Crochet is in. We’re not talking about the old-school craft of stitching yarns that our grandmothers have been doing as a hobby.
Rather, crochet is going through a revival right now among fashionable youths, intersecting the worlds of decorative art and slow fashion. Just consider how creating a crochet cardigan can require up to 40 hours of work (artisanal, much?).
Clockwise from left: Crochet designs seen on the Fall/Winter 2021 runways of Celine, Prada, Miu Miu and Valentino.
The something-old something-new craft is quickly gaining appreciation and momentum among the TikTok community and featured in the knitwear of rising indie fashion labels loved by celebrities like Rui, Erika Maish, Lirika Matoshi, Memorial Day and Fiona O*Neill.
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Crochet artists have also been in the spotlight of late. Just look at Ella Emhoff, a.k.a. stepdaughter of Kamala Harris. She’s been the de facto poster child of the crochet movement with a recent hippie-tinged collaboration with womenswear label Batsheva after graduating from Parsons.
In Singapore, a rising number of young women have picked up the yarn and needle post-lockdown – finding joy and cathartic release in this textile art and their pursuit of slow fashion.
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Ahead, we get to know these avid crochet artists and find out about how they got started, what makes them hooked on the craft and why this homespun design is making a comeback.
Who are behind Peachier: Started by three friends with a shared interest in crochet design, the trio wanted to set up a small business that ‘celebrates eccentric dressing’. (From left) Lydia Kok, a print designer; Hazyra Halim, an art teacher; and Miyuki Tsuji, a florist
Year they began commissions: 2020
What got you interested in picking up crochet?
Miyuki: “Being part of a handmade small business and because I started to see crochet everywhere, it naturally became the next thing that I wanted to do. It was a craft that stuck on quickly and it really helped me de-stress during Covid and circuit breaker times. The idea of doing something different with the craft also motivated me to pick up crochet and this was how our half-fabric, half-crochet hat came to be.
My mom also tried a lot of crafts in her pastime, so the crochet hooks were already lying around in the house. I also had yarns leftover from a previous project, so it sort of felt like the right thing to do.”
Lydia: “I started exploring crochet during circuit breaker as a way to cope with the pandemic. I really do believe the yarns have some sort of healing power and can soothe the mind. The rhythmic counting and repetitive knitting motion that creates a pattern is also incredibly therapeutic!
When I moved last year, my mum shared with me several crochet heirlooms made by my late grandmother. I remember wearing some of the pieces when I was young. I felt that learning crochet gives me a connection to the women in my family I grew up admiring. This recollection further motivated me to learn the craft.”
Hazyra: “I’ve been reminiscing through old Japanese fashion magazines looking at crochets of vests and flower-shaped hats excite me and naturally, I became curious about the art and process behind it. Harry Styles’s famous JW Anderson crochet sweater also started to trend online and people began making squares of the crochet design. I think that idea of crochet squares that can be made into a sweater sparked more interest.”
How long have you been doing crochet?
Hazyra: “I started experimenting with crochet at the start of last year after a surgery and was just finding time to be a ‘part-time granny’ during my recovery.”
Miyuki: “I think we started around the same time. Probably somewhere around the start of the circuit breaker last year. We started sending pictures of cute crochet products and ideas to each other, and it sparked off quickly from there.”
Lydia: “Yes, this hobby is contagious! We began exchanging ideas about crochet designs after starting our small handmade business. From those exciting craft conversations, our unique half-fabric half-crochet hat was born.”
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.”
Who do you look up to for crochet design inspiration?
Hazyra: “I’ve always looked up to the crochet community on Instagram. One of my faves is Calistta Hyde (@crochet_calistta), I adore her colour palettes and her crochet tulip hats.”
Miyuki: “I love to collect and look at printed magazines, so I get inspiration from those a lot. I get really inspired by looking at how people dress and then imagining how a certain design might look on them.
For me, it’s usually a celebrity or idol that I’m really into at a point in time, or if not, Wednesday Wu (@wednesdaytsai) is a go-to muse on Instagram. I also really like the crochet designs by Pasta Jesus (@jesuspasta) and Yrurari (@yrurari).”
Lydia: “I look up to the skilled crochet homemakers whom I worked with for my final year project. Between the endless whirl of chores to complete at home, they still found time to crochet for passion.
In terms of established designers, I really love Erika Maish’s checkered crochet co-ord sets and her personal twist of adding sequins to her crochet pieces. I admire the fact that she is constantly pushing the boundaries of handmade knitwear with unconventional materials.”
Why do you think crochet is becoming more popular today?
Hazyra: “I think it’s a craft that can be slowly improved on our own. It’s rewarding to know that after a first few tries and once you slowly get to understand it that crocheting becomes easier and you can basically make anything.”
Miyuki: “The tools and materials are easy to get, and it relies largely on being self-taught coupled with having the motivation to explore deeper into the craft. Besides that, anything crochet just looks super cute.”
Lydia: “In the past, crochet was always associated with domesticity. As the pandemic restrictions heightened and we stayed home longer than usual, more people discovered that this age-old craft can help us cope with this unprecedented situation. It really feels like just for a while, nothing else matters more than the repetitive act of working on something in our hands.”
What do you love most about doing crochet?
Hazyra: “The process is just very therapeutic once you get the hang of it. It can be a mindless task while watching your favourite chick flick or documentary. Also, just looking at a full bag of different coloured and textured yarns really makes me happy. The things that I can make out of it are endless, from a hat to a little crochet birthday cake ring.”
Miyuki: “I love how it feels really authentic and homemade. I remember a week last year where I spent every waking minute just doing crochet and I truly enjoyed it – can’t wait for a time like that again!”
Lydia: “Crochet gives me a reason to collect tons of pretty yarns! I am quite the yarn hoarder. I also really love the carefree and inclusive spirit of the craft culture, the slow process of making things – to savour every moment we had while craft jamming together.”
Who’s behind Softlymadecottage: Hayley Sim, a prospective student pursuing a Diploma in Creative Direction for Fashion at Lasalle College of the Arts.
Year she/they began commissions: 2020
What got you interested in picking up crochet?
“I have always loved Rilakkuma plush toys but was never able to buy them. I came across a YouTube tutorial on how to crochet an amigurumi Rilakkuma keychain and I wanted to try it out.
So, I headed to Spotlight at Plaza Singapura to get some materials to try it out. It was too hard for me at the time to make it so I watched other tutorials on the basics of crochet and experimented with it until I got it right.
I ended up never making that Rilakkuma keychain I wanted to but instead, gained an addiction to this hobby now (not complaining about it though).”
How long have you been doing crochet?
“I started sometime after my O-Levels, around November of 2019. I started with scrunchies, small sling bags and my first wearable item – an oversized sweater that I completed in under three days. I was really proud of myself for creating such a big item when I only just started on this hobby.”
Where did you learn how to crochet?
“I learned how to crochet mainly from YouTube video tutorials. There are so many easy-to-follow tutorials that really helped me improve in my crocheting. I still watch some tutorials here and there to learn other different stitches that I could incorporate into my creations.”
What influences your crochet designs?
“I’d say nature, vintage fashion and anything that I see in my life. I hope to delve into more aesthetic-driven trends and darker concepts like steampunk, solarpunk, goth and more. It would be so cool to incorporate all these fashion aesthetics into my creations and create something truly special and unique.
I’m also heavily inspired by the cottagecore trend as well as historical fashion. I love experimenting with different textures in crochet and I hope to incorporate other mediums such as dressmaking with fabrics and knitting with my crocheted creations.”
Who do you look up to for crochet design inspiration?
“For my designs, I actually look more at vintage or historical fashion pieces as well as basically anything I see in my life like flowers, nature or sceneries! In addition to this, I do get inspiration from films I’ve watched too.”
Why do you think crochet is becoming more popular today?
“I think it’s possibly due to not having anything to do during quarantine when Covid was more rampant that more people started to delve into crafts.
Celebrities and influencers wearing crocheted pieces is a huge factor too. There’s a major downside to the latter though, as fast fashion brands have been catching up to this trend and selling crochet pieces too. It feels horrible to think about underpaid workers as crochet can only be done by hand.
Crochet is a form of slow fashion that takes really long to make and complete. When people see the low prices that fast fashion brands offer for crocheted pieces, it makes it harder for small businesses to sell their creations as consumers would think that we’re overpriced or too expensive. When in fact, we’re really just paying ourselves fairly.
This is why I always advocate supporting small businesses and their craftsmanship.”
What do you love most about doing crochet?
“I love how freeing and relaxing it is, creating either by following a pattern or freehanding a piece from your imagination. Feeling the different textures of the different fibres make me feel so happy and grounded. Crochet has really helped me in calming myself and enjoying each moment of the process.
When I take up commission orders, I feel amazing knowing that I am creating something special for someone who will cherish it for long. I like the fact that it’s a form of slow fashion, letting me enjoy every step of the way and having a smaller environmental impact while still creating unique and wearable art.”
Who’s behind Koinijothreads: The Instagram page was started by Joey Yeo when she first was picking up crochet and houses all her latest creations. She’s currently an undergraduate student from Nanyang Technological Univerity’s School Of Art Design & Media.
Year she began commissions: 2021
What got you interested in picking up crochet?
“I’ve always thought that crochet might be a fun hobby to pick up because you don’t need much to start a project, all you really need is some yarn and a hook. However, I never really got around to it because I never had the time to. But I had a lot of time last year because I had just finished my A-Levels and was waiting for university to start, so when I spotted some crochet supplies when I was wandering about in Daiso, I thought ‘why not?’.”
How long have you been doing crochet?
“I picked up crocheting in early July last year, but I mostly crocheted little coasters. It wasn’t until January this year when I decided to attempt more complex and bigger projects.”
Where did you learn how to crochet?
“I learnt how to crochet from YouTube! There are a lot of helpful tutorials and free patterns on the site. I made a lot of mistakes at first that I didn’t know how to correct. But after a lot of trials and errors, I managed to learn the basic crochet stitches and how to control string tension.
Moving forward, I bought some more complex patterns off of Etsy and slowly I began to understand basic shaping and such – eventually learning how to create my own designs. I’ve yet to write my own pattern though!”
What influences your crochet designs?
“There are many crochet designers on Instagram that I adore and I take inspiration from their work in many aspects such as yarn choice, colour combination and construction.”
I also take inspiration from things outside of the crochet world. For example, I may be inspired by the colour combination in a painting or the texture of a mushroom. I will then try to recreate it but in crochet form.”
Who do you look up to for crochet design inspiration?
“I mainly look up to designers on Instagram. I like designers who play around with different textures and combinations. Some of my favourites I follow right now are Sulk Knitwear (@sulkknitwear), She Shell (@_she_shell_), Vaisseau (@va1sseau), Loupy Studio (@loupystudio) and Ilyang Ilyang (@ilyang.ilyang).”
Why do you think crochet is becoming more popular today?
“I think that during this pandemic, many of us have been finding ways to keep ourselves occupied during quarantine and I think crochet is something that a lot of people have found solace in. I think the act of crocheting can take different forms and suit the likes of many different people. Crocheting can be a relaxing process where you just let your hands take over; there is a certain sense of monotony in crocheting rows and rows of the same stitches.
But there is also some element of problem-solving when attempting more complex designs. I also think that there is satisfaction in crochet because the end result is a tangible object.
I think a lot of crochet’s relevance now can also be owed to TikTok. A lot of creators have been sharing their amazing work on the platform and I think that really expands people’s idea of what forms crochet can take. I would guess that most people’s perception of a crochet item would be a simple beanie or a scarf, but I think social media has really shown us whole new possibilities and that crochet items can be current and unique too.
Also, more people have been putting effort into finding alternatives to fast fashion due to its harmful effects on the environment and to reject the idea of the exploitation of workers. Learning how to crochet is definitely a step towards sustainability because we can learn how to make our own quality garments that we will probably wear more often because we made them ourselves.
It may seem a little far fetched and I find that it’s something people only realise after they start crocheting: it is so much better to crochet something that you want for yourself than to buy it for cheap. This is because a crocheted garment cannot be done by a machine which means every crochet item is made by hand. By paying less for a garment like this, it means that someone out there is not earning a living wage.”
What do you love most about doing crochet?
“I think what I love most about crocheting is turning a ball of yarn into something tangible, be it a simple piece of clothing or something I consider to be wearable art. The act of crocheting is very grounding and helps me to relieve stress. When I complete a project, I feel like I’ve accomplished something.”
Who’s behind Keysstringsss: Nikki Chong, a self-employed crotchet artist and small business owner.
Year she began commissions: 2020
What got you interested in picking up crochet?
“I picked up crocheting when I dirtied a crochet bag I got overseas. My mum, who knows how to crochet, suggested that I try to remake it myself.”
How long have you been doing crochet?
“I’ve been crocheting since about 2014, it took a while for me to get the right materials and tools, and to get comfortable with the craft. It’s only in 2020 that I really immersed myself in the crochet community and learnt a lot more about the craft.”
Who did you learn to crochet from?
“My mum taught me most of the basics, and I took to YouTube to learn more specific stitches and how those combine into different patterns. It was very useful for me to have someone who could troubleshoot my mistakes with me. My younger sister (@shopzobo) also crochets now, so today I share most of my troubles with her and we figure things out together.”
What influences your crochet designs?
“Since I mostly crochet apparel and more specifically tops, I’d say my personal style is my biggest influence.
Typically, I like minimalistic timeless pieces that will become staple pieces in my closet and will last well throughout trends over the years. Of course, I have the occasional piece that I just have to crochet when the inspiration hits.”
“I don’t have any specific brands or people I look to for inspiration for my crochet pieces. But if I have to give an answer, I’d say street style. Any timeless minimalistic piece I see on the street can inspire me to recreate it in crochet!”
Why do you think crochet is becoming more popular today?
“I think it’s because there’s a push towards, slow fashion and anything that is sustainably or ethically made. People are increasingly more eco-conscious and supporting a small, slow local brand that hand-makes their pieces really resonates as something they would like to support. Of course, having a piece tailor-made to your measurements and preferences is also a big draw.”
What do you love most about doing crochet?
“The thing that keeps bringing back to crochet is its infinite possibilities. It’s a craft that allows for the same basic stitches when combined differently, result in any number of items, from tops, toys, homeware, blankets, bags and so much more.”
