Social media is a strange thing isn't it? We all wake up in the morning, stare  at our screens for a while and coo over each other. Don't we? Some don't, as recently I have experienced the not so nice side of social media. Where people seek you out, make fake profiles so they can lurk and be nosey. Where some send anonymous messages and even send messages to your followers about you! Horrible right?

So here's a call out, for support, for "sisterhood" if you like, because if this weeks happenings on social media have taught me anything it's that we ARE a great community. We pulled together and raised over £12,000 so that dear Jenny and Amanda of A Little Box Of Crochet could spend the holiday of a lifetime in Switzerland after heating some devastating news, but we made it happen!

I have always tried to be a supporter of small fledging businesses. I've bought soap and handmade jewellery from market stalls, I've shopped in farm shops for my veg rather than Tesco, I have trawled Etsy for the perfect gift rather than heading to the local super market, I have bought from other crocheters, I mean, I have even attended parties where they talk about "hugging your candle" to support a friend. None of us are going to do well if we keep battling each other. There IS room for us all. Yes, we may do similar work now and then, but does the creator or the 'treble crochet' call each one of us out when we use that stitch? You are happy to walk in to Topshop and pick up runway copies, you walk into an art gallery and see art heavily influenced by Salvador Dali & Picasso, you turn on the radio and hear music that you swear could be from the 1960's so tell me, how is this any different?

I am guilty of feeling that pang of jealousy and annoyance when someone crochets up something super similar to my work. Let's be honest, Crochet isn't rocket science, it may seem it to some but if you know how to crochet, you've dabbled in design and know the basic stitches you can pretty much work out a pattern from looking at a garment, and yes girl, save your money, don't purchase my pattern, make it up as you go, don't credit me, it's all good. I'm not going to plaster your name over social media and make you out to be something you're not. We are all just trying to make it work.
I used to do this thing, when I saw a post pop up on Instagram where someone had made something really similar or even the same as something I had. I'd go to the top right hand corner, press on those three little dots and yep, there it is in red, the word 'Block'. Ha! There I said it. But what does this achieve, it just means you can no longer enjoy each other's work. I love seeing other people's work, I love seeing people create things from my pattern and I love seeing people taking inspiration from my designs and making it into something of their own design. So can we all, just take a few minutes to have a look at that block list and think "do we really need to create such drama, animosity and friction between each other" the answer is HELL NO we don't. I mean, we have a lot in common, we'd clearly make great friends! 💅🏻💖


A x