Contribute To Your De-Stressing

I love when I feel de-stressed and most of the time it is my knitting and crochet that help me do just that. But there is another love that I've talked about that also de-stresses me, that is my love of animals and the outdoors. No I can't swim or bungee jump, but I sure can enjoy a walk in the park. There is something about a walk in a nice park that just calms the nerves. And if there are lakes or ponds it adds to that calmness.

I use to go to the park every other day with a friend and that would be our contribution to our weekly exercise program. Then she found a job - yeah for her and boo for me. I got lazy because I had to go by myself and I stopped. I started walking again around my complex with another person that lives here. But there was something missing.

Through the winter I did not walk because I am not a go out in the cold and walk kind of person. So when the summer came along I said that I wanted to start visiting the park again. At the first park there were rabbits and birds, no lakes nor ponds. I wanted to try a park that was nearer to me. Well, I was glad I did. There are rabbits, turtles, swans, geese, ducks, and several different types of other birds. But the best part of all is that the swans, ducks, rabbits and geese all had babies.






I really enjoy my walks there. Seeing wildlife in action is a beautiful thing. Watching them swim, care for their young, the ducks are so funny as they glide in the water when they come in for a landing, and hearing the beautiful sounds of bird calls as they talk to each other. They can make you laugh.

I was watching one duck trying to eat this piece of hard bread. Maybe it was a pizza crust or piece of bagel, but I could tell that it was hard. He couldn't eat it that way so he took it in his mouth and carried it over to the water, dunked it in the water and he ate the pieces as they got soft enough for him to eat.

I tell people that you don't have to love animals to respect them. Respect where they live and know that we need to share this space called earth. It's far from perfect for them and for us. But it sure would be a lost without these wonderful creatures that we enjoy watching. We can learn so much from them. Just seeing their determination to continue living despite the ruination of their environment for food supply and living space is an encouragement for me.

So the next time you want to de-stress yourself think of going to your local park and see what you can find there to enjoy, admire, and respect. Have a wonderful day.

A Statistical View On Crochet

Do you like statistics? I do especially when it comes to the needle arts. There was this article I found and wanted to share with you to show that crochet is taking the lead as a hot item in the needleart world. This article came from the Craft and Hobby Association's website. This gives a breakdown of the craft industry in sales and its popularity.

If you go to the different needlearts events or conventions during the year you see the big crowds. You might get as excited as I do to see that we have a lot of company out there. But to be able to see it broken down statistically it gives a broader picture. When I look at the sales part I think it is lower on the list because you only need a hook and yarn. If you are really into crochet then you usually have a complete set of hooks. As far as the yarn we all know if you are a crocheter or a knitter then you have your stash.

Craft and Hobby Association (CHA).

CHA ANNOUNCES 2010 CRAFT INDUSTRY STATISTICS

By CHA PR Manager

In a news release posted on April 5, 2011 CHA announced the results of the 2010 CHA U.S. Attitude & Usage Study which presents the top craft sectors and annual consumer spend. The U.S. craft and hobby industry is at $29 billion with about 56% of U.S. households crafting at least once a year. See the complete release below for the top 10 craft sectors by participation and spend.

THE CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2010 CRAFT INDUSTRY STATISTICS

ELMWOOD PARK, NJ (April 5, 2011) The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) announced the 2010 full-year results from its CHA U.S. Attitude & Usage (A&U) Study. The CHA U.S. A&U Study is a custom quantitative research study commissioned to better understand consumer craft spending and behavior in the United States. The CHA U.S. A&U Study found that 56% of U.S. households crafted at least once during 2010, contributing to the $29.2 billion U.S. craft and hobby industry.

Beginning in January 2010, the CHA U.S. A&U Study was upgraded from a direct mail panel format to an online survey questionnaire. The change provided many benefits including greater depth of data on individual craft segments and purchase drivers, and detailed crafting behavior at the individual and household level. Due to the changes in methodology, sample size, and reclassification of craft segments within the 2010 questionnaire, direct comparisons between the 2010 CHA U.S. A&U Study and previous years are not valid, nor recommended.

The CHA U.S. A&U Study tracks sales and other metrics in eight broad categories comprised of 53 individual craft segments. Categories include: General Crafts ($9.9 billion), Fine Arts ($3.7 billion), Paper & Memory Crafts ($3.3 billion), Needle Crafts ($2.9) billion, Artistic Crafts ($2.6 billion), Sewing Crafts ($2.5 billion), Jewelry Making & Bead Crafts ($2.3 billion) and Floral Crafts ($2.0 billion). During 2010, the General Crafts category represented the largest sector at 34% of all industry sales.

The 2010 CHA U.S. A&U Study also ranked the top ten crafting segments based on consumer spending and household participation which collectively represent 19% of the craft segments and 53% ($15.443 billion) of total industry sales.


Top Ten Craft Segments by Sales

1.Woodworking/Wood Crafts $3.322 billion
2.Drawing $2.078 billion
3.Food Crafting $2.001 billion
4.Jewelry Making $1.446 billion
5.Scrapbooking & Memory Crafts $1.440 billion
6.Floral Decorating $1.303 billion
7.Crocheting $1.062 billion
8.Card Making $1.040 billion
9.Home Décor Crafts (Non-Sewing) $948 million
10.Wedding Crafts $803 million

Top Ten Craft Segments by Household Participation*

1.Drawing 21.1 million households
2.Scrapbooking & Memory Crafts 18.4 million
3.Crocheting 17.4 million
4.Woodworking/Wood Crafts 16.8 million
5.Jewelry Making 14.7 million
6.Card Making 14.0 million
7.Floral Decorating 13.6 million
8.Cross-Stitch 13.3 million
9.Knitting 13.0 million
10.Wreath Making 11.6 million
* Based on 114,200,000 U.S. households

The CHA Attitude & Usage Study is fielded by a major global market research survey provider on behalf of the Craft & Hobby Association for its members, to provide consumer insight that guide decision-making. Complete reports are available free to CHA members or for purchase via email request to Keri Cunningham, Marketing Manager, at kcunningham@craftandhobby.org.

CHA previously announced the first-ever quantitative study on the attitudes and shopping behavior of Canadian craft consumers. The CHA Canada Attitude & Usage Study estimates the size of the Canadian craft and hobby market in addition to identifying important attitudinal drivers of crafting frequency and consumer spending. The study was initiated at the request of Canadian members of CHA and is being conducted in both English and French to include the French speaking population. The study follows the same methodology used in the CHA U.S. A&U study. Full year results for 2011 will be available in early 2012.

For us crocheters we are right on point. So keep enjoying one of the most popular hobbies out there.