A Crochet Safari in Morocco

Guerilla Crocheting

Here is something you have probably never considered - a crochet safari to Marrakech where you can take part in some "Guerilla Crocheting"!  Karoline Fleumer is a woman who loves a good yarn - and, as someone who has been crocheting and knitting all her life, she can spin a yarn better than most. When The View from Fez came across Karoline and heard about her "Cool Crochet" expedition, we invited her to explain the concept.

The idea for the Cool Crochet Trip (Crochet Safari is how we call it most of the time) came to our minds when we (my crochet bizniz partner Anke van der Pluijm and I) were in Marrakech working on some new designs for some poofs and cushions. The designs are for Household Hardware, Anke's firm in Amsterdam.

Karoline Fleumer 

We went out for materials in Marrakech, and on our way met a lot of craftsmen and women, making and doing great stuff in dyeing wool, crocheting hats and other bits and pieces. 

Seeing the artisans work and working on our own designs in such a good, creative environment, made us wonder whether maybe other people would like to work on their handicraft skills here too. 

I have been crocheting and knitting all my life and worked as a professional knitter for some years in knitting factories in Holland. Anke has a lovely little hotel in Marrakech, called Chambres d'Amis and this is a great place to stay while going "on safari" for materials and working with the craftladies in the streets. 

You can see some more of my designs on knitagogo 

This April will be our first Cool Crochet Trip, but it is our intention that many will follow, every april and every October. 

We started out with Dutch participants, since of course we first informed all our friends, but now also people from England, Israel and Greece are taking an interest.

Guerilla Crocheting 

Guerilla Crocheting is crocheting that appears "overnight" in public places, covering a statue (giving statues a knitted scarf is popular in Holland during cold winters), decorating trees, or signposts, or the saddles of bikes. It makes the city look more friendly and relaxed with this touch of woollen craftsmanship. On our safari we hope to leave some lovely crocheting here and there too, in Marrakech.

CROCHET - THE BASICS

Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by artisans. Crocheting, like knitting, consists of pulling loops through other loops, but additionally incorporates wrapping the working material around the hook one or more times. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one stitch is active at one time (exceptions being Tunisian crochet and Broomstick lace), stitches made with the same diameter of yarn are comparably taller, and a single crochet hook is used instead of two knitting needles. Additionally, crochet has its own system of symbols to represent stitch types. 

LINKS:

Knitagogo
Chambres d'Amis:
Anke van der Pluijm and Household Hardware Amsterdam

SHARE THIS!