Having a hobby in your life that lets you relax and unleash your creativity is a lot of fun. What’s even more enjoyable is becoming part of a community of like-minded individuals, and sharing your creations with the entire internet.
That’s where the r/crochet subreddit, a wholesome community of 738k Reddit users, comes in. These crochet enthusiasts—from yarn and hook veterans to fresh-faced amateurs—share their most creative, beautiful, and cool designs with each other. We’ve collected some of their most impressive recent works to inspire you, Pandas. Scroll down to take a peek… but don’t blame us if you have the sudden urge to pick up crochet!
The friendly team helping to run the r/crochet hobby community was kind enough to answer a few of Bored Panda’s questions. You’ll find our full interview with one of the moderators below.
More info: Reddit | Wiki | Question Hub
#1 Birthday Gift For My Niece. Lily Of The Valley Night Lamp
Image credits: krystall71
A member of the r/crochet team shed some light on the fact that all of the moderators there are volunteers who are doing what they do for the love of the craft.
“We’re fortunate to have multiple sweet moderators who can spend anywhere from 7-14 hours/week moderating r/crochet,” they shared with Bored Panda.
“Our greatest challenges are keeping up with community-voted rules and encouraging people to follow them so everyone can enjoy time spent in the sub.”
#2 My Friends Dog Passed So I Crocheted Her A Loving Reminder! ♥️
Image credits: ButtCrawler101
#3 My Skull Parasol Is Complete!
Image credits: KillMeSoftnSweet
We were curious about what advice the mods would give someone who’s entirely new to the craft but finding it difficult to progress as fast as they’d like.
“Whenever a novice crocheter expresses frustration with learning, we have lots of suggestions!” the moderator said.
“While video tutorials are popular, like any other subject there are fabulous written, photo, and individual (hands-on) learning resources. All they need to do is search and ask and keep trying to connect with their own creativity!” the redditor told Bored Panda.
“There are so many facets of crochet, it takes time and effort to get all of these in sync.”
#4 Has Anyone Seen This Pattern?
Image credits: AntsOfTheSky26
#5 Are These Good Enough To Gift?
Image credits: GaiasEyes
#6 Made This Little Opossum For A Friend And She Loved It
Image credits: _ashleycrossing
Meanwhile, we asked the internet user about the most popular crochet trends in 2023.
“There are at least 20 different types of crochet, so it’s challenging to pick one popular trend!” they shared with us.
“Crocheting customized items for family, friends, charity, and ourselves involves limitless aspects from wearables to home decor to toys and many practical patterns, too.”
#7 I Took Up Crocheting While Pregnant, And Created An Army. We Ride At Dawn
Image credits: Mysterious-Cod5972
#8 Crochet Doorstop – How To Add Weight?
Image credits: cosmozinnia
#9 I Finished My Giant Snail ?
Image credits: pennyfanclub
The online group was first created in September 2008. Over the past 15 (yes, that’s right, 15!) years, the r/crochet subreddit has grown by leaps and bounds to the behemoth of crafty creativity that it is today.
At the time of writing, the sub had already swelled to 738k members. And there’s no sign that the supportive community is going to stop growing any time soon. There’s just too much yarny wholesomeness concentrated in that group for that to happen.
There is, however, a mystery surrounding the roots of the community. Its birth, to put it dramatically, is shrouded in shadow.
#10 My Bff Has A History Of Accidentally Killing Fish So I Made Her Some That Can’t Die ?
Image credits: Kviiilyn13
#11 My First Crocheted Maxi Dress!!
Image credits: xtycraftswhatever
#12 Freeform Blob 🙂
Image credits: V_LochNessLobster_V
“No one currently on the moderation team knows how the sub began in 2008,” one of the members of the friendly moderator team shared with Bored Panda during an interview a couple of years ago.
However, it’s quite likely that someone who was a big fan of crochet created the group to share their designs and invite others to do the same. For one reason or another, the founder may have stopped being active on Reddit and the control of the community passed to other internet users who picked up the moderator mantle.
Whatever the case might be, these days, the subreddit is thriving beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
#13 This Octupus Took Me A Lot Of Time. I Love It!
Image credits: Adept_Leave7106
#14 It’s Finally Done! My Hand Is Ready For A Break ?
Image credits: meezert
#15 My BF Will Be Going On Holiday For Almost A Month, And Since I Won’t Be Able To Come With Him, I Made Him A Lil’ Robin That He Can Take With Him (My Name Is Robin)
Image credits: Royana_
A huge part of the subreddit’s success comes down to the type of content it’s focused on. Colorful, creative, and eye-catching designs are bound to make you stop while scrolling through your feed.
And the thing is, anyone can try to copy these designs at home. If you have any questions, you can always go to the subreddit’s incredibly extensive Wiki or pose a query in the Question Hub.
“Crochet is definitely the most beginner-friendly between crochet, knitting, and sewing. This is because, in part, it’s the easiest to rip apart (called frogging) and go back to fix a mistake,” one of the moderators running the r/crochet community explained to Bored Panda just how approachable the hobby really is.
#16 Just Finished Crocheting The Cutest Triceratops ?
Image credits: nenaplush
#17 My Sil Is Pregnant, And I Made Her This Blanket. I Can Not Wait To Surprise Her With It This Weekend!
Image credits: containerforthechild
#18 Still Finishing The Bead Embroidery And Resinwork, But All Yarn Work Is Mostly Complete!
Image credits: PrincessVictory1
“Most beginners often find difficulty in knowing where to place the hook in each stitch and figuring out how to coordinate holding the yarn, hook, and work all at the same time!” they mod pointed out that there are some challenges that do crop up. They are, however, very surmountable. All it takes is a bit of patience, dedication, and the willingness to learn from mistakes.
#19 I Finished These Two Gents This Week And No Body Was Excited Enough When I Showed Them, But I’m Super Happy With Them
Image credits: faithmauk
#20 A Student Crocheted Her Own Prom Dress
Image credits: ptothedubs
#21 I May Look Crazy, But 33 Hats Down For My Hospitals Labor And Delivery Wing For Donation Today! This Is My First Time Donating And I’m Really Excited ?
Image credits: ayeeoo
The moderator was kind enough to explain the crossover between crochet, knitting, and sewing. The first two are actually quite similar. “They’re both yarn crafts that create fabric. Other similarities include knowing how to count stitches and read written patterns. There is no real crossover with sewing, except perhaps that advanced sewers may have an advantage in understanding how garments drape and fit,” they shared with us.
#22 It’s Done
Image credits: healingspirit143
#23 8 Months Off And On And I Finally Finished This!
Image credits: CrimsonKayZee
#24 I Finally Finished This Cardigan I’ve Been Working On Since January. It’s For My Grandad For His 80th Birthday Next Month
Image credits: MoonlightDaydream
“Learning to crochet, like everything else, has a learning curve! Luckily, it’s pretty easy to get started—all you really need is a hook and a skein of yarn,” the representative of the r/crochet moderator team said, emphasizing that all you need to start are just these two things. Though, of course, a pair of scissors will come in handy, too!
#25 First Project In 50 Years
Image credits: inglis
#26 Thought This Community Would Appreciate My Pregnancy Announcement Props!
Image credits: dudeimagirl
#27 My Dad’s Only Request For His Birthday Was That I Make Him A Doll Of Myself
Image credits: sunkenlilies
“Most people find it easiest to learn from YouTube videos, and they are a fantastic resource for learning new stitches and patterns. There are also some wonderful books out there that can teach every conceivable stitch—you want to look for something called a ‘crochet stitch dictionary’ or similar. Other than that, have fun, and don’t be afraid to experiment! And of course, visit the sub for help or advice!” they urged.
#28 My Friend’s Grandma Made This Masterpiece. Thought This Sub Will Appreciate It. Can’s Believe She Only Spent 25 Days! I Wish I Had This Skills
Image credits: Texgenius577
#29 I Made A Butter-Fly
Image credits: Zaendarh
#30 Made A Couple Of Geodes For A Leaving Colleague With A Geology Degree!
Image credits: Nervous_Hurricane
Though learning a new skill can be tons of fun, depending on how (un)successful you are at the start, you may start feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and demotivated. What helps is embracing a growth mindset not being afraid of mistakes early.
You have to understand that being kind of bad at something is the path to getting sort of good at the skill later on. If you’ve got a supportive community to boost your mood and help you out, it can get you through some rough patches! At the end of the day, it also helps if you enjoy the process of crochet, not just the outcome and praise.
For some more awesome crochet designs and ingenious creativity, be sure to check out Bored Panda’s previous articles about the online community.
#31 People Say Making New Friends Is Hard, But It Only Took Me A Few Hours
Image credits: Iman_oxymoron
#32 Crocheting My Wedding Flowers
Image credits: sacredpotatoes
#33 Made My First Stacking Toy!
Image credits: klara325
#34 Hi! This Is My Latest Work, It Took Me About 3 Months 🙂 Let Me Know What You Think Hehe
Image credits: Bpd_Intp
#35 Originally I Wanted Long Sleeves But I Ran Out Of Yarn ? Do They Still Look Like I Wanted Them To Be That Short? ?
Image credits: Aibe96
#36 My First Cardigan
Image credits: Laurmann2000
#37 My Coworker Begged Me For A Red Pterodactyl For His New Baby. I Hope He Likes What I Made! It Even Has A Little Rattle Inside
Image credits: centimental-one
#38 Today I Got To Surprise My Sister With This Bag That I’ve Been Working On For The Last Month And She Loved It ?
Image credits: woogynoogy
#39 I Need To Post This Where Someone Will Appreciate It! I Finally Finished My Neon-Pastel Blanket Of Over-Ambition! About A Years Worth Of Hexagons Made With 7 Hanks Of Fingering Yarn (A Little Over 3,100 Yards!)
Image credits: doneitdan
#40 My Very First Bag!
Image credits: thespookling
#41 I Need An Adult
Image credits: xlou777
#42 I Made Matching Hats For Me And My Very Excited Cat
Image credits: Lucracia07
#43 I Love How This Yarn Is Working Up In Moss Stitch!
Image credits: ShinigamiLeaf
#44 Can’t Put The Hooks Down Now! But… Little Arms, Or A Pair Of Boobs? ?
Image credits: jessdall96
#45 First… Arigurum…arigu….arigrummi?………..stuffy Thing
Image credits: tay_tot
#46 Finished My First Piece Where I Designed It From Start To Finish 🙂
Image credits: pizza4lifeee
#47 My Mostly-Finished Snake And Skull Blanket (Taking A Long Break Before I Add A Border!)
Image credits: oobigaloobi
#48 Finished A Blanket For The State Fair!
Image credits: lemonfrog95
#49 “The Lovers II” By Rene Magritte, Reimagined In Tunisian Crochet By Me
Image credits: grithic
#50 I Thought This Guy Was Gonna Be The Death Of Me. But He Found A New Home At My Farmer’s Market Today!
Image credits: [deleted]