Craft Talk with @bloubloucrochet

We catch up with crochet fanatic Blousy to talk Instagram, colour combination & craft therapy...

Some people might not believe you when you say crochet can change your life. But, after 35 years of watching crafters learn and become captivated by crochet, we can confirm that it most definitely can. From finding your creativity to relieving your stress levels, there’s nothing crochet can’t do! We caught up with fellow crochet fanatic Blousy (@bloubloucrochet on Instagram) to find out where her love for crafting comes from and her tips to others starting out online.

Blousy has been crocheting for two years, and began sharing her makes on Instagram a couple of months after she started learning. ‘It started off as a documentation of my work, a bit of fun and to see my progress with crochet’. Now, @bloubloucrochet has nearly a thousand followers on Instagram with whom she shares her crocheted makes, and has launched shops on Etsy and Depop at the start of lockdown. To go from beginner to online seller in two years is quite an achievement, making Blousy a Monthly Maker you should definitely know about. 

At the age of 18, between working and partying, Blousy decided that she needed a hobby. ‘I wasn’t enjoying life and soon found myself in a rut.’ So, she picked up some knitting needles and began teaching herself with YouTube videos. After learning the knitting basics, Blousy discovered crochet and fell in love immediately. ‘I knew this was my craft,’ she said. Before she began learning, Blousy said she had no idea what a positive effect it would have on her mental health; now, it is her full time craft therapy!

When scrolling through @bloubloucrochet’s photos on Instagram, so many different colours stand out. Blousy mainly uses acrylic yarns for the bright and vibrant colours, but she’s starting to make different choices. ‘I’ve recently started to think about the environmental impact of the yarns I use and I’m starting to use a lot of organic cotton, 100% cotton, recycled cotton and hemp yarns’.

We wanted to know what the bestseller is in Blousy’s online shops, and she revealed it’s her funky flower earrings. ‘I have three designs of [them] in different sizes and colours.’ As well as getting creative with statement crochet jewellery, at the moment Blousy is enjoying working on hexagon cardigans and shoulder/across body bags. 

Working on larger projects such as cardigans and with a range of new designs on the way, we wondered what role lockdown played in Blousy’s crochet success. ‘Lockdown had a really positive effect on my crafting,’ she told us. ‘I had time to concentrate on it fully and crochet all day!’ This is one positive most crafters have been able to take from lockdown.

One of her more recent designs is the Sun Square Bag pictured above and, like for many of her creations, Blousy drew her inspiration for this project from nature. ‘Needless to say, I took inspiration from the sun!’ Once again, Blousy succeeded in selecting vibrant, harmonious colours for her crochet.

Perhaps what makes @bloubloucrochet creations stand out is the way Blousy combines crochet with her other skills. ‘I’ve always had an eye for colour combinations, but what really taught me was studying photography.’ An avid fan and student of photography, Blousy was able to apply these skills to her crafting. ‘You really have to think about the placement of the colours in your photos,’ she says. What a great piece of advice to apply to your own crochet and enhance your next project; step back for a moment and carefully consider how the colours look together. This might help you decide the order of coloured stripes or what colours to include altogether. 

Like many of us, Blousy also searches for inspiration on social media. ‘There are so many amazing artists on Instagram - I draw inspiration from them and hope I’m able to provide inspiration for other artists as well.’ We asked Blousy to share her advice to other makers who are starting out on Instagram and aspire to have Etsy and Depop shops selling handmade items of their own. ‘GO FOR IT! For Instagram, I would say get yourself out there and don’t be scared of what people will say - you’re doing what you love!’ This is one of the main principles of the online crafting community. Everyone is doing what they love, and social media support between makers is overwhelmingly positive.

As well as selling her crochet makes online, @bloubloucrochet also uses her platform to advocate for social issues such as Black Lives Matter and mental health awareness. Links to these important causes can be found at the end of this article.

Thank you so much to @bloubloucrochet for talking to us in this instalment of Craft Talk. We find it helps our own creativity and craft to hear from other makers, and we hope all of our subscribers have found a nugget of advice to take away!

Links to more information: 

United Family and Friends Campaign

Mind

Article by Alex Waterson