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Kathryn Vercillo is a San Francisco based freelance writer, blogger and crochet lover. Her most recent book, Crochet Saved My Life, is a non-fiction account of her experience using crochet to heal through depression. Kathryn has also authored two previous books (Ghosts of San Francisco and Ghosts of Alcatraz) and a booklet of articles called When Grandma Isn't Crocheting, She's Hunting Big Game. She has been a contributing author on other book projects.
Kathryn's work has been published in magazines including Latina Magazine and Skope. She has worked as a professional blogger for numerous websites including PC World, Dial-a-phone, SF Travel, and Houzz. Her online articles about crochet have been published around the web on sites that include Crochetvolution, Crochet Liberation Front, SF Indie Fashion and Handmadeology. Her Crochet Concupiscence blog was voted one of the top 5 2012 craft blogs in Inside Crochet Magazine and was a 2011 runner-up for a Flamie award from the CLF.
Kathryn writes from the heart of personal experience, using her own unique view of the world as a starting point to connect with others. She fervently believes that writing should not only be used as catharsis and confession but also worked as a tool to create connections between people.
You can visit her crochet blog at www.crochetconcupiscence.com or learn more about the author at www.kathrynvercillo.com.
Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite
Crochet Saved My Life: The Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Crochet was written by Kathryn Vercillo. Depression is an illness and yet we tend to shy away from admitting we are depressed. There is a stigma that goes along with it. Anyone who has never been depressed can never truly understand how debilitating it can be. Kathryn Vercillo suffered with depression for years. She begins Crochet Saved My Life by introducing herself and sharing her battle with depression. She knew she needed something to distract her and to bring a small amount of pleasure, and that was when she picked up her crochet hook. Her problems were not solved instantly, but it helped. Crocheting gave her an end product so that she felt productive; it restored her ability to make decisions, and it forced her to set goals. Crochet filled her mind, not allowing her to ruminate on negative thoughts. One of the most important things the author wants to accomplish by writing this book is to inform readers that crochet will help not only with depression, but certain other diseases such as arthritis. It exercises the joints. As an avid crocheter, I can attest to Vercillo’s hypothesis concerning the benefits of crocheting.
Crochet Saved my Life will benefit many people. Kathryn Vercillo has included a wide range of disorders that can be helped with a skein of yarn and a crochet hook. I wasn’t surprised by the mental health and hand problems that were mentioned, but when I read about Restless Leg Syndrome I was not only surprised but very interested. Crochet Saved My Life is a fascinating look at an unusual form of therapy. Vercillo writes in an easy to understand manner and yet she writes in depth and with references to back up her statements. The crafter in me would have enjoyed photos and patterns. However, this is a serious book and if they had been included it would have distracted from the book's purpose. The next time you are overcome with depression, pain or anxiety, pull out your hook and yarn - it just might save your life.
