06/12/2021
My favorite craft is crochet, and I am a lover of many crafts including quilting, applique, embroidery, origami, polymer clay, beadwork, and wire wrapping. With the exception of polymer clay and wire-wrapping there is very little crafting I engage in that doesn’t require a good pair of scissors. Even wire wrapping and gardening require the use of shears and wire cutters, first cousins to scissors. I learned to crochet as a child and designed my first piece at the age of nine, a cardigan. I learned about dye lots the hard way from that project, and like many crocheters who learned about dye lots the hard way, I turned to scrappy designs for home decor and stripped accessories as a way to rescue/reuse yarn from projects that failed due to a lack of color matched yarn, especially in the last few yards or inches. I also wound up with a large stash of scraps as I resorted to buying way too much yarn whenever possible so I could design in confidence.
Of course scissors are a primary tool in crochet. After crochet hooks, they are most important followed by buttons and darning needles. Attempts to cut thread/yarn without scissors resulted in injuries for me as an impatient teen; keys, knives, fingers, teeth and brute force are poor substitutes for scissors. Fraying, stretching and other distortions are completely avoided with the use of sharp scissors. Unlike flat fabrics, crochet does not lend itself to rotary cutting. Other cutting tools like guillotine and paper trimmers are also impractical for cutting crochet threads or yarns.
I grew up in the sixties, a time when the granny square ruled fashion in both accessories and clothing as well as home decor. Till this day, the granny square is popular and I still use the idea in both impromptu, see my latest afghan, (photo) and deliberate designs. I cannot imagine making granny squares without scissors. I recently discovered amigurumi, and because I was making toys for infants and toddlers I made embroidered eyes, noses and mouths for these toys. I shudder to imagine how I could do so without a pair of good scissors. Even making clothing for babies would be a challenge without a pair of good scissors for cutting ribbon, sewing thread and yarn.
Over the years I have begun to realize the great positive impact crochet and other crafts have had on my self-esteem and even positive mental health. I think of crochet as a meditative and therapeutic exercise. One has to be still to crochet. It's easy to be mindful while following a pattern, and as a designer it's wonderful to see what began as an idea take shape under my fingers. I get to make a one-of-a-kind gift for an ailing friend, a gift of appreciation, welcome to a new family member or as a donation to a worthy cause. Whenever I accompany a relative or friend to the emergency room I have a bag with yarn, a crochet hook and a pair of scissors in my purse. Nearly every time I crochet in public, I hear the story of a departed dear one who used to crochet. I even had the honor of receiving my grandmother’s stash after she passed. And the most touching event of my life as a crocheter was the request of a fellow crocheter who was diagnosed with ALS to make layettes for her grandchildren who would be born after her death.
I recently started making dog sweaters and as a result was able to reconnect to the joy of caring for a dog. So many of my customers bought sweaters for sick dogs. It was touching to see how tenderly the owner of a sick chihuahua dressed his ailing dog in a hand-made sweater, and how grateful the pup appeared to be. Even one of my nieces dogs stopped barking at me after being dressed in one of my cozy sweaters.
I’ve made designer dresses (my own designs) coats, sweaters and bedspreads for myself and family. I continue to design ponchos, sweaters, scarves, shawls, home decor and even jewelry in crochet. I am a big fan of shrugs. My next creative adventure is into the world of mosaic crochet, and scissors will continue to be one of my most used tools.
As a teenager I entered the world of entrepreneurship as a crochet instructor and seller of crocheted caps. I still sell crocheted items in my Etsy store and for years I made a small income selling caps to a NYC wholesaler. I even got a job as a crochet instructor at Michaels, one of the largest chain of arts and crafts stores in this country. I feel very fortunate to still be able to crochet over 60 years since I first held a crochet hook.
