Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the dozen crochet works in progress in my backlog.
Fiber arts such as crocheting, knitting and others are more than joining pieces together or making new fabric. It involves culture, values, creativity and self-expression.
In this week's edition of the Weekly, Editor Sara Rubin and I explored the local fiber arts scene.
People get involved in arts for different reasons, such as to save money, to make a stand against fast fashion, to make friends or to relieve stress.
While crafters gather, they share ideas, learn new tricks and spend time with people from different backgrounds and ages.
“One thing I really love about the guild is the multi-generational factor,” fiber artist Avery Gould says. “I’m meeting people who are much older than me, people who are much younger than me and we’re all connected over this thing that we really love.”
Crafters also unleash their creativity and transfer skills from one art to another. J. Kai Maeda, an avid bird watcher, turns his bird photos into beautiful filet crochet tapestries.
There is research that shows that handcrafted activities increase focus. They are also good for relaxation.
For me, crochet is an outlet to increase my focus and relieve stress and anxiety. The only side effect in my case, besides buying yarn which is in itself a different hobby, is making too many garments.
Thankfully, we have the opportunity to show our work at the Monterey County Fair, continuing today, Sept. 6 and tomorrow, Sept. 7. Many of us, including Maeda, Gould and myself, entered several pieces. If you checked out the exhibition, let me know which piece was your favorite.