A group of young Kenyans are learning and modernising the old craft of making garments from mere thread and gaining financial independence while at it.
You witness skill and an enviable coordination of hand and tool when you watch 25-year-old Felister Wanjiru crochet. The thread is made to dance, twist, turn, stretch, relax or do anything — it depends on where Felister’s hands want it to go.
Colours become partners in ways never seen before. Garments take shape at a tremendous speed as she works her deft fingers.
Tops, dresses, beanies, bathing suits, and many more clothing items easily jump off the crocheting juggernaut that she has become. She has been in this since 2017.
“My mother taught me,” she says, adding that she acquired more tricks by watching YouTube tutorials.
Perhaps one testament that Felister is the queen of her craft is the number of Instagram followers she has — more than 46,000. Some flock to her account, @phelly_crochet, to buy her handmade pieces.
Her designs are influenced by the current fashion trends, which make them more attractive to young people.
Felister Wanjiku wearing one of her own creations made out of crocheting.
Photo credit: Pool
Felister is in a group of young Kenyans who are learning and modernising the old craft of making garments from mere thread.
Arts, crafts and home science were two examinable subjects that were scrapped from the Kenyan primary school curriculum in 2001.
The effect of this move has affected young people who did not have a chance to learn the basic skills offered in those classes like knitting and crocheting. Some lucky few learnt from parents and grandparents while others had to rely on information provided on the internet.
For Felister, crocheting was just another hobby she loved but it turned out to be a way for her to gain financial independence. She charges Sh3,580 for a small size halter neck mini-dress.
“I would use seven yarn balls and work on the piece for around 14 hours. It is important to factor in the labour and design in the costs,” she added.
She juggles both a full-time procurement job and her crocheting business, which she focuses on mostly on the weekends.
“If I did it full-time, I think the sales from the business would sustain me. I would have enough time to make more pieces, do more marketing and even start shipping to other countries,” she says.
Crocheting is part of yarn crafting — the art of using needlework to stitch strands of yarn or different fabrics together to make a design. Applique needlework, bead embroidery, hand embroidery and needlepoint are some of the different types of yarn crafting, but knitting and crocheting are the most commonly known forms of needlework. Research suggests that knitting originated from the Middle East in the 5th Century while crocheting developed from tambouring, an ancient form of Chinese needlework.
Sarah Turuga, a second year student studying computer science at Kenyatta University, learnt how to knit from her mother.
“I chose crocheting over knitting because I felt like knitting was very rigid and I was making fewer designs with the needles. With crocheting, the hook kind of became a wand which I could use to create whatever I imagined,” she says.
Unlike knitting, crochet stitches resemble a chain of small knots. Knitting uses a pair of long circular needles to form the loops, moving a set of loops from one needle to another while the stitches are held on the needle.
Crocheting uses a single hook to hook the loops together directly on the piece. It is this major difference that makes crocheting much easier to learn than knitting.
Knitting projects take much longer than crocheting but have better drape, which also depends on the quality of the yarn used.
Faith Makena wearing one of her bestselling ‘Kena by Kena’ pieces, a tassel shawl with pockets.
Photo credit: Pool
Sarah has sold around 30 pieces since she began crocheting. Whenever she wore any of her creations, an interested individual would ask her to make them a similar piece. However, her peers had mixed reactions when they heard that she enjoyed crocheting.
“Some see me as an old granny but others are actually fascinated by the fact that I can create something nice from a ball of yarn,” she says.
For years, mothers and grandmothers have played an important role in keeping the art of yarn crafting alive by teaching their daughters who then passed it on to their own. Pregnant women in their nesting period used to often knit or crochet mittens, blankets and sweaters as they prepared to welcome their new-borns. However, affordability of second hand clothes has diminished the value of hand woven clothes.
Faith Makena, 26, grew up watching her mother and aunt make crochet tablecloths that were a common part of decor in many Kenyan households in the early 2000s. From the age of five, she began gaining interest in the craft but fully took it up in university during a long semester break in 2016. In an effort to find something to engage in, she went on YouTube and started watching knitting videos. She later stumbled upon crocheting tutorials, which she felt were easier to learn.
“I bought two crochet hooks and yarn then started learning. Three weeks later, I had made my first scarf,” she said. She had not thought about going into business but her family and friends already created a clientele for her.
“When I mentioned to a close friend that I am learning how to crochet, she promised to buy my first scarf,” Faith says.
Through the referrals, she started [‘Kena by Kena’ on Instagram, where she sells and displays her items, which include shrugs, shawls, cowls and baby clothes. She also joined Miss Universe Kenya 2018 Wabaiya Kariuki in a mental health series called ‘Wellness with Wabaiya’ that encouraged people to show an act of kindness to three people per week. Faith studied psychology and counselling at Daystar University.
Liesel Cupido rekindled her passion for knitting 14 years ago after she gave birth to her firstborn child. She first learnt the craft in primary school but ended up taking it more seriously in her 30s. Her husband, Aunit Shah, manages Freeman’s, a yarn store that has served crafters for more than 60 years. They recently relocated from Biashara Street in city centre to Parklands to expand the business. They noted a slight increase in sales since the start of the Covid pandemic, showing that people were gaining more interest in crafts during their time at home.
“The younger generation are so artsy and creative. They now realise the importance of these crafts. It is a good thing to learn how to do things with your hands,” says Liseil.
A study by Dr Philippa Burns, a medical researcher and lecturer, shows that crocheting made most people feel calmer, happier and more useful. Crocheting has been proven to have positive benefits for personal wellbeing and many people use it to manage stress, pain, chronic illness, mental conditions like depression and to also get through life events such as grief.
Children also greatly benefit from learning yarn crafting. When a child has a healthy interest in arts and crafts at an early age, he or she can gain several advantages such as improved bilateral coordination, enhanced focus, strengthened visual learning and advanced problem solving skills, according to Dr Amrita Vohra, an experienced educationist.
