Most of my knitting is by machine, and I can find hand knitting slow and frustrating sometimes. It's great for certain things, I love my hand knitted mittens and my jumper (both done in double knit yarn, none of that thin faffy stuff), but for some projects crochet wins. Also, I find crochet more flexible as a process, easier to make it up as you go, and definitely better than knit for 3D pieces.
For my 'tricks and treats' exhibition last year, I mixed machine knit and crochet, using crochet for the edging on my ouija board, as well as crocheting the candles that sat with it.
I use crochet for projects in Sugar Paper zine quite a lot, with things from daisy chain glasses chains to binocular bags. I'm working on the solar system for the next issue of Sugar Paper right now, here's a work in progress shot...
I can't remember when I learnt to crochet, probably when I saw that amigurumi existed and I wanted to make them, but I'm glad I did. I'm also glad that other people did too. Some of my favourite artists who use textiles as their medium use crochet.
Here are two of my top faves, Olek, and Joana Vasconcelos, both who use crochet on a large scale, exploiting its sculptural properties and using the bright colour palette that I know I associate with domestic crochet.
Olek
Joana Vasconcelos
If you are a die-hard knitter who has never tried crochet, or a keen crafter who has never picked it up then have a go!
Knitting, I love you, but sometimes, you just make me want to crochet!
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