Crochet isn't a traditional craft in most of rural India the way embroidery, knitting and weaving are. It arrived through cultural exchange, colonial influence and everyday domestic needlework. In some places, missionaries introduced it, and it has since become a multigenerational tradition among women of many faiths.
We had experimented with crochet more than 10 years ago, and we picked it up again for a practical reason: it was a way to recycle our knit chindis (the fabric scraps left over from production). Knit fabric has a handy quirk. It doesn't fray, so there are no messy edges, and when you stretch a thin strip of it, it curls into a smooth, neat cord. That cord became the starting point for our necklaces.
Then came the fun part. Chindi cord is much thicker than regular crochet thread, so a hook just wasn't working. The women figured out how to crochet using only their fingers. They now make the beads so skillfully that they don't need anything to hold the shape. Their hands do all the guiding.
Some of the women already knew crochet. Others were curious and happy to learn something new. Either way, it brought them together as they experimented. The women who knew the craft gained confidence by teaching it. Knowing something and sharing it builds a lot: confidence, generosity, community.
The women are proud of these necklaces, and it shows. At first, only one cooperative was making them. Now four cooperatives are.
It's another example of what happens when something new is introduced: the women take it somewhere we never expected and make it their own. They're not done yet, either. Their ideas keep growing, so keep an eye out for new and beautiful designs.
