Could Craft With Me become a thing? I think so.

My attention span isn't always what I would like.  I admit, I find it difficult to stick to one task for long enough to get anything done.  So I look around for tricks to hack my brain into getting stuff done.

One of those tricks is watching youtube videos in the background.  It's a lot like when I used to watch TV, I knew the show was a set amount of time, and used that to guide my action.  I would work until the show was over and it really helped to have the background noise to distract the part of my brain that want's to get up and do something else.  Music helps too.

This last few years, I've been using Study With Me and LoFi Girl videos to help my crafting.  But to be honest, studying isn't a good friend for crafting.  It's so serious, the music is designed to cause deep focus and my crafting is more light brain work and repetitive tasks.  I'm not engaging the same part of the brain.



I really needed something more craft specific.  Preferably something with yarn, good music, and no talking.  

But alas, the internet seems to be lacking in this.


So I made a thing.



45-minute timer, warping the loom, and good music.  

I took the format off the study with me videos and it's the type of thing I like to watch.  But will it take off?  I don't know.  I think it would be awesome if there were lots of different types of Craft With Me videos out there on the internet.  Different crafts.  Different times.  Different moods.  Some ASMR.  Others with just music.  

Mostly, I just love making these kinds of videos.  

Have you ever used a ___ With Me video?

I love the idea! I watch Youtube while crocheting so I have something else to occupy my mind (pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD) and I could definitely see myself crafting along with this (even though it's a different craft!).

It turns out this is really good for keeping focus while writing.    

I like the timer because I can set aside a known quantity of time for the task.  I think I'll keep it, but hopefully learn to improve it in the editing software.  

Now to make it a trend so I don't have to watch my own videos.  

r ranson wrote:My attention span isn't always what I would like.  I admit, I find it difficult to stick to one task for long enough to get anything done.  So I look around for tricks to hack my brain into getting stuff done.

One of those tricks is watching youtube videos in the background.  It's a lot like when I used to watch TV, I knew the show was a set amount of time, and used that to guide my action.  I would work until the show was over and it really helped to have the background noise to distract the part of my brain that want's to get up and do something else.  Music helps too.

This last few years, I've been using Study With Me and LoFi Girl videos to help my crafting.  But to be honest, studying isn't a good friend for crafting.  It's so serious, the music is designed to cause deep focus and my crafting is more light brain work and repetitive tasks.  I'm not engaging the same part of the brain.

I really needed something more craft specific.  Preferably something with yarn, good music, and no talking.  

But alas, the internet seems to be lacking in this.

So I made a thing.



45-minute timer, warping the loom, and good music.  

I took the format off the study with me videos and it's the type of thing I like to watch.  But will it take off?  I don't know.  I think it would be awesome if there were lots of different types of Craft With Me videos out there on the internet.  Different crafts.  Different times.  Different moods.  Some ASMR.  Others with just music.  

Mostly, I just love making these kinds of videos.  

What you mention first, short attention span, I recognize that.
But I have problems with my concentration. When I am busy doing one thing, I need to do that one thing, to stay focused. And even than I can loose my focus and start doing another thing ... Watching youtube videos can make me loose my focus on what I'm doing. Only doing mindless knitting is possible while watching youtube ... The best fit are those videos in which people talk about knitting and wool (and their daily life stuff). Or videos people made of their trips in beautiful landscapes.

If a video shows something inspiring sometimes I stop watching immediately to start that thing they inspired me to do (is this a good sentence in English???)

... So I started watching your video while knitting. But sorry, this is not the kind of video I like to watch. Maybe if you explained all you did in that video. I think I prefer someone talking (about what's there to see) over music ...

When I am tired and need something to relax to but isn't too engrossing, just enough to keep me awake while a nurse a baby I'm the middle of the night, I watch videos of people doing yard work, pressure washing, and painting, kind of like what you are offering but they are sped up.

Or, I like to watch videos like yours but with subtitles explaining what's going on, or little titles in the corner identifying what step of the process. I also watch all YouTube videos on mute unless I'm watching a music video. I'm guess I'm weird but I'm a very visual learner and the audio distracts me.

R, the real hack is the timer that you set... 45 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, whatever suits the task. Pomodoro technique is name for it (after the popular tomato-shaped kitchen timer).
It's a mix of beat-the-clock, and/or permission to get some reward after the time, and a framework to focus on only one thing for that time, which begins...NOW! tick, tick, tick...

I find that without an actual timer, that just knowing a stop time makes a difference over an open-ended time to "work" which often drifts to other tasks along the way, maybe at the expense of the first task not getting accomplished.
One trick is to begin some "preparatory task" like clearing your desk, or gathering all the supplies, then since you're ready... it's easy to keep going.
Another trick is setting some limits, such as only wash the knives and spatulas, not the pots and pans, or only clean the table top, not also mop the floor... Which makes it not seem endless, but then while you're there with soapy hands, maybe you do wash some more.

My mother did quite a lot of the housework within the framework of laundry machine cycles. Washing bedding, vacuuming, making beds again, cleaning bathrooms, washing towels, washing floors and dusting, washing cleaning rags.
Her other "pomodoro" revolved around flipping LP records.

Music is a great way to drown out distraction, also to set a pace. It also doesn't invite looking away to a screen, so for tasks that rely on sight rather than muscle memory, music can be safer.

Kenneth Elwell wrote:Music is a great way to drown out distraction, also to set a pace. It also doesn't invite looking away to a screen, so for tasks that rely on sight rather than muscle memory, music can be safer.

I strongly agree with this.

I would very often start an album, and play it all the way through, while performing some work or a task of some kind. Even exercise. When the album was done, it was break time. Anywhere between 35 minutes to an hour or so.

Nowadays I am working primarily outdoors and have a set schedule. Plus, I don't have a smartphone and earbuds like everyone else seems to...! So I listen to nature instead, and let others notify me when it's break time.

Were I back on my own time and own schedule, as quickly as possible I would arrange things so I could turn up the music and set to work. Blasting music of my particular tastes around other gardeners might be a bit off-putting... But I suppose that's a bit off-topic.

I know I'm a little strange. When there's music, the kind of music I love, I want to listen without any other activity. The kind of music I do not like I put off (or I go away from it so I don't hear it).
So I can not have music on while I work or do something else ...

Kenneth Elwell wrote:R, the real hack is the timer that you set... 45 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, whatever suits the task. Pomodoro technique is name for it (after the popular tomato-shaped kitchen timer).
It's a mix of beat-the-clock, and/or permission to get some reward after the time, and a framework to focus on only one thing for that time, which begins...NOW! tick, tick, tick...

That's exactly what I'm going for!  Thanks for the word Pomodoro.  

I'm in the hyperfocus category and I like working in complete silence, but I could see myself making some of these craft with me videos!

Cam Lee wrote:I'm in the hyperfocus category and I like working in complete silence, but I could see myself making some of these craft with me videos!

I think it's fascinating to hear the different styles.  I cannot focus at all without background music.  My tinnitus is too loud.  Talking or ASMR don't work for me either, but music is just right for engaging the distraction part of my brain so I can hyperfocus.

I also need the timer or I forget to eat and sleep.  

I can't watch a video and craft at the same time.  However I listen to alot of audio lectures or books, or webcasts, etc. and find I need to do something to occupy the rest of my brain while I listen to many of these.  If I am listening on the computer I play solitaire if I don't have mending to do or something similar.  If I get bored with solitaire I use the settings to increase the playback speed to 1.25 or even 1.5 if the speakers are slow talkers.  Lately I have so many things I want to listen to that I increase the speed anyway just to try to get through more of them.

Jenny Wright wrote:
Or, I like to watch videos like yours but with subtitles explaining what's going on, or little titles in the corner identifying what step of the process. I also watch all YouTube videos on mute unless I'm watching a music video. I'm guess I'm weird but I'm a very visual learner and the audio distracts me.

There are many channels that I turn off the audio because of the music and turn on the closed captions for when they explain what the scene is about.  I really appreciate the creators that use segment titles under the time line.  
If I  want my type of music with a muted video  Clasical KING streaming
I can learn new plastering and painting techniques on Lumnah Acers  with my eyes while my ears get me into a sleep mode.
You can do winter chores with me for 10 minutes with subtitles because the intended voice over did not work in the editing software I was using.

Jenny Wright wrote:When I am tired and need something to relax to but isn't too engrossing, just enough to keep me awake while a nurse a baby I'm the middle of the night, I watch videos of people doing yard work, pressure washing, and painting, kind of like what you are offering but they are sped up.

Or, I like to watch videos like yours but with subtitles explaining what's going on, or little titles in the corner identifying what step of the process. I also watch all YouTube videos on mute unless I'm watching a music video. I'm guess I'm weird but I'm a very visual learner and the audio distracts me.

You just reminded me of when I was nursing babies! I also would have videos on mute with closed-captioning just to keep myself awake and keep the baby nursing/sleeping. There's like a 2 year span of my life where my daughter would nurse and then pass out in my lap, and that was how she would nap (and fall asleep enough for me to move to bed). A lot of my postings here on permies were typed over her sleeping little body!

The kind of videos I like when crafting:

(1) Informative videos that have good visuals, but that I don't have to stare at the screen constantly to understand what's happening. These work well for when I'm darning or knitting or some other "mindless" task that I need to look at most of the time, but I can still look up from when I'm pulling the thread through the stitches or waxing thread, etc.

(2) Informative videos without many visuals, so I don't need to worry about looking up from my work very often.

(3) Ummm, i can't think of any other video types I like while crafting....

When I'm cleaning, though, I like feel-good music that I loved as a kid/teenager, preferably that's peppy and that I know very well. Sometimes I'll watch a video like I mentioned in #1, but that's only if I'm cleaning near the computer--otherwise, I can't hear it!

If I'm writing or working, I can't listen to anything or watch anything. I tried multiple times to listen to music in college while writing, and I would just get distracted by the song. I found I could work to classical/instrumental music that I'd heard a billion times, but it didn't really help me work any faster or better.

I really, really appreciate videos that have audio, and also closed-captioning. I found that I hate watching a video without auditory instruction, because I never get to look away, or I'll miss something vital. I like the closed-captioning, because then I can read along if the kids are loud, or I have the volume turned down so I don't wake them up. The closed-captioning helps me decipher words I might not have been able to hear/comprehend. The closed-captioning isn't necessary, but it sure is nice!

I'm one of those people who gets distracted by music, but I like background noise to help me stay focused, so my go-to's are NPR or home renovation TV shows. My local NPR station does news breaks at the top of the hour, intro'd by a certain musical theme so that's your signal to pause your focused task. Occasionally NPR has a fascinating segment that I get caught up in, but at least it's virtuous distraction where I learn something.

The home reno shows are so formulaic that you don't need to pay attention- just at the beginning and the end when they set up the before and reveal the after. Maybe there's a brief segment worth looking up for when they talk about poorly laid sewer pipes or the right way to mount a ceiling fan or whatever. So the intros/reveals are your breaks for long-focus periods, or you can use the commercial breaks if you're doing shorter work sprints.

Sarah Lennie wrote:I'm one of those people who gets distracted by music, but I like background noise to help me stay focused, so my go-to's are NPR or home renovation TV shows. My local NPR station does news breaks at the top of the hour, intro'd by a certain musical theme so that's your signal to pause your focused task. Occasionally NPR has a fascinating segment that I get caught up in, but at least it's virtuous distraction where I learn something.

The home reno shows are so formulaic that you don't need to pay attention- just at the beginning and the end when they set up the before and reveal the after. Maybe there's a brief segment worth looking up for when they talk about poorly laid sewer pipes or the right way to mount a ceiling fan or whatever. So the intros/reveals are your breaks for long-focus periods, or you can use the commercial breaks if you're doing shorter work sprints.

I love Time Team for this kind of focus.  The rhythm of the voice and the same pattern of the drama makes it just right to have on the background.  https://www.youtube.com/c/TimeTeamClassics

Nicole Alderman wrote:The kind of videos I like when crafting:

(1) Informative videos that have good visuals, but that I don't have to stare at the screen constantly to understand what's happening. These work well for when I'm darning or knitting or some other "mindless" task that I need to look at most of the time, but I can still look up from when I'm pulling the thread through the stitches or waxing thread, etc.

(2) Informative videos without many visuals, so I don't need to worry about looking up from my work very often.

(3) Ummm, i can't think of any other video types I like while crafting....

When I'm cleaning, though, I like feel-good music that I loved as a kid/teenager, preferably that's peppy and that I know very well. Sometimes I'll watch a video like I mentioned in #1, but that's only if I'm cleaning near the computer--otherwise, I can't hear it!

If I'm writing or working, I can't listen to anything or watch anything. I tried multiple times to listen to music in college while writing, and I would just get distracted by the song. I found I could work to classical/instrumental music that I'd heard a billion times, but it didn't really help me work any faster or better.

I really, really appreciate videos that have audio, and also closed-captioning. I found that I hate watching a video without auditory instruction, because I never get to look away, or I'll miss something vital. I like the closed-captioning, because then I can read along if the kids are loud, or I have the volume turned down so I don't wake them up. The closed-captioning helps me decipher words I might not have been able to hear/comprehend. The closed-captioning isn't necessary, but it sure is nice!

Nicole, I am almost like you! Only I don't like subtitles (closed-captioning). You have good reasons why it's necessary. I am here all by myself.
If someone is talking in a foreign language I don't know, then I like subtitling. But for languages I learned at school (French, English, German ... and Dutch of course) I prefer to listen very well so I learn to better understand that language.

I'm calling this one a Craft With Me video, but it's not really why I made it.  Someone asked a question about hemstitching woven cloth, and the easiest way to share what I know was to show doing it.  I think being able to see it, again and again, will fit well with their learning style and I tried to do it a few different ways as I went along.  Mostly so the camera could capture different aspects of the stitch.

Anyway, it worked out to a much shorter video, a 15 min crafting session that can serve two purposes.  Be a Pomodoro for those who work well with that style and study aid for people trying to master the hemming stitch.  

When doing mindless housekeeping tasks like dishes, laundry, cooking (not following recipes - that takes too much attention), tidying, etc. I listen to educational podcasts or YouTube videos, often on a subject related to what I'm doing. I sometimes listen to music when working, but I've found that is sometimes overstimulating and droning voices work better for me. I watch videos when I'm trying to learn something, but have a hard time looking at a video while doing something else. I tend to get distracted by the visuals and stop the task at hand or get so caught up in what I'm working on I don't gain anything from the video and get frustrated that I'm not doing either thing well. Multitasking isn't a strength for me, though!

Personally, I use podcasts for this purpose. If it's something I need to do that doesn't require a lot of brain activity I often find I can't keep doing it, also I can't just listen to a podcast or watch a video if I'm not also doing some small task--my brain will just go off and I won't be listening to the podcast anymore or I'll have gotten lost and need to rewind the video- I need to be doing both.
So if I'm washing dishes, doing other housework, or doing some craft or manual task, I listen to podcasts. There are hundreds of thousands on all kinds of topics with varying levels of production.

There are some excellent permaculture themes podcasts, The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann is probably my favorite, and if you dive back into the achieve there are a lot of topics.
But I also listen to all kinds of podcasts. I find that the lack of visuals, allows me to do the task at hand, but the audio keeps my mind from wandering/wondering away.

I made another one.  

R, your skills with the knitting machine have improved rapidly and drastically! Congratulations on a job beautifully done!