01/31/2026
I got a kick out of this.
My husband walked in yesterday holding a small gift bag with the proudest smile on his face.
"Happy birthday, babe. I got you something for your hobby."
I opened it up and there it was. A crochet hook. A perfectly normal, ergonomic crochet hook in this gorgeous deep purple color.
"It's a sport hook," he announced confidently. "So you can do your string sports."
I just stared at him. String sports. STRING SPORTS.
He continued, completely oblivious to my internal meltdown.
"You know, like when you're doing that thing with the yarn and making the blankets. That's basically a sport, right? You're always saying your hands hurt after."
I couldn't even be mad. The man tried. He genuinely thought he nailed it. And honestly? In his defense, when I'm deep into a project, hunched over my work at 2 AM trying to finish a custom baby blanket, muttering about tension and stitch counts, I probably do look like I'm training for the Olympics.
"String sports," I repeated, testing the words out loud.
"Yeah!" He was so excited. "And I made sure to get the fancy one with the grip thing. The lady at the store said it's ergonomic."
The lady at the store. Bless her heart.
I posted a photo in one of my crochet groups and the response was immediate. People were dying.
"String sports" is apparently going to be what we call it from now on. Someone already made a mock-up design for t-shirts that says “Extreme String Sports Champion.”
My husband walked by while I was reading the comments, saw everyone's reactions, and got this confused look on his face.
"Wait… is it not called that?"
Twenty-three years of marriage, and the man still finds ways to surprise me. I'm keeping him. And I'm absolutely using this “sport hook” for my next string sports session tonight.
Got three orders to finish — and apparently, I'm an athlete now.