2. Frogging is Not Failure

If you've ever ripped out a project (a.k.a "frogged" it), you know the frustrations that comes with undoing hours or work. But here's the thing, that's not wasted time. It's a course correction.

With my health, setbacks often feel like starting over at square one. Crochet has reframed that for me. It's always important to know that sometimes going backward is the only way to move forward. That's not failure, that's resilience.

3. Slower Doesn't Mean Worse

I'll be real, I crochet really fast. my hands move quickly, and it's not super hard for me to whip out a project in shorter time than the pattern suggests. However, there are some days when I've been doing more around the house or more crocheting that I just simply can't move as quickly as I was before, because my hands start hurting a lot faster than most people realize. Sometimes, my hands, my energy, and my brain do not keep up with each other, and that can get extremely frustrating to me. But, the slower my stitches, the longer the project lasts, and the longer I get to enjoy the process and take time for perfecting that project.

Chronic illness frequently slows me down, but crochet taught me that "slow" is not an insult. It's a different kind of rhythm and it still gets you to the finish line.

4. Not Every Project Has to be a Masterpiece

Some days I just end up making a washcloth. Other days, I'm working on a t-shirt dress or some type of complicated cardigan or shirt. Both are equally valid and needed in my product stash.

Patience doesn't always mean waiting for the "big" thing (like a cure, or a huge burst of productivity). Sometimes, patience is choosing the small joy in front of you, a little square of yarn that makes you smile:)

5. The Mess is Part of the Story

Crochet projects don't look cute half way through. There are tangles. There are yarn-babies. There are lopsided edges. There are suspicious looking blobs that were definitely

not there when I went around lat round, but it's 4 rounds down.

Illness has its own messy middle stages too. And while those moments aren't instagram-worthy, crochet taught me that messiness isn't permanent. It's just one stop along the journey to something whole.

Moral of the Story

Chronic Illness has forced patience on me in ways that I never asked for. But, Crochet gifted me patience. The kind of patience that feels softer, gentler, and maybe even a little fun. The kind of patience that reminds me of my grandmother.

Every stitch reminds me that progress isn't always visible, slow isn't bad, and mistakes aren't the end of the world. Sometimes, patience is just showing up, yarn in hand, and trusting that something good will take shape in the end.

Peace, Love, and All the Above,

Ella Marie <3