BY SIPHOSETHU MABUZA
MANZINI— What began as a school project Fiso once asked a friend to complete has grown into a creative passion, a small business and a dream of seeing her crochet designs on the runway.
Fiso first encountered crochet through Consumer Science in primary school but admits she was not interested at the time. Her passion developed during the COVID-19 pandemic when she spent more time indoors watching YouTube tutorials.
After trying to recreate a crochet project from primary school, she eventually followed a YouTube tutorial to make a bralette, producing several versions as she developed her skills.
“I was kinda self-taught from YouTube,” she said.The transformation of ordinary yarn into something wearable is what drew her deeper into the craft. “From a string of yarn to making fully wearable art is what made me love this craft,” she said.
Her favourite technique is tapestry crochet, which allows her to create images using yarn. She describes crochet as more than a craft, saying it gives her a way to express herself while providing peace and a sense of therapy. Her mood often influences the images she creates through tapestry crochet, with some pieces reflecting what she is experiencing during a particular season of her life.
One of her proudest creations is her sunflower granny-square cardigan, which was both her first wearable piece and the first cardigan she made for herself. However, turning crochet into a business comes with challenges. Fiso says the growing number of people entering the craft has made the market competitive, while some customers expect handmade pieces to cost the same as mass-produced products.
She responds by creating unusual designs, including a tape-measure scarf and flower bags that require wires alongside yarn and a crochet hook. Fiso showcases her work at the Ezulwini Farmers’ Market every second Saturday and has also started attending the Malkerns Country Market. Earlier this year, she participated in the Made in Eswatini Consumer Fair.
She hopes to eventually make crochet a sustainable source of income and build a brand that can feature in runway shows. Her work is available on Instagram at @fisoscrochet_market.sz, Facebook at Fiso’s Crochet Market, and TikTok at @crafty.
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(Courtesy Pic)
