FEATURE: CROCHET AROUND THE WORLD
Meet six designers who are all uent in the universal language of crochet
YOLONDA JORDAN
Born and raised for the most part in a small town in North Carolina, USA, Yolonda specialises in African American doll designs, selling the patterns as well as custom requests – customers can choose skin tone, hairstyle, outfits and more for their dolls.
Yolonda takes a lot of her crochet inspiration from African American hairstyles. “I remember the first time I had the thought to make an amigurumi doll with Afro Puffs, I went through so much yarn trying to find the perfect chunky yarn to give me the texture and look that I wanted,” Yolonda tells us. “Hair is a very important aspect of the designs because often, Black women are told that our hair is not good enough and that if we want to fit in, we need to straighten and manipulate it to fit the European standard. When I get the opportunity to make a crochet design with Afro Puffs, braids and beads, locs, Afros etc, it’s a reminder to us all that not only is our hair beautiful, but we are beautiful exactly as we were created.” www.myprettybrowndoll.com
MAYA LUNA CORAZON
Originally from Thailand and now residing in the German countryside, Maya learned to crochet when she was seven at a temple school and has kept at the craft for over 30 years now, going professional in 2015.
Having always been inspired by her surroundings and with a passion for making garments, Maya mainly creates designs that she would love to wear and prefers to work with ecological yarn where possible. “The seasons and nature constantly inspire me,” Maya tells us. “I spend half of my day connecting and grounding with nature; hills, river, forest. For me, the transition of each season is so magical. Everything I see around me, I recreate it in the form of a crochet garment. It is my way of expressing my feelings, my love for nature and myself.”
Maya believes that creating, crocheting, and making things with our hands enhances our love for life and for oneself. “I see many women starting to love their bodies more and more when they see their own reflection in the mirror wearing what they’ve made. This is true magic to me.” www.mayalunacorazon.com
ASHLEE ELLE
Born in Texas, USA, Ashlee was introduced into the crochet community by her family tradition – learning handmade crafts and sharing something that truly came from the soul and the heart. “I wholeheartedly adore, appreciate and admire the road that brought me to this place where I can share creations that hold great meaning,” says Ashlee.
Literature, particularly poetry, is a big influence behind Ashlee’s work, which is perhaps why her designs feel so adventurous and dreamlike. “Maya Angelou’s way of words are quite phenomenal – the admirable strength within them inspires me and motivates my creations,” she says. “The inspiration behind the name of my crafting base, Dream, was I Have A Dream by Martin Luther King Jr. The Dream of my ancestors that I hold onto – recalling the opportunity I retain now as a Black woman to be able to create freely and express myself with no boundaries. They give me perseverance when I’m continuously keeping them in mind. I am inspired immensely to always continue forward in my creative endeavours.”
Etsy: DreamCrochetShoppe
MARY RENJI
When Mary was around 10 years old, her family went to visit her uncle and aunt who lived in Bhopal, India. Since she didn’t have any friends there, she would pester her aunt to play with her – to keep her busy, her aunt taught Mary to knit and crochet. She is now a professional designer, living in Mumbai. “I am greatly inspired by the places I have visited on my vacations. India has beautiful architecture and wonderful landscapes spread across the
country,” says Mary. “It is also rich with heritage which has been a starting point for many a project. The fabrics, the colours and the smells all play a part when I design. If I go into a slump and I am unable to crochet or do anything crafty, I know that an immersion into my roots can activate the creative juices.”
Mary’s designs are heavily influenced by the seasons. “I love making hats in winter and fingering weight shawls in spring and autumn,” Mary says. “Sometimes it’s a design that I see on a wall or floor, or something that catches my eye while I am on a walk. I try to translate that into a crochet design.” www.maryrenji.com
LU SUN
Designer Lu was born in a remote mountain village in China and moved to the USA for primary school. “It was almost 20 years ago when Mom first taught me how to crochet a straight DC [UK treble crochet] scarf – and I didn’t think much of it. Then three years ago, I discovered amigurumi, and immediately fell in love because it allows me to create in 3D with endless possibilities,” Lu tells us. It was when her toddler was starting to learn food words in both Chinese and English that Lu started to make amigurumi and found pairing the two was a really magical process.
Having spent her childhood in China, time travelling through Europe, and raising a child in America, Lu doesn’t feel that any one culture defines her work. “It’s quite the opposite,” she says. “I see that in the core, people around the world are actually all very similar. We all want to enjoy happy moments, and share those positive experiences with others. Sharing food – crocheted in my case – is the easiest way to cross cultural boundaries. I want to celebrate different cultural backgrounds through crocheted food and show that anyone can enjoy a fluffy bao [filled, steamed bun] even if you’ve never learned how to use chopsticks.”
Instagram: @Luluslittleshop
FIORELA ‘FIORE’ GARCIA
Fiore has lived in Switzerland since 2010, but has also lived in Spain and France previously. Originally from Peru, Fiore learned to crochet at school when she was nine, but didn’t pick up a hook again until her twenties when she started to look for DIY projects to make for her home – and re-discovered her passion. Fiore learnt to respect and value the hard work of the traditional hand crafts that are passed on generation by generation from her Peruvian upbringing. Fiore’s mother and grandmother have had a big influence on her creative path. “My grandma worked as a seamstress and made most of her five children’s clothes. Then she passed on the skills to my mom, being the eldest of the children,” she tells us.
Fiore says that crochet nurtures her curiosity and helps her to explore her creative side. She works from a studio space in her home, which, since the pandemic hit, she now shares with her partner “Sometimes, when I need to sit and crochet, I will now go to a little nook in the living room, next to the window, I grab my cosy blanket, a cup of coffee and turn on a podcast,” she says. “You can see my love for crochet and handmade things reflected all around my home. I have lots of pieces that I’ve made, mixed with other items that I thrifted. There’s one piece that I treasure the most, a beautiful mustard blanket that my grandmother crocheted herself almost 40 years ago and is still in perfect condition.” www.fiorelila.com