Recently, I found myself with a lot of free time. I wanted to pick up a skill—something that required me to use my hands, stimulate my mind, and did not burn a hole in my pocket.
I found the answer in an amigurumi shark, a gift from a cousin. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed yarn creatures.
Growing up in a South Indian middle-class family, a girl child was usually taught to sew (which included crochet, knitting, and allied skills), besides singing and/or dancing. Nevertheless, by the end of my tutelage under the veteran ladies, Ms N. Kamala and Ms N. Savitri, I had produced two beautiful table covers and one never-ending muffler. I would often show off to friends that I could crochet and knit. Very childish, but it felt good. It still feels good, but in a different way now, when I see them. It reminds me of my quest to learn something new.
After so many years, crocheting, knitting, and several handicrafts were back in vogue, thanks to the lockdown during COVID-19. Cooped up in their homes, many people took to these crafts, posted them online, and started a movement of sorts. It proved to be life-altering for many—and now I understand why. It is very calming and satisfying.
Cut to the present day. I was at a 'PLACE' following a life-altering decision. That is when the amigurumi shark comes into the picture. I decided to give crochet a try. Armed with a crochet needle and yarn, I tried the basic stitches from memory. It turned out that my LTM (long-term memory) had erased my crochet skills. At times like this, it is YouTube zindabad! And it truly helped. Thanks to the many people who have uploaded their crochet videos, I was back on my feet and churning out swatches using various stitches. After several swatches of varying designs, I decided to move to the big league.
One of the first creations was a stuffed heart, followed by Frankenstein and a ball, which could be used as a Christmas decoration. I am supremely proud of my Christmas decorations: an angel (in white), holly leaves (green), and gift boxes (maroon and green with white ribbon) of varying shapes and sizes, all in Christmas colours. The crochet gift boxes were given to my friends as goodbye gifts. The angel is packed up somewhere, I think. However, the most difficult thing to create was Frankenstein as a beginner. I am really proud of myself. I wish I could share pictures of my creations. In a fit of helplessness, frustration, and anger over not knowing what to do with all my creations, I gave them away.
I gave away my early creations because, over time, nobody really values them, and they just pile up in a corner. They become just ‘some useless things’. Nobody quite understands what goes into making them. I suppose I wanted to be a responsible artist, in my own way.
That call for purpose was answered when I heard about a lady, Mrs Jayashree Ratan and Saaisha Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports women cancer survivors with crocheted prostheses called “knockers ”and beanies (caps) for children undergoing chemotherapy. Maybe this is why I returned to crocheting.
