Magic in her fingers

Unique hobbies

We all have that one person who brings a turning point in our lives and makes us discover something in ourselves that we never even knew existed. For Shashi Kumble, it was her mother, who, she says, was a great teacher. “My mother wanted to make sure that we, me and my two sisters, all learnt something during our summer holidays to ensure that we spent our time productively. Her friend had a tailoring class and we were sent there to learn tailoring. I was not very good at it so she sent me for knitting instead; something which I couldn’t do very well either. It was at that time that crochet caught my fancy.”

What started off as a simple interest soon became a full-fledged passion. Shashi started making many items and these became popular gifting options for her friends, many of whom were getting married at that time. But then life caught up. Her mother passed away, she got married and found a job and forgot all about crochet. “It was only very recently that I took it up again,” she says. “I found my mother’s old knitting books and other paraphernalia one day and suddenly felt the urge to pursue my passion once more. I went with my husband to the Jayanagar market and got the required things and bought a crochet book from Amazon. I had to sort of relearn the entire process because I was so out of touch but I was happy.”

There has been no looking back after that. She made scarves, Afghans and doilies and later on graduated to baskets, cushion covers and bags. Talking about the journey till here, Shashi says, “I did a lot of experimentation initially. Like while making the Afghans, I didn’t go by any particular design but instead, made it very colourful. It was at that time that my apartment held a ‘monsoon mela’ and invited residents to put up stalls. My family kept encouraging me to give it a shot so I went and registered. I had very few things to sell and absolutely zero idea about the price or the cost incurred. But all my items were sold out in a matter of minutes.”

After that, her popularity spread through word-of-mouth and through social media. She started getting a lot of orders from outside as well as from her own relatives, mostly because her products are not the usual run-of-the-mill ones you see. “The baskets I make are in demand because they are so unique,” she says. “The cushion covers, mobile covers and hanging mobiles are also sought-after. I make a variety of bags using wool and thread and I get these lined, stitched and zipped for a professional look. Another distinctive item are the crochet chains with pendants in them. Also, I usually don’t repeat patterns unless specifically asked to do so.”

She has got a lot of appreciation from people. Her colour sense and innovations have garnered her praise, with one person even saying that ‘she has magic in her fingers’. “It is remarks like this which motivate me to continue with this hobby,” says Shashi.

Her products are crossing borders now. Relatives and friends outside the state and even outside the country have been asking for her creations and she has been busy sending these to them. “The scarves are very popular. I am also making them in cotton and silk now. Also, there is a feeling among people that crochet scarves are for women only. That is not true. There are many designs which will suit men also because they are not lacy.”
Talking about one more common misconception, she says that crochet is very different from knitting.

 “Knitting is done with two needles, crochet uses only one.” She has included such things alongwith information about her products in her newly-created blog through which she reaches out to interested people. “But the selling is secondary. At the end of the day, I do it for my happiness,” she says, smiling.

(Shashi can be  contacted on 9902270086)