If you’re still new to cross stitch, you may not feel like you can really multitask without miscounting or getting lost. Once you’ve been at it a while though, it can be a nearly mindless task and your brain starts to wander. It can be hard to feel productive sometimes unless you multitask.

Whether you’re an experienced stitcher or just have a huge block of color to fill in, you might find yourself looking for something to do to occupy your mind. When I asked around, the go-to seemed to be Netflix. Whether binge watching a favorite show, or checking out something new.

I don’t much like watching TV/Movies while stitching though. I keep feeling tempted to look up and actually see what’s going on. It really slows down my stitching. I find that sort of thing better for winding bobbins.

Instead, here’s some of the things I like to do while working on my latest project.

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Catch up on Podcasts

One of my current favorite distractions is listening to Podcasts. I’m quite behind on my favorites. As such, I can easily binge-listen while I’m drive to/from work or just want to feel productive while I stitch.

I’m a big mythology buff, so my go-to lately has been Myths & Legends. It’s a great listen, bringing the stories of old into easily digestible episodes.

There are podcasts for practically any subject you can think of, including cross stitch! I’ve been trying to get caught up on Pulled from Oblivion as well. Hosted by two great friends, they bring some great crafting discussions and introduce you to new stitchers via their Creative Spotlights.

Play a voice game

If you’re anything like me you’re constantly in an internal battle over whether to stitch, or play a video game. Well if you have Alexa or Google Home, you can do both! Sort of.

Okay, you won’t be playing Stardew Valley via voice anytime soon. But there are plenty of interesting options out there for voice-controlled games you can multitask with. From Choose-your-own-adventure games to Escape the Room games. You can even pretend you’re in a game show like Deal or No Deal or Jeopardy!

Listen to an Audiobook

Before video games, books were my first love. So no-one will be surprised to see audiobooks make this list. It’s a great way to catch up on your reading list, while still being able to multitask. While you’re cleaning the house, cooking, or catching up on your cross stitch, you can immerse yourself in a book.

I enjoy a lot of different types of books. From trying to get through the seemingly never ending Wheel of Time series, to self-help books like The Hidden Power of F*cking Up.

If you’ve never tried an audiobook before, you can sign up for the 30-day free trial of Audible and get 2 books free! Even if you cancel before the first month charge, you’ll still have access to those books!

Learn a Language

Why not spend that time also learning? There’s lots of content out there to teach you a new language while you multitask. From podcasts and YouTube videos, to audio books! Some people learn while driving to/from work. I like to learn during my craft time instead.

The method you pick will depend on your own learning style, but there’s lots of great resources out there. I like the Pimsleur learning courses as it focuses more on spoken language than writing. This is great for stitching along to while you respond to the audio prompts, as it’s all hands-free.

If you signed up for the audible trial I mentioned in the previous section, they’re available on there as well. I just finished up Pimsleur Japanese 1 Unit 5!

Watch someone or stream yourself live on Twitch

Cross stitching on Twitch?! Yep. You sure can! If you’re not familiar with Twitch, it’s a video-game dominated live streaming site where you can broadcast yourself doing the things you love to do for others to watch and chat with you!

A few years back, they branched out into a Creative section. Which later turned into a bunch of different categories, including Makers & Crafting. Here you can watch people do all sorts of craft, including Cross Stitch!

It can be tough to multitask however. If you’re stitching while watching you have to put down your project to respond, so most people end up lurking. If you want to participate more, consider streaming your project instead!

Sound weird? Believe me, I didn’t think anyone would watch either. I was the first cross stitcher to stream on Twitch and at the peak of the Creative craze I had 10 thousand people watching me cross stitch a cat. I couldn’t believe it either.

While viewership has definitely calmed down since then, you can definitely build up a loyal audience with your crafting, allowing you to socialize with others hands-free!

Catch up on Flosstube

Don’t want the pressure of being live or want to avoid the urge to put down your project and chat with the streamer? Head over to YouTube instead! There’s video on basically any subject matter you can think of. From tutorials to blog-style content.

Cross Stitch is no different, and the stitchy YouTubers have carved out their own little niche on the platform. If you search for ‘Flosstube’ you’ll find plenty of cross stitch related content and get to know some of the folks in that community.

If you need a place to start, my favorite Flosstubers are Milesy, JennuhXStitches, and Vale the Stitcher. I have my own YouTube as well, but there’s only a handful of tutorial videos up.

I tried making videos, but I enjoy the more intimate face to face communication that live streams have. Or face to text, technically. I want to get to know you, not just show you my stitching. But that’s just me. I definitely see the appeal of Flosstube. And if you give it a chance, I bet you will too!