Gossy: Cotton & Crochet Skill Share

Participants beginning to crochet after an introductory discussion grounded in cotton’s Afro and Indigenous journeys to us.

We had a full house of Black “fiber-artists in the making” a few weekends ago (April 15th, 2023) for Gossy: Threading Through Cotton, Crochet, and Afro-Diaspora Fiber Arts. We went over some of cotton’s origins, uses, and medicines, and then got into some crocheting basics using cotton yarn.

People had lots to share about their experiences with cotton, and there was a range of skill levels but we started with some simple slip knots, single crochet, and double crochet stitches. There was the option to start a project using some patterns from Etsy (a kitty coaster, mug cozy, and bottle cozy), but folks were also encouraged to just get comfortable with the feel of the yarn in their hands and familiar with the stitches.

We have more learning resources about cotton coming down the line and you can get a sneak peek of them on our Patreon (which you can join here!).

This workshop was made possible thanks to the National Young Farmer’s Coalition via Cultivemos’ Queer Farmers cohort, which has been offering a series of workshops to encourage farmer well-being.

Participants getting into it with the cotton yarn.

Participants forming their own little crochet groups, and Maya supporting a participant as they practice a double crochet stitch.