Open Inquiry 7: What I have learned

In 2022 I began to learn to crochet because I wanted to do something with my hands when relaxing, watching a movie or listening to music. A couple of my friends in Victoria were knitting and I felt really inspired by their hats and scarves. I learnt to crochet first, through YouTube videos and then moved onto knitting, also through YouTube videos. I wanted to learn these crafts as a creative outlet but found that it was also a really fun way to bond with other people.

During my L2P I helped out an Education Assistant who was running a knitting and crochet club during recess. She described her role within the school, moving from class to class helping teachers and students. Although she was extremely busy, she ran this club twice a week, on her own with about 10 students in attendance. One day I asked her why she runs the group, her answer has stuck with me: “this club gives the students who don’t enjoy intramural sports a chance to be a part of a community within the school”. Since then, I have been inspired by how fibre arts can bring people together.

I wanted to use this project as a way of exploring how to deepen the relationship between the creator of a piece and the materials. I initially thought that it would be beyond my skills and unattainable. But then I remembered how I felt before I knit my first pair of socks, and how now they’re my favourite thing to create for gifts.

I have learned a lot about patience and respect through this process. Just like learning to knit, my first attempts at washing the wool, dyeing, and spinning, all didn’t turn out quite right, but I know that each time I try, it’ll get a little better.

I have been inspired by how fibre arts and wool in particular are cross-cultural. Humans across the world have a deep connection with wool and can express their cultural identity and stories through the arts they make with it. From Cowichan sweaters to Scottish Fair Isle patterns, wool is a special material.