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| Made In China |
Isn’t everything these days? I don’t love many things as much as I love a good deal, but I started to get more than a little disgusted when the economy tanked and it seemed like everyone I knew was struggling to find work. Naturally, my thought process jumped to shopping for things made locally, that would provide jobs to actual local people. However, that brilliant idea was shot down quickly when I realized most environmentally friendly shopping facilities didn’t include clothing or other basic necessities. With the exception of the foodie movement, we have got a long way to go, baby. Never mind the fact that my skin crawls under animal fibers, and most items I searched for, even online, boasted proudly their use of wool and cashmere.
I decided enough was enough. If I couldn’t BUY American made, I was going to MAKE American made. Granted, I didn’t even own a sewing machine or crochet hooks at the time, and I don’t know many people who even know how to make their own clothing and accessories, let alone want to work in a factory someday, all day. With that said, I nonetheless had an entrepreneurial epiphany and a clear mission for myself. Start small. Think big.
I trotted down to the local ‘China Mart’ and, although it was a massive contradiction, selected a crochet hook set, some skeins of yarn, and an instruction booklet. I told myself it was better not to spend a ton of money acquiring high end supplies until I’m sure I’m going to stick with this ‘hobby / business venture.’ Sheepishly, I brought them home and tried to let the nostalgia settle in as I conjured up memories of grandma diligently teaching me, the easily frustrated child I was, to crochet. I wasn’t even going to think about sewing - That was something I had garnered a little more mastery in, yet it seemed to require a lot more investment, hardware and technical know-how. I set my DVR to record “Knit & Crochet Today” on PBS and let my hooks fly, slowly and deliberately at first, but flapping about even so.
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| My first project... |
Louder than words, eh? As hilarious and feeble as it may be, I keep it as a reminder of how far I’ve come. Take notes, beginners. This is not as easy as it looks! After reading through a few VERY basic patterns, I decided I didn’t need no stinkin’ directions… I would just practice making basic stitches in squares that might do double duty, if they turned out, as dishcloths. Um, yeah. Not so much. Several dishcloths later, I became a master of improvisation, and finally, something clicked. I got it.
I still buck the idea of patterns. I even discovered through my voracious reading on the subject of ‘hooking,’ that there all kinds of names and labels for people like me. Freestyle. Freeform. Designer. Turns out, there are all kinds of terms and acronyms for crocheting and knitting, and not just for the stitches themselves. Debbie Stoller, Author of “Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker,” was a fantastic and funny read, if the title alone doesn’t totally turn you off. My favorite book so far has been “The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet” by Margaret Hubert, but even before that, I took on the ambitious project of making my own cardigan / coat, sans pattern. Remarkably enough, it turned out! It’s wearable! Success! It will always be a prized possession.
Since then, I have gained great confidence in my abilities to create something genuinely unique. When I post items for sale, I can recreate them in similar fashion, but no two will be alike. Turns out, that’s a huge bonus for people like me, whose modern idealism focuses on buying from local artisans, appreciating homemade crafts, and feel that the purchase of something handmade gives it a folksy-luxury status.
I can’t pinpoint the one thing that made crocheting “click” for me, because there were so many factors… Learning the stitches is one thing, but getting a feel for the weight and ‘hand’ of the yarn, discerning the fibers themselves and deciding when softer is truly better, or realizing when cotton makes sense even though it has very little stretch. Pick thick or thin, and why? Determining what truly needs patterning to come out right, and what can just be made up as you go.
One of my favorite aspects of crochet, not having the brain capacity (yet) to understand knitting, is how architectural crochet actually is. There is something structural and sort of limitless about it. You can pretty much make anything go in any direction you choose. My newfound ‘hooker friends’ and I adore coming up with schemes to avoid seams and weaving items together, in other words, never stop crocheting until you are actually DONE!
My tippy-top, cherry-on-top reason to pick up those crochet hooks and a soft, fuzzy ball of yarn is how it makes me feel closer to my grandma, who lives more than 10 hours away from me and my children. She is one of my favorite people in the world, not because she’s perfect (because pobody’s nerfect), but because she taught me common sense - To do and make things for myself. She didn’t get frustrated when I did, and she didn’t push me. And when I think of all the neat things she made for me and my family, I wish I would have cherished them more. I wish I still had them all to pass down to my babies. The greatest fulfillment will be that I will follow in her footsteps. Like the great wise man who, instead of giving him a fish, teaches the starving man to fish for himself – I will teach my most beloved to create for themselves the things their hearts (and bellies) desire.
Aside from the plethora of blogs out there, I recommend the following sites:
