When I was a little girl I remember my mum crocheting giant
granny square blankets and I marvelled at the idea of a long length of wool
twisting into a blanket. I loved the colours and texture of wool and the soft
click clack of the metal needles when people knitted.
I longed to learn to knit or crochet and I remember sitting
amongst balls of wool in frustration jamming my hooks and needles in and just
ending up in a big beautiful mess of knots.
It wasn’t till I was about 20 that I learnt to knit. A very crafty friend i worked with at the time had a very crafty mum and she gave me a small instruction pamphlet a pair of needles and some wool and I knitted
a rainbow scarf so very long and full of holes and daggy edges but I didn’t care –
I could finally knit!
Crochet soon followed the knitting and I much preferred the little
single hook and the varied patterns and motifs I could make. I practised my
first granny square and fell madly in love. It was all still pretty rubbish,
full of holes and often lost in translation between UK and US patterns and I have
unravelled so many failed crochet projects over the last 10 years, sometimes it
felt like I unravelled more than I actually finished… but I was doing it and I often
cast my mind back to Little Sarah sitting there jamming the needles into the
wool making a terrible mess and I whisper to her “don’t give up, don’t ever
give up!”
It feels a bit silly sometimes that crochet means so much but it just
does. I think it represents that determined part of me that didn’t give up, a proof in my
ability to triumph over seemingly impossible tasks, to succeed despite
obstacles and a perseverance to follow my heart. Crochet represents the part of
me that is successful and don’t we all need that energy in this
life? I know I sure do! :D So I feel there is magik in crochet,
not to mention the amazing meditative state you can create by simply sitting
with some wool and a hook, as I count each stitch and wind and loop and hook I am
so focused on this single task, the mind can't fret and fear and hence the mindfulness
magik of crochet. Present moment focus, woolly woven love!
I began to teach students at a school I worked at maybe 6
years ago how to crochet recycled plastic shopping bags for a wearable art
workshop and the joy of actually sharing my love of crochet helped me get back
into the practise.
Later I taught crochet to a group at the Art Therapy Centre I
worked at. I especially loved helping a girl who told me her family had given
up teaching her to crochet – she believed she would never learn and
triumphantly she did by the end of our workshops, we were both so pleased!
We graffiti crocheted the Art Therapy centre courtyard – it was
such a joy
Which led to me crocheting our verge tree – a tree cosy
And you remember that wobbly old scarf that I first learnt to
knit, well I gave it to the gorilla that lived at the end of our street with a
little courtesy card attached that read “guerrilla knitted for the gorilla”
Unfortunately he’s
not there anymore but he lives on in a few of my artworks and memories
 |
| Daydream Space - Laneway Project - Summerset Arts Festival 2013 |
So much random stuff has been crocheted around here now I think
of it like Yoda Amigurami, random tea cosies and Christmas cupcakes
The most amazing thing I decided to crochet was my wedding
dress after going to a bridal store and nearly dying at the thought of being
dressed as a giant fabric meringue puff.
So I learnt to sew my own dress and added a crochet overlay. I
borrowed a crochet motif book out at the library so often the librarians got to know me as the 'crochet wedding dress girl', I think everyone I told
thought I was mad, I like to blame it on the compulsive creative disorder I have and
so maybe 300 little crochet doilies later and the help of nannas, mums,
neighbours and friends i had a crochet dress.
Since then I have helped a few more people with their desire
to learn to crochet and you know all I really do is just say yes! Yes my loves
you can crochet that thing you are dreaming of and we do and the world is more
colourful and handmade and full of love for it!
Now I am dreaming of sipping tea in relaxing cafes whilst
crocheting with other wool lovers! In the mean time I am holding a beginners
101 mindful crochet class tomorrow. I’ll show you how to whip up a granny
square and from there all the doors and windows to the world of crochet are
thrown open – yay!
Next crochet dream…
Brightest blessings
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