The Crochet Couch & a little about me.

This is where I sit most of the time to whip up my crochet designs. I love it here, catching the northern sun in the Winter and baking myself for an afternoon nap in the Summer. One of my first crochet cushions takes pride of place, and half the time I have to nudge my cat Subi off to make room for my laptop, my papers, hooks and scribbled notes.

My name is Susan and I have a bit of an obsession with crochet. I learnt as a young child from my very craft oriented grandmother Bessie Alice, who taught me the granny square ever-increasing blanket, and how to edge cloth and make doilies. She did love the odd (very kitsch) owl tea cosy and she showed me how to make those too. After Grandma died in 2011, I seriously (probably compulsively) returned to crochet to feel connected to her. I found myself drawn to her pattern books and picked up my hook. I thought about her constantly while I crocheted and began designing sort of okay garments by trial and error for small people (otherwise known as toddlers - small clothes can't take that long to make, surely...), then I found some more teachers to improve my work.

Completing Part 1 of Pauline Turner's International Diploma of Crochet, competing for years in the CGOA's annual crochet design competition (and finally winning!), and being published by magazines and yarn companies in the US, UK, Canada and The Netherlands has led me to now. The skills Grandma taught me are very close to my heart, but they are such a small part of what can be achieved with this craft. I am very much intrigued by crochet fashion, using traditional techniques in modern ways. I hope to share some of my intrigue and "things I have learned" with this Blog.

I still think of Grandma when I crochet, though now it's mostly to wonder what she would think of the stuff I am making... She was a traditionalist after all - she might not like it!? I know the first thing she would do though if she saw something I made - she would turn it inside out and check to see how neat (or not) the wrong side is!!

This photo of us was taken about 18 years ago. Grandma had a big influence on my life and she was an inspiration to many in her community.

Bessie Alice (1912-2011)

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