Thursday, October 24, 2013
Dee and I have been crochet friends for quite some time. I've enjoyed teaching for her chapter of CGOA in Connecticut; I've taken classes from her and I've written about her in an article about "Collecting Crochet" for Piecework Magazine where again, she shared her love of hook collecting. Dee is known as the "crochet cheerleader" and she blogs as CrochetWithDee.
Although I’ve been crocheting since my early childhood, I have never given much thought to collecting crochet hooks until recently. It wasn’t until I joined the CGOA in 2001, started my own Chapter, and began teaching various crochet techniques that my crochet hook collecting passion began. I began collecting all sorts of hooks: vintage, modern, wooden, glass, clay, silver, gold, bone and even jeweled.
My most treasured antique crochet hook in my collection was gifted to me by my brother-in-law. He knew I had a passion for crochet and when he spotted the beauty at a flea market, he knew he found something special. This hook was crafted out of cow shin bone sometime around 1860 – 1880 but the manufacturer is unknown. However, due to the decorative hand-painted navy blue inking and the three jingly-rings that adorn it, it was most likely a wedding gift, or belonged to a wealthy crocheter:
Recently I got to ask Heather about her work, and where she draws her
inspiration from:
A. I have never seen so
many sheep in one place, clay or real! I joked that they were my sheep army as
they grew from 10 to well over a hundred. It was a great experience and I was
immensely honored to be a part of it.
Q. I am sure {ahem} you received some
"“interesting"”requests from your customers. Can you share with us
some details of the craziest, zaniest, and whimsical hooks you'’e designed? Have there been any requests that you'’e said
"“o"”to?
A. Hands down my
customers are my greatest inspiration. I’d like to think we work together on a
lot of ideas through Etsy and the shop’s Facebook page. Since I take custom
orders, one person might ask if I could make a certain hook and everyone on
Facebook gets excited about it so it ends up in the Etsy shop. It really is a
fun and interactive experience, so much that even when I am not in the studio
working I think how amazing my customers are and how lucky I am to get to do
what I do.
Dee and I have been crochet friends for quite some time. I've enjoyed teaching for her chapter of CGOA in Connecticut; I've taken classes from her and I've written about her in an article about "Collecting Crochet" for Piecework Magazine where again, she shared her love of hook collecting. Dee is known as the "crochet cheerleader" and she blogs as CrochetWithDee.
 |
| Dee Stanziano |
Magic Wands by Dee Stanziano:
Magic wands;
all crocheters have them. Cleverly
disguised as magic wands, crochet hooks vary in many aspects including color,
shape and material. Some are mass
produced, others are hand crafted. Some are heirlooms; others are brand new, waiting
to cast their first stitches. With
refined practice, we are able to wave our crochet hooks seemingly effortlessly,
turning simple string into an array of loops that becomes a series of stitches,
and those stitches magically turn into fabric.
Yes, crochet hooks are just like magic wands that help us express
ourselves as crafters and artisans such as those featured in The Fine Art of Crochet: Innovative Works From 20 Contemporary Artists by Gwen Blakley
Kinsler.
Although I’ve been crocheting since my early childhood, I have never given much thought to collecting crochet hooks until recently. It wasn’t until I joined the CGOA in 2001, started my own Chapter, and began teaching various crochet techniques that my crochet hook collecting passion began. I began collecting all sorts of hooks: vintage, modern, wooden, glass, clay, silver, gold, bone and even jeweled.
My most treasured antique crochet hook in my collection was gifted to me by my brother-in-law. He knew I had a passion for crochet and when he spotted the beauty at a flea market, he knew he found something special. This hook was crafted out of cow shin bone sometime around 1860 – 1880 but the manufacturer is unknown. However, due to the decorative hand-painted navy blue inking and the three jingly-rings that adorn it, it was most likely a wedding gift, or belonged to a wealthy crocheter:
 |
| Dee's most treasured crochet hook |
I have decorative
hooks that I mostly use when I am demonstrating crochet at public venues. They serve the purpose of both drawing in the
public’s interest, and inspiring me with crochet projects. One of my favorite decorative hooks features
Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of
the Caribbean movie series. Another
of my favorite decorative hooks (below) features the “Hanging On” Giraffe,
inspired by the
image created for the Wellington Zoo’s “Celebrate Chimp Week” promotion. Both were crafted by Heather of the Lemonade Shop by special request.
 |
| Hanging On Giraffe |
Q. You designed the Special
Commemorative 2013 Crochet Hook for the Crochet Guild of America. Can you tell
us what it was like to be chosen as this year’s designer, and what it was like
to make so many crochet hooks for the Guild?
.jpg) |
| 2013 CGOA Commemorative Hook |
A. Funny you should ask
that (nudge nudge, wink wink). Over the past year or so the direction of the
shop has really taken a huge turn from original ideas such as gnomes and snails
to TV and movie characters. With that said, the first DEXTER hook I did was an
“interesting” experience as well as the Heisenberg character from Breaking
Bad. One is a serial killer the other a crystal methamphetamine
manufacturer. Both a far cry from my cute unicorns hooks, but still a pleasure
to create none the less.
I usually will say no to cartoon characters. In order to do them and do them right I would need to make them exactly as they were created and I think that in a roundabout way is a form of copying someone else’s art, which I am not too keen on. If I can’t put my own spin on it, I usually will say no. I joke that my creations are portly and cute. If a crochet hook can be both of those things I will almost always say yes.
I usually will say no to cartoon characters. In order to do them and do them right I would need to make them exactly as they were created and I think that in a roundabout way is a form of copying someone else’s art, which I am not too keen on. If I can’t put my own spin on it, I usually will say no. I joke that my creations are portly and cute. If a crochet hook can be both of those things I will almost always say yes.
 |
| Harry Potter Hook
Q. You make some super cute clay
designs on crochet hooks, such as the Harry Potter character hook above. Where
do you get your inspiration?
|
 |
| Heather's Hands Working |
Q. It is amazing with some of the
finer details you put into your clay work. When did you start working with
clay, and what inspired you to focus on crochet hooks?
A. Most of the hooks have
a mix of clay work and hand painting with a lot of detail and let’s just say
when this all started I did not require readers!
I started working with clay heavily in 2011. It took me a while to find my
own personal style and once I did I think that is when the shop really found
its way. It started with knitting stitch markers and then gradually moved
over to crochet hooks and then over to crochet stitch markers. At the time no
one was doing clay characters on crochet hooks so it was exciting to go from an
unknown situation to having a successful Etsy shop.
 |
| Heather's Etsy Shop |
Q. On your Facebook page, , you give your fans a glance into
what’s new in your studio, which also includes adorable stitch markers. What
other designs/products do you see yourself possibly offering in the future?
A. I think about that on
a daily basis. I’ve had thoughts about doing knitting needles, but my heart is
with crochet hooks, so we will see. I’m sure in 2014 I will test out the
waters. There are so many ideas I have for hooks and stitch markers still...
and for each of my own ideas my customers have 20 more, so I think I am set for
a while
Dee's passion for crochet hooks led her to write about two hook designers. Read Part 2 about Jimbo Hooks on Dee's blog:
Comments
Jimbo