All my life, handmade art has surrounded my steps. When I was 6 years old, cuter than I’m now, I’ve been a happy crochet knitter. It all started on a rainy afternoon in Armenia (Quindio), in the apartment where my maternal grandma lived with my aunts, my uncle and my youngest female cousin.
My mother and I came to visit them in June, 1987, when we lived in Bogota and my dad worked while we were in Armenia.
Keeping this in mind, let me tell you that my cousin preferred drawing and painting (she was still too young for reading), and I loved reading rather than following her skills.
We were both bored, literally looking at the ceiling, of doing what we always did and imagining games outside. There was no more room for a drop of water in the sky, which continued to pour rain.
How handmade art saved the day
My mom saw that the swings weren’t an available choice, so she took a taxi downtown and came back with the afternoon salvation: 2 balls of yarn, pinker than Hello Kitty itself and 2 golden crochet needles with different numbers on each point. «So, let’s go knitting!», she said, according to the certainty given by her teaching career.
From there, we both got 2 knitted doilies as a result, after lots of do and undo lessons. I gave mine to my paternal grandma, and I was told that she kept it until the end of her earthly life.
My cousin stopped knitting years later, but I didn’t… And curiosity started guiding me through other techniques, always guided by my mother’s skillful hands and my aunts’ visits to Bogotá every now and then.
I know how to do needlework, how to knit, as well as making beaded accessories and I had the pleasure and honour to teach this last skill to my mom. I pour my soul, my life and my hat to each one of my pieces.
I love to devote hours to a handmade piece because I know that it will beautify the environment and the body of another person; plus, there is magic in each piece.
And I tell you today, for the rest of your entire life:
Don’t you dare asking for a discount to an artisan nor a farmer.
Both activities are ruled by love for life, dedication, frustration, thousands of attempts to reach the goal, constant learning of techniques and regeneration of joy when the effort finally comes to fruition.
If you want to keep going to the huge retail stores, go buy what everyone else has, that’s the least of it; they’ll still get paid what you pay them and the employees will stay the same.
Be aware that what you buy from the artisans will last longer than what you buy from the stores. And also, what you buy from the farmers, they will thank you for the rest of their lives and they will even give you a bonus.
When you buy from small retailers, you preserve the Life of Mother Earth. You extend the life cycle of objects and improve the quality of your environment, as well as the health of your own body.
I may have an impressive academic background, but that does not detract from my appreciation for what I do and what others do in the world. The simple, kind and loving hearts are the ones that work the best and most of the time, the most battered.
You can check our available knitted items catalogue clicking here and our handmade beaded accessories here. If you want to get something that’s not available in the menu, you can email us to lakshmi@ensohyb.com and we’ll be glad to provide you with a price quote.
Thanks for your support and attention! Namaste!