Name: Zoe Webster
Age: 23 years old
Country: England
Instagram: @TheWoollyGrammoth
Etsy: TheWoollyGrammoth
About the series
The Healing Craft Series features creators sharing their thoughts and feelings about crafting and healing through crafting.
“My advice is to do it for yourself. If you start doing it for other people you will never be happy.”
Zoe Webster, @TheWoollyGrammoth
What kind of craft do you do and how long have you been doing it for?
I have been able to knit since I was 4, when both my grandmothers and my own mother taught me. I then taught myself to crochet in 2017 and haven’t looked back since. This is definitely my favourite and I started my Instagram and Etsy at the end of March 2020.
What is your favourite place/time of day to craft and why?
If I could, I would craft all day. Unfortunately I am a trainee accountant and I work 9-5 during the week, however my favourite place is in the park outside my house. But in the winter, in front of a fire with a movie on in the background.
What inspires you (in life & in crafting)?
This is a tough question, in life it is my mum, she is such a hard working, loving human being and I couldn’t ask for a better one. She makes me want to be the best that I can be and we are extremely close. I also love that we have the knitting and crocheting in common as it means someone close to me always appreciates and understands what I am doing.
In crafting however, I have many inspirations, I want to design anything and everything but I do not have the technical knowledge to do so therefore someone like yourself, Meghan H Makes, HookedMcr continually inspire me. One day I will be UK wide and then maybe international like Daisyanddime!
How has/is crafting helping you and your mental health?
Crafting has been a huge part of my healing. I originally started to crochet in 2017 having moved to London for my industrial placement year in my accountancy firm. I found all of this extremely scary and the ONLY thing that could distract me was making something. It was so nice to do something with my hands and to create something that I could wear.
This year, the UK has been in lockdown since 27th March and I have been working from home this entire time. I am studying to be a chartered accountant with the ICAEW and I therefore have exams to fulfill. Because we could not escape our buildings it meant that anxious thoughts started creeping in and I also couldnt escape these. I therefore decided to pick up my hook again after seeing my boyfriends mum knit hats for the ICU babies. I also suffer from ADHD and having this output for my extra energy and focusing my mind has, if anything saved me from myself. I am constantly crocheting, I do not know how my family and loved ones put up with me.
The ADHD has now become more controllable and if during work I feel myself escaping concentration, I move away, do one row/round and then return and focus myself. I am therefore so much more productive at both of my jobs and therefore also at revising (we shall see – my exams are in 5 days).
What is your advice to other creators (or newly started creators)?
My advice is to do it for yourself. If you start doing it for other people you will never be happy. Create things that you like, and if other people like them, then cool. Don’t put that pressure on yourself.
I will never send an item that I wouldn’t wear myself and I always have pride in what I make as it still baffles me that I can turn wool into clothing or teddies.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would love you to start a youtube channel on how you make designs up, your techniques and maybe do a vlog and interviews of these on there?