Meet ACCROchet

I had the chance to chat with ACCROchet and get to know her better. Her work is fabulous and she has a fabulous sense of style. I think you’ll love her patterns!

Can you tell us about how you got started with crochet?

This was a WHILE ago. I was in my mid-twenties. I initially tried knitting, but it was stressing me out. A good friend of mine was completing beautiful crochet projects at lightning speed, while I was toiling away on a few rows of bad garter stitch.

I decided to give her technique a try and have been (ahem) hooked ever since. (It’s an overused pun, but there’s no way around it!)

I love the fact that even now, in 2016, we’re still pioneering crochet. We’re giving it back a reputation it never actually had for being a beautiful artform.

Where does your crochet design inspiration come from?

Usually it comes from the yarn itself. I may play with it for a while with something specific in mind, but then something completely different and unexpected will come out instead.

I also read a LOT of crochet and knitting blogs, interior decoration blogs, design blogs, etc. The result is that all of these images fill my imagination and move my hooks along without my knowledge.

I’ve seen a monthly interview post written by you in Happily Hooked Magazine, can you tell us about your adventures meeting some fabulous people?

I absolutely love all of the people I’ve gotten to know through crochet / fiberarts. I try to go to as many yarn shops and events as possible, and have gotten to know quite a few indie dyers, shop owners, spinners, knitters, etc. I’m super curious by nature, but am not a natural-born social butterfly or networker. The interviews have pushed me to discover and get to know new people, and those discoveries always lead to even more.

It’s a really wonderful world full of very creative people who like to share their own knowledge, and get to know my own craft better as crocheters are still very much the minority.

What is your favorite yarn to work with and why?

I love hand-dyed yarns. I love too many hand-dyers to list them here – and I would feel horrible if I left any of them out, but you’ll get a sense of my yarn tastes if you read those monthly interviews.

As far as fibers, I’ve grown very fond of cashmere, merino, alpaca, silk, and mixes of them all!

What are your greatest crochet accomplishments?

Sitting down to actually write the patterns I create.

What are your most popular patterns? 

Peek-a-blue

Ski Bunny Hat

Orchard Shawl

Tania Shawlette

You are from Canada, right? Can you tell us about the crochet culture there? 

I am! Specifically, I live in the province of Québec, in a suburb of Montreal. Crochet is still far behind knitting over here. It doesn’t help that there are few good sources for crochet patterns in French, the majority’s first language.

I started teaching and designing with them in mind. There are more designers emerging currently. I’m confident we’re helping crochet take the place it deserves!

How does crochet help you? 

It helps me sit still and relax. I’m anxious by nature, and I get out of whack if I don’t feel like I’m productive / accomplishing *something*. Crochet lets me sit down and binge watch Netflix without feeling guilty.

Do you have any other hobbies?

I love to read! I’m an avid reader, and I’ve even set up a book club for The Man (he wanted to read more). This year he’s actually read more books than me through that project.

And I love to just hang out / shop. I suck at calling people to do these things like when I was a teenager, but I am always up for it when asked.

How do you balance your work and home life?

I’m not sure that I do a great job all the time, but I work with lists. It does help that my daughter and stepson are respectively 14 and 13 so they need much less chaperoning from The Man and me.

I have a huge binder I carry to work and back home in which I keep our entire life, projects, to-dos, etc. It saves me a whole lot of apologizing and rescheduling.

What do you do when you are not crocheting?

I’m either sleeping, eating, or writing patterns. Pretty much.

Anything else that you would like to share with us?

I want crocheters to know that in order for our passion to take its deserved place in the fiber world, we need to think like knitters at least a little bit: work with the best tools & yarns you can afford. You’ll enjoy the process even more, and your projects will make people say : you *crocheted* that? Which is something I hear ALL the time!

You can find ACCROchet on RAVELRY and  FACEBOOK,

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One Comment

1. 

   Julie-Sarah Desjardins

   May 10, 2016 at 8:03 pm

   Thanks Emily! You rock!

   Reply