Wouna le Roux

The women who helped to shape and influence me – mother, older sister and grandmother – all contributed to my love of textiles.

This artwork pays homage to the all women in my life, past and present. It is also a reconnection with my past life. Three of the colour threads in these granny squares were bought while visiting family in South Africa this year, and the forest green spool was on sale at the local (NZ) fabric store. Adding the gold embroidery thread to represent kintsugi (golden joinery)/kintsukuroi (golden repair), is a metaphor for ‘mending the gap’ between past and present, between two countries, between differences, and also between fine art and what is seen as ‘craft’.

When I started this project, I envisioned the end product as something more two-dimensional and flat. However, the golden embroidery thread changed that notion. It is made of a very thin yellow fibre, wrapped with what looks like golden tinsel. When I separated the strands, the thread already started to come undone in places, and when I started crocheting, it went from bad to worse. I hoped it might work out in the end, but sadly the golden rounds pull the squares in, giving the work a 3D appearance. Perhaps not bad, only different to what I planned.

I will keep this piece as it has special meaning to me on so many levels, but will try a different thread next time.

P.S. Crocheting is a skill that cannot be reproduced by a machine (like knitting). Every piece of crochet work, no matter how cheap it is sold for at big chain stores, was crocheted by an actual person, meaning no two pieces of crochet work will be 100% identical. Each one is unique, each made by someone, each made by hand. Isn’t that just something.

A timely reminder to never ever buy crocheted clothing or other items from big chain stores.

Size: This granny squares block is made up of a rectangle of crocheted traditional four rounds granny squares, about one inch in size each, arranged in a rectangle of 4×6 blocks. The final size is 120x170mm.