Humans of East: Anna Wurst

After experimenting with different failed or subpar art forms during quarantine, sophomore Anna Wurst eventually picked up crocheting. Now that she’s been working on crocheting projects for about a year, she’s learned a lot about the yarn-based art form.

When did you first start to crochet?

“It was like June or July. I’d had several failed quarantine crafts. It was nice because with crocheting you have a very quick turnaround with something that looks cool, rather than knitting where it takes a long time for something to look cool.”

What got you into crocheting at first?

“I used to knit when I was really little. I wasn’t very good at it, but I was like ‘I kind of want to take that up again,’ so I spent one day knitting and I was like ‘no,’ and then started crocheting instead. It’s just a different yarn art.”

What do you like about crocheting?

“It’s very repetitive motion, but there’s more to it than knitting. Knitting makes my head hurt, I don’t know why, but it does. Once you start you can very quickly see what it’s going to look like, which helps me keep my concentration and attention to finishing something.”

What types of things do you crochet? What are your favorite things to make?

“I love making tote bags. I’ve made a mesh market bag and one of those really solid tote bags, and then a bag made out of squares that have sunflowers on them. I’m working on one of those right now. Those are kind of my favorite because you make them out of squares, and then it’s basically done.”

Where do you get your supplies?

“Joann’s for the most part. If there’s a very specific brand of yarn I want, Hobby Lobby has this one very specific brand of cotton yarn that I like, and most cotton yarns are a little bit stiffer, so I go to Hobby Lobby for that very one specific cotton yarn. I’ll get yarn wherever, and I’ll just get hooks off of Amazon.”

Do you crochet things for yourself or for other people as well?

“I love making things for other people, but I also like keeping the things that I make. [It’s] sometimes hard when I have to part with the things that I make.”

What’s the hardest part of crocheting something for you?

“Kind of memorizing all of the different stitches and then learning how to keep the tension on my crochet hook, but once you master that it’s pretty easy. The thing I hate most about crocheting is weaving in my ends when I’m done, but that’s a whole different issue.”