Interview with the amazing Pony Mctate
By Tiff //
What inspired you to you start doing crochet, and how old were you when you first picked up the hook? I come from a long line of avid crocheters, but I didn’t gave it a go myself until 2 years ago when I had wee children. I was desperate for some kind of creative outlet, something that didn’t require feeding or burping. Something I could pick up and put down without too much hassle. My mother already had a supply of hooks, and the expertise, so crochet was a natural choice. And what a wonderful choice it was. The repetitive, meditative nature of crochet was an unexpected delight and just what I needed at the time. I started with a wonky rabbit, and somehow had a whole cast of creatures about three weeks later. Looking back, I don’t recall mothering at this time but I do remember the crochet. You’ve done knitting + crochet, how would you compare them, and why is it that crochet is your trade of choice? Not quite - I can’t knit. In fact, I’m a militant crocheter. I always think of crochet as knitting’s little sister. The average punter in the street assumes they’re the same thing, so we crocheters can get rather snippy when you ask us what we’re knitting. That said, they each have their advantages and disadvantages. You can get wonderful drape with knitting that is a little harder to achieve in crochet. But crochet can be perfect for gorgeous dense homewares, like rugs and baskets. And crochet has the added bonus that it won’t undo itself in your very hands: you finish off each stitch as you go so there’s no danger of dropping stitches, as there is in knitting. It’s very forgiving. Who are some other crochet artists that inspire your makings? Oh there are loads. Instagram has brought so many cool creative people into my life, both online and in the real world. Molla Mills - @molla.mills - does cool, modern, geometric homewares that really stand out. Kate Bruning - @greedyforcolour - creates worlds of whimsy and delight. And Judit Just - @_jujujust_- is a weaver whose use of colour is quite simply mind-blowing. What is your favourite piece of work that you’ve ever made? This pompom chair is currently top of my pops. It’s not crochet but did use a whole lot of yarn. It sits in the corner of my room and makes me smile whenever I look at it. Isn’t it fun? It reminds me how much I value the playful and the quirky in my work. When you’re not making a masterpiece, where would we find you? I would love to say something noble or adventurous but that wouldn’t quite be accurate. I find pleasure in small, everyday things like sitting on my deck drinking coffee, dreaming up new projects in the bath or getting my nails done. I do all of those things rather a lot. If you had all the chunky yarn in the world at your dispense what would be a wild creation that you’d make? Ooh what a glorious thought! I’d make myself a playground. With giant climbing nets and tunnels and a cosy little nest somewhere in the middle where I could crochet and nibble baked goods. What’s something most of your followers on instagram wouldn’t know about you? When I was smaller I wanted to be a secret agent. I read up all I could about invisible ink and dead-letter drops and then progressed into covert operations like pinching biscuits when Mum wasn’t looking. Today I still like a good spy thriller on the audiobook while I crochet. Are you a 1 ply or 2 ply kinda lass? They’re both fabulous, of course, but 1-ply has my heart. It’s the chunkiest of the chunky and to me it epitomises extreme crochet and all its wonders. lastly - What’s a piece of advice you’d give to any beginner crocheter & what would you suggest their first creation to be? Loosen up, both in terms of tension and more generally. It’s easy to tense up when you’re learning to crochet: holding your hook tightly, scrunching your shoulders, working strangled stitches. When you’re working with chunky yarn, loosening up your tension will make things easier all round. And once you’ve got the hang of how it works, feel free to wing it. Go rogue! Experiment and don’t worry if you aren’t strictly following the pattern. Mistakes can make for unexpectedly awesome crochet. And if they don’t, crochet stitches are super easy to rip out and redo. In terms of your first creation, a round rug in chunky yarn is a good place to start. You can get a taste of some basic stitches in a straightforward way and it works up quickly. 
Pony Pictured here with our yet to be released baby yarn, lookin' gorgeous.
 Some of her cutest creations.
Pony will be joining us for 4 exclusive crochet workshops in Auckland, Wellington, Hamilton & Christchurch. Make sure you get tickets for you and your friends fast! They won't last long. We are so excited to have Pony with us to share all her creative wisdom and we hope you're inspired into the art of crocheting in the process.We hope you enjoyed this weeks wee chat, we'll catch you next week for another post of inspiration. |
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