Xandra’s connection to family is one of the most important things that makes crochet more than just a hobby to her.
Who Taught You to Crochet?
My grandfather was the first to teach me to crochet when I was about 6 years old. He taught everyone in my family, including my stepdad and grandmother. He was a man of many many talents, but not always easy to get along with, so his crafts that I have learned are the way that I connected with him when he lived, and the way I remember him now that he’s passed. My grandmother and stepdad also helped me learn and figure out how to contend with yarn and hook in those early years. Because of this, crochet has very strong ties to my sense of family.
How Long Have You Been Crocheting?
I started when I was 6 years old, but stopped for a while to be a teenager. Eventually, as midlife approached, I picked it up again and haven’t looked back for the past 10 years.
Title: Earwarmer Heaven Description: I crocheted earwarmers for everybody one years for Christmas 🙂
Why is Crochet More than Just a Hobby to You?
First is my connection to my family I already mentioned. But there is more to it. I’m an artist, so anything creative is important and meaningful to me – I feel that it is my duty to put beautiful things into the world. In particular, the ability to create clothing and useful items from something so simple as a hook and a string seems miraculous and marvelous to me. I also suspect that the history of crochet is tied up with the history of making fishing nets and so I feel a sense of history when I do it, a grander connection to the whole family of humanity. It is also deeply meditative, and so I suspect that my continued rise in life happiness is connected to the act of crochet.