Crochet
It’s not a hobby; it’s a post-apocalyptic life skill
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I crochet. I take it everywhere with me. Speaking to me when I am counting stitches will elicit the response of counting in a louder voice.
This isn’t rudeness, it is obsession!
I began to crochet in order to reduce the amount of woollens and warm
accessories bought from the high street retailers like M&S, Accessorize, Primark, Peacocks and the like. I now make these items as gifts for the
family, again to reduce the amount of goods purchased from these large
companies who pay little to those who make them and sell at vastly inflated prices to maximise their profits. I am not a fan of corporate anything… too little goes to the underlings and far too much goes to those at the top of the
corporate tree. Making at home takes time, effort and love and is likely more expensive in the long run, but I feel better about it. If I could create the yarn I use as well, then my sense of ‘rightness’ would be complete. Sadly, I do not spin…yet! It is on my list of skills to acquire.
My grandmother, on my mother’s side, was a prolific and highly skilled
crochet artiste. To call her a hobbyist would be to minimise her expertise. Her creations were intricate and beautiful and all the more amazing because she was severely dyslexic (in the days before dyslexia was recognised as a
debility) and had never acquired the ability to read. Show her a picture of
anything you wanted, however, and she would reproduce it in perfect detail. To my shame I never learnt this lovely skill from her; I have had to learn from others and am grateful to them for their encouragemet and tuition. Nan would have loved to have taught me.
I know she will be pleased I finally came to it. I will never attain her level but that won’t prevent me from trying… every day in every way I will crochet better and better.
My creations can be found every week on the market stall in Holywell (Thursdays 9 til 3). If you like what I make but it is not in a colour you like, I am happy to take commissions.