Where did you learn how to crochet?
Hazyra: “Other than looking through old fashion magazines, Miyuki really pushed me to actually start buying the tools and materials. I learned it from looking at videos online and I really enjoyed trying out different granny squares.”
Miyuki: “Learning it through YouTube tutorials was definitely the fastest. Everything from the basics is there. I also started looking through different blog posts and magazines, finding new crochet variations and simultaneously looking at the crochet stitches to see how many I could identify. My first crochet creations were a flower, a hat and a mini pouch bag – based on some of the easiest tutorials I could find.
A few years back, I also attended a few knitting classes at Golden Dragon in Chinatown, which probably contributed a lot to helping me pick up crochet quickly. ”
Lydia: “I started learning crochet from the Internet through observation and experimentation. However, I realised that many online tutorials were not so well-captured, especially for a left-handed person like myself.
During the early stages of my crochet learning, I would place a standing mirror beside my laptop to reflect against the screen and learn from it, because most craft tutorials are right-handed.
In pursuit of a better craft learning experience, I sought out local homemakers from Carousell to learn crochet from them on the weekends. Spending time with them made me fall in love with the craft more.”
What influences your crochet designs?
Hazyra: “My mother always had these crochet table mats laying around the house. She bought them from pasar malams for Hari Raya and I’ve always thought they add a great touch for tabletops. I’ve always played with them when I was younger, like using the table mats to drape around my body. I was surrounded by these tiny influences and small handmade craftsmanship growing up, and they played a huge part in my designs today.”
Miyuki: “I wanted to do something different for our crochet hats and because I was already trying out different designs of fabric hats, I thought why not just combine the two materials together. It was a really simple and spontaneous idea, but I remember feeling so excited when I first put fabric and crochet together.”
Like patchworking, I like how I was able to get different textures and an abundance of colour together in one product. It felt like I had combined the best of two worlds – very much like putting a top and bottom together to get a jumpsuit (and I just adore jumpsuits!).”
Lydia: “I was interested to explore the combination of woven textiles and knitted fabrics in a garment. Similar to Miyuki, I love the layering of textures and fabric prints coming together harmoniously in a product.
My most recent project was for my final year in fashion school (pictured above), The Handmade’s Tale, where I co-created a crochet collection of five looks with local crochet homemakers. Overall, it was a design process that allowed the homemakers creative freedom to reign free. For this blue and pink checkered dress, I used the blanket stitch method and crochet borders to combine my textile creation with theirs in one garment.
I think the notion of purposeful design and community engagement influence my craft.”
