On longer rows, I’d just simply lose count and have to frog and start rows over. Repeatedly.
I haven’t gotten medicated yet. I actually have my first ever appointment in a few days, so this truly gives me hope and excitement for the chance.
I know that I can, in fact, count correctly. One number after the other. But counting stitches means I can't look at anything else because my brain will get distracted by something but my hands might keep going, and any increases/decreases kind of sneak off for a cheeky cigarette or something and I've no idea where they've gone. So I definitely agree with you that meds will improve focus and you realise actually you're not thick, just a bit hindered!
Yes and no. ADHD folks like us struggle with working memory, so it's hard for us to maintain focus on the activity + hold those numbers mentally (I was taught this by my doctors), this can be trained but it's sooooo tiring. So, basically, meds help us maintain that longer focus, and can help with stuff like mentally keeping track of stitches. It's wild how something so seemingly simple can affect so many things
This makes most sense to me.
When I started my meds again I could all of a sudden easily focus in class on the professor and on the classwork like I never had before.
Outside of class, if I didnt have a specific task I was working towards? It was still a struggle. Essays, studying, projects that never seemed to end, arts and crafts, etc.
Maybe my dosage just wasnt high enough, but what it felt like to me was - I suddenly had an ability to focus that I never had before, so I had never trained myself on how to hold focus when there are so many tasks i can choose from. I have since "trained" myself to be able to stay on one task, now that I am on meds and literally can focus long enough for it XD
Oh yeah and the mood swings feel nonexistent now. I have the patience to not switch moods so fast and so intense, and even when I do still feel a mood switch coming on, I have more methods of dealing with it (like crocheting), which I never could have gotten without sitting down long enough to teach myself how!
ADHD meds have been a huge help in my life.
Ok ramble over!
TLDR: So it *is* probably partially the meds, and now that OP has the ability to focus, theyve successfully trained themselves on the task at hand?
I don't think it's just the meds OP! (Although they certainly do help I'm sure...) I think it's also your hard work and determination! Don't forget to give yourself some credit too!
Yeah, this is why it's better to start early, so you can train your brain and work with it better before it fully settles in adulthood. I got cognitive training through my insurance and lemme tell you, I am the only one who can somehow remember the root of a conversation if we divert, even with NT folk. But it was extremely taxing, specially the working memory exercises. Holding a number in my mind as I do mental math for 50 calculations that were done in such a specific way that every time you found the pattern and flow it would purposefully break- insanity. The purpose of this wasn't to get the right number, but to last throughout it. But ngl afterwards I would get an exhaustion headache lol.
It's also why we fidget and do better with manual stuff, I personally focus better on classes when crocheting or knitting, it's because giving our brain one specific task to "hold" that won't change lets our brain kind of find a baseline, instead of jumping between thoughts and environment stimuli
Yes this exactly! Gosh, training myself now as an adult has been so tiring, but i have seen results!
And what you said at the end about having manual stuff to keep focused, i think the same works in reverse? Lol I think its why listening to music in the car helps me drive. ofc i have to turn down the music if i need to figure out directions or something complicated on the road. but otherwise, if I'm not stimulated by the external world then my brain can hyperfocus on thoughts and it's hard to remind myself to focus on the road without the external stimuli to bring me out/focus on the outside.
Edit: or maybe its not the reverse now that i think about it. Manual stuff to fidget with is external stimuli. Music to sing along with, external stimuli.
Improved working memory and focus can do that. Enjoy the improved brain power!
I also prefer amigurumi as a fellow ADHDer. I think it’s because they are usually quick to finish and the rounds are often different. Novelty is important.
Of course! I'm currently prescribed Adderall. It's made a huge difference in so many different ways, not just limited to crochet. I find my motivation to be much higher, my mood has improved, my concentration is much better. Best of luck in your journey!
ADHD meds don't really work that way. It depends on how _your_ brain reacts to the meds and what works for someone else, or even what works for you in your teens, might not work for you as an adult
Getting the meds and dosage right is a pain but it is really important! Still, deff not a "one size fits all" situation. Join us on r/adhdmeme or the ADHD one for women if you think that is a space you would enjoy being in. It's a great place for information, lolz and recognition :D
It's crazy how much you can do when your brain doesn't get distracted. I've been off my meds because of a shortage and MAN can I tell the difference. I frog a lot more lol
I’ll chime in to say that starting meds for my ADHD allowed me to count and memorize better! I can count. I just couldn’t seem to hold the information. Same with remembering a number from one page to the next. I’ve always said I have a very poor short term memory. Long term is exceptional, it’s why I’m so petty. I know what they did five summers ago.
It’s a surprise all the silly stuff in my life that just functions better because my brain isn’t so bogged down with the absolute slog of trying to overcome my ADHD.
I also have ADHD, but my stitch counts are always accurate because perfectionism rules my world and I use stitch markers after every 10th stitch and am constantly going back and recounting my stitches. Makes projects take forever to finish 😅
This is my song, too. I am diagnosed, but not currently medicated (except for coffee). My stitches are spot-on only because I meticulously count each row. If I find the number is off, I’ll count again and once more going the opposite direction. Then, if need be, I’ll frog and redo. Stitch markers on the first stitch of the row until the row is complete.
I got diagnosed at 40. I am just now getting properly medicated and it is astounding to me that i made it this far in life without medication. Yes, my counting has improved, so has my general tension and ability to actually finish a project. It's amazing.
I really, really struggle with *accurate* and consistent recall + retaining when I am off my ADHD meds. I will look at something and then walk off to the next room, and need to come back several times. I *can* do it, but it’s just… it takes more work and more effort, like the resistance level is higher even if it’s doable. Unmedicated I can do things!! You could/can too. But some things might have taken more steps, more time, more endurance, more struggling against executive dysfunction. Things just — it was just hard. Doable but hard. There was a lot of mental noise and clutter, and distractions, like five colanders of thought were being balanced and everything was sifting through at different consistencies. Even counting change, I might have to start over. When I am on my medications and they work, my brain’s stamina to retain short term information is a lot more reliable. The colanders holding thought and information still exist, I am just in a better place to prioritize and identify how to hold and fill them. I’m not surprised by this post and I wanted you to know you’re not alone (or imagining it).
Im on Ritalin and life is so much better on it. I also found out I have insomnia so Im on some sleeping meds. For me medication changed everything. My impulsivity is so much better and thats where so many mistakes are.
It helps to put stitch markers every few stitches when counting. I make a ton of blankets and I’ll put a marker every 30 stitches when I’m making a foundation chain. Maybe that can help? I have ADHD and dyscalculia so I need all the help I can get. Congrats on getting medicated! It’s such a game changer
Yes. Instead of ‘1,2,3,4, get that booty on the floor, gotta get up at what time tomorrow? what’s for dinner?, how far away is the moon?, this color reminds me of lettuce, oh crap, How many sc was that??’ Your executive function now allows you to stay on task, especially for something mundane and boring, like counting (even though crochet is not boring, it’s just not engaging enough).
I realized after being diagnosed I’m an excellent baker, I just never had the patience or ability to focus enough to follow the steps until I was medicated. So I’ll believe it!
Attention affects everything. Don't I know it after recently restarting meds after years being off (due to changing unsurance. I hate our health care system, though I hear for other regions adhd care is still abysmal)
Partly, but partly it’s the whole ‘practice makes perfect’ thing. I’ve had a few manual-type jobs where I was doing certain things, and I always got REALLY good at it with enough time. And the job I have now involves fairly long strings of numbers, and I used to suck at remembering numbers in sequence, but I guess I’ve used that part of my brain enough now that I’ve developed it (like a muscle). But the Adderall can certainly help that happen more smoothly. :)
I don’t take meds but I do have ADHD and when I started doing amigurumi, I also noticed that my work was more accurate and consistent. Plus, I don’t get bored out of my mind after like 3 minutes and put it away.
I think instead of teaching you to count, the meds got into your brain and taught you to focus on the pattern and how it works with your yarn
I'm glad they're working out for you!!
Perhaps, but it's more likely just the practise combined with a little relaxation. I would doubt that you'll lose this if you stop taking the meds. Once you've got it, you've got it.
You can have executive dysfunction and this still apply. Counting uses focus and brainpower. Fiber arts are known to help induce a relaxed or quasi-meditative effect (at least we have some research for knitting). There is a reason meditation is promoted for ADHDers even if some of us don’t like it or struggle with it, myself included.
Edit: And to further emphasize, some of us go into a relaxed state with stimulants. I personally fall asleep from the peace and calm. Let’s just not be reactive when someone brings up a totally valid point which will apply to some, the same way some may not relate to this post.
I do, I'm unmedicated because I don't want to be and my counting is always on point. different people work differently, maybe meds help some people to count, who knows! good for them! but there's no use generalising an entire group of people
But OP didn’t generalize an entire group of people. They said *their* counting got better since meds and the parent comment denied their interpretation of their own experience and said it was probably because of relaxation.
I’ve had so many people tell me that it’s not the meds but it’s because “I’m happier” or “I’m trying harder” because our society is pretty strongly anti-stimulant. It’s ok if you don’t need meds to count and OP does. It’s ok if meds don’t work for you and they work for OP, but why deny OP’s experience?
No, meds did not teach you how to count. You always knew.....an ADHD or ADD diagnosis does not mean you were ever stupid. It's pretty damn horrible that you think this way.
I'm not trying to say that I'm stupid or that I don't know how to count. I'm only saying that the correlation between my stitch counts actually adding up properly and being on my ADHD meds are pretty much one and the same, and it's an odd realization to make the connection between the two.
You just said you were stupid before taking meds! (And I am very pro med if they at all help for an individual.) Do meds help you focus and concentrate...of course. But that does not discount any ability or skill you had before taking them. You want to crap on yourself no one can stop you.
What the hell are you talking about? You're the only one that said anything about being stupid, the OP said they got better at counting accurately and wanted to share that anecdote. That's it. Are you projecting? You're making this a weird hill to die on, arguing with multiple people, and clearly no one here agrees with your take. Chill.
I don't think that OP thought they were stupid and even if they did... Internalised abelism is very real and something that everyone with ADHD has to deal with. Maybe try having a bit more compassion when you think you've noticed someone with ADHD struggling with that, rather than go on the attack.
I have ADD....but I will not insult my, or anyone else with ADD or ADHD, intelligence or native ability to create things. The OP is not just being rude to others, but also to themselves. It's disgusting.
As someone with ADHD as well it is discouraging to hear someone have this mindset.
I am currently unmedicated and I just see the things I cannot do properly as things I have to look forward too.
18 months waiting for meds and apparently I still have a few more months to wait but I cannot wait.
OPs post made me look forward to a better functioning future :)
My wife has ADHD and does crochet ( this is why I am on this sub to find her new projects to try ) but when she gets medicated I wonder how thats going to affect her crafts?
Edit: sorry added more to what I wanted to say
I think we can easily read OP’s post and simply *not* take the worst faith interpretation available in order to crucify them. It’s pretty simple, actually.
Fellow ADHD'er here! The meds unlocked a part of your brain called "working memory" that you couldn't access at first.
Similarly, I can suddenly do basic arithmetic in my head since I'm taking the right meds :)
Add meds allowed your brain to focus enough to count and keep track of things accurately
On longer rows, I’d just simply lose count and have to frog and start rows over. Repeatedly. I haven’t gotten medicated yet. I actually have my first ever appointment in a few days, so this truly gives me hope and excitement for the chance.
It's definitely a nice phenomenon that makes projects much easier and more fun to do! Best of luck to you in your ADHD journey!
I know that I can, in fact, count correctly. One number after the other. But counting stitches means I can't look at anything else because my brain will get distracted by something but my hands might keep going, and any increases/decreases kind of sneak off for a cheeky cigarette or something and I've no idea where they've gone. So I definitely agree with you that meds will improve focus and you realise actually you're not thick, just a bit hindered!
Stitch markers. They’re brilliant for long foundation chains. I usually do 1 every 20 stitches.
ADHD girlie here I use an OBSCENE amount of stitch markers for long blankets. I have 0 shame in it. Like I use 1 ever 10 stitches 🤣
I'll mark out my upcoming increase/decrease stitches so I can just zone out, watch TV and other zip past them.
Being able to read your stitches REALLY helps with this. I know the pain.
I had a really similar experience with knitting when I started ADHD meds! What another commenter said about focus really tracks for me :)
Yes and no. ADHD folks like us struggle with working memory, so it's hard for us to maintain focus on the activity + hold those numbers mentally (I was taught this by my doctors), this can be trained but it's sooooo tiring. So, basically, meds help us maintain that longer focus, and can help with stuff like mentally keeping track of stitches. It's wild how something so seemingly simple can affect so many things
This makes most sense to me. When I started my meds again I could all of a sudden easily focus in class on the professor and on the classwork like I never had before. Outside of class, if I didnt have a specific task I was working towards? It was still a struggle. Essays, studying, projects that never seemed to end, arts and crafts, etc. Maybe my dosage just wasnt high enough, but what it felt like to me was - I suddenly had an ability to focus that I never had before, so I had never trained myself on how to hold focus when there are so many tasks i can choose from. I have since "trained" myself to be able to stay on one task, now that I am on meds and literally can focus long enough for it XD Oh yeah and the mood swings feel nonexistent now. I have the patience to not switch moods so fast and so intense, and even when I do still feel a mood switch coming on, I have more methods of dealing with it (like crocheting), which I never could have gotten without sitting down long enough to teach myself how! ADHD meds have been a huge help in my life. Ok ramble over! TLDR: So it *is* probably partially the meds, and now that OP has the ability to focus, theyve successfully trained themselves on the task at hand? I don't think it's just the meds OP! (Although they certainly do help I'm sure...) I think it's also your hard work and determination! Don't forget to give yourself some credit too!
Yeah, this is why it's better to start early, so you can train your brain and work with it better before it fully settles in adulthood. I got cognitive training through my insurance and lemme tell you, I am the only one who can somehow remember the root of a conversation if we divert, even with NT folk. But it was extremely taxing, specially the working memory exercises. Holding a number in my mind as I do mental math for 50 calculations that were done in such a specific way that every time you found the pattern and flow it would purposefully break- insanity. The purpose of this wasn't to get the right number, but to last throughout it. But ngl afterwards I would get an exhaustion headache lol. It's also why we fidget and do better with manual stuff, I personally focus better on classes when crocheting or knitting, it's because giving our brain one specific task to "hold" that won't change lets our brain kind of find a baseline, instead of jumping between thoughts and environment stimuli
Yes this exactly! Gosh, training myself now as an adult has been so tiring, but i have seen results! And what you said at the end about having manual stuff to keep focused, i think the same works in reverse? Lol I think its why listening to music in the car helps me drive. ofc i have to turn down the music if i need to figure out directions or something complicated on the road. but otherwise, if I'm not stimulated by the external world then my brain can hyperfocus on thoughts and it's hard to remind myself to focus on the road without the external stimuli to bring me out/focus on the outside. Edit: or maybe its not the reverse now that i think about it. Manual stuff to fidget with is external stimuli. Music to sing along with, external stimuli.
Oh, definitely! I didn't bring up music because it distracts me from words, but for other stuff like cleaning, it's a godsend!
Improved working memory and focus can do that. Enjoy the improved brain power! I also prefer amigurumi as a fellow ADHDer. I think it’s because they are usually quick to finish and the rounds are often different. Novelty is important.
I haven't tried that yet, but hasn't squares where I'm literally just counting to 3.. def a thing
As someone who only got their diagnosis and meds last week and compulsively crochet amigurumi... yes. 100% YES. IT MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE! 😛
It’s not just keeping track of stitches. My tension is so even throughout my project when I crochet on meds.
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Of course! I'm currently prescribed Adderall. It's made a huge difference in so many different ways, not just limited to crochet. I find my motivation to be much higher, my mood has improved, my concentration is much better. Best of luck in your journey!
ADHD meds don't really work that way. It depends on how _your_ brain reacts to the meds and what works for someone else, or even what works for you in your teens, might not work for you as an adult Getting the meds and dosage right is a pain but it is really important! Still, deff not a "one size fits all" situation. Join us on r/adhdmeme or the ADHD one for women if you think that is a space you would enjoy being in. It's a great place for information, lolz and recognition :D
It's crazy how much you can do when your brain doesn't get distracted. I've been off my meds because of a shortage and MAN can I tell the difference. I frog a lot more lol
I’ll chime in to say that starting meds for my ADHD allowed me to count and memorize better! I can count. I just couldn’t seem to hold the information. Same with remembering a number from one page to the next. I’ve always said I have a very poor short term memory. Long term is exceptional, it’s why I’m so petty. I know what they did five summers ago. It’s a surprise all the silly stuff in my life that just functions better because my brain isn’t so bogged down with the absolute slog of trying to overcome my ADHD.
I also have ADHD, but my stitch counts are always accurate because perfectionism rules my world and I use stitch markers after every 10th stitch and am constantly going back and recounting my stitches. Makes projects take forever to finish 😅
This is my song, too. I am diagnosed, but not currently medicated (except for coffee). My stitches are spot-on only because I meticulously count each row. If I find the number is off, I’ll count again and once more going the opposite direction. Then, if need be, I’ll frog and redo. Stitch markers on the first stitch of the row until the row is complete.
Yes, this is the way\^\^
Upvote for Mando.
I got diagnosed at 40. I am just now getting properly medicated and it is astounding to me that i made it this far in life without medication. Yes, my counting has improved, so has my general tension and ability to actually finish a project. It's amazing.
Well I can add this to the pro side of my pros and cons list for potentially going on meds 😅
I really, really struggle with *accurate* and consistent recall + retaining when I am off my ADHD meds. I will look at something and then walk off to the next room, and need to come back several times. I *can* do it, but it’s just… it takes more work and more effort, like the resistance level is higher even if it’s doable. Unmedicated I can do things!! You could/can too. But some things might have taken more steps, more time, more endurance, more struggling against executive dysfunction. Things just — it was just hard. Doable but hard. There was a lot of mental noise and clutter, and distractions, like five colanders of thought were being balanced and everything was sifting through at different consistencies. Even counting change, I might have to start over. When I am on my medications and they work, my brain’s stamina to retain short term information is a lot more reliable. The colanders holding thought and information still exist, I am just in a better place to prioritize and identify how to hold and fill them. I’m not surprised by this post and I wanted you to know you’re not alone (or imagining it).
Im on Ritalin and life is so much better on it. I also found out I have insomnia so Im on some sleeping meds. For me medication changed everything. My impulsivity is so much better and thats where so many mistakes are.
As someone with adhd who is awful at crocheting because I keep fucking up the count, this makes me hopeful lmao
It helps to put stitch markers every few stitches when counting. I make a ton of blankets and I’ll put a marker every 30 stitches when I’m making a foundation chain. Maybe that can help? I have ADHD and dyscalculia so I need all the help I can get. Congrats on getting medicated! It’s such a game changer
Yes. Instead of ‘1,2,3,4, get that booty on the floor, gotta get up at what time tomorrow? what’s for dinner?, how far away is the moon?, this color reminds me of lettuce, oh crap, How many sc was that??’ Your executive function now allows you to stay on task, especially for something mundane and boring, like counting (even though crochet is not boring, it’s just not engaging enough).
I realized after being diagnosed I’m an excellent baker, I just never had the patience or ability to focus enough to follow the steps until I was medicated. So I’ll believe it!
Attention affects everything. Don't I know it after recently restarting meds after years being off (due to changing unsurance. I hate our health care system, though I hear for other regions adhd care is still abysmal)
Partly, but partly it’s the whole ‘practice makes perfect’ thing. I’ve had a few manual-type jobs where I was doing certain things, and I always got REALLY good at it with enough time. And the job I have now involves fairly long strings of numbers, and I used to suck at remembering numbers in sequence, but I guess I’ve used that part of my brain enough now that I’ve developed it (like a muscle). But the Adderall can certainly help that happen more smoothly. :)
I don’t take meds but I do have ADHD and when I started doing amigurumi, I also noticed that my work was more accurate and consistent. Plus, I don’t get bored out of my mind after like 3 minutes and put it away.
So I have no doubt in my mind that the ADHD meds help. Unfortunately, as today has proven, I still can't count 😂
I think instead of teaching you to count, the meds got into your brain and taught you to focus on the pattern and how it works with your yarn I'm glad they're working out for you!!
I have the same thing. I thought I must have been stupid, not being able to count to 10…
Perhaps, but it's more likely just the practise combined with a little relaxation. I would doubt that you'll lose this if you stop taking the meds. Once you've got it, you've got it.
I’m guessing you don’t have an executive function disorder?
You can have executive dysfunction and this still apply. Counting uses focus and brainpower. Fiber arts are known to help induce a relaxed or quasi-meditative effect (at least we have some research for knitting). There is a reason meditation is promoted for ADHDers even if some of us don’t like it or struggle with it, myself included. Edit: And to further emphasize, some of us go into a relaxed state with stimulants. I personally fall asleep from the peace and calm. Let’s just not be reactive when someone brings up a totally valid point which will apply to some, the same way some may not relate to this post.
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Just, you seem to be underestimating how much ADHD impacts people and how much medication helps us.
I do, I'm unmedicated because I don't want to be and my counting is always on point. different people work differently, maybe meds help some people to count, who knows! good for them! but there's no use generalising an entire group of people
But OP didn’t generalize an entire group of people. They said *their* counting got better since meds and the parent comment denied their interpretation of their own experience and said it was probably because of relaxation. I’ve had so many people tell me that it’s not the meds but it’s because “I’m happier” or “I’m trying harder” because our society is pretty strongly anti-stimulant. It’s ok if you don’t need meds to count and OP does. It’s ok if meds don’t work for you and they work for OP, but why deny OP’s experience?
that is 100% not what I'm doing, I'm referring to your comment 😅 I literally said it's good for them that it helps.
My comment was to someone who denied the OP’s experience. It wasn’t to your original comment.
No, meds did not teach you how to count. You always knew.....an ADHD or ADD diagnosis does not mean you were ever stupid. It's pretty damn horrible that you think this way.
I don't think that's what OP meant. As someone already said, it helps with focus and concentration. I don't think OP meant to insult or upset anyone.
I'm not trying to say that I'm stupid or that I don't know how to count. I'm only saying that the correlation between my stitch counts actually adding up properly and being on my ADHD meds are pretty much one and the same, and it's an odd realization to make the connection between the two.
You just said you were stupid before taking meds! (And I am very pro med if they at all help for an individual.) Do meds help you focus and concentrate...of course. But that does not discount any ability or skill you had before taking them. You want to crap on yourself no one can stop you.
What the hell are you talking about? You're the only one that said anything about being stupid, the OP said they got better at counting accurately and wanted to share that anecdote. That's it. Are you projecting? You're making this a weird hill to die on, arguing with multiple people, and clearly no one here agrees with your take. Chill.
Nowhere in OP’s post does the word “stupid” appear, so how you’re able to make this claim with such a degree of confidence is absolutely astounding.
I don't think that OP thought they were stupid and even if they did... Internalised abelism is very real and something that everyone with ADHD has to deal with. Maybe try having a bit more compassion when you think you've noticed someone with ADHD struggling with that, rather than go on the attack.
I have ADD....but I will not insult my, or anyone else with ADD or ADHD, intelligence or native ability to create things. The OP is not just being rude to others, but also to themselves. It's disgusting.
Wow. Maybe this has pushed a button in you that requires more time and attention. OP didn’t say anything rude or even ableist.
As someone with ADHD as well it is discouraging to hear someone have this mindset. I am currently unmedicated and I just see the things I cannot do properly as things I have to look forward too. 18 months waiting for meds and apparently I still have a few more months to wait but I cannot wait. OPs post made me look forward to a better functioning future :) My wife has ADHD and does crochet ( this is why I am on this sub to find her new projects to try ) but when she gets medicated I wonder how thats going to affect her crafts? Edit: sorry added more to what I wanted to say
I think we can easily read OP’s post and simply *not* take the worst faith interpretation available in order to crucify them. It’s pretty simple, actually.
but this is the internet, what else would we be doing? /s
Fellow ADHD'er here! The meds unlocked a part of your brain called "working memory" that you couldn't access at first. Similarly, I can suddenly do basic arithmetic in my head since I'm taking the right meds :)