We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Anna Morwen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Anna below.
Anna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
How did you learn to do what you do? – My mom’s mom used to knit a lot years ago. She lives in the countryside and we visited her mostly during summer vacation when my sister and me were schoolgirls. It was mesmerizing to watch how she was creating garments sitting in the evening on the couch with her glasses on, counting stitches. In the evening because there is always a lot of work in garden and she worked hard, and we helped her of course. Having the natural curiosity, I asked grandma to teach me how to knit. I’ve learnt the basics from her but then it stuck for several decades. Only at age of 33 I realized that knitting is something that could become my main hobby. And I started to learn myself watching videos and reading books. Crochet hook got into my hands 2.5 years later. Still learning, it never stops, but I am armed with the most important skills now.
Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? – I think I was doing everything right. The process of main learning could take not so long only in case if I had more spare time for it.
What skills do you think were most essential? – To be successful in working with yarn you have to obtain such characteristics as perseverance, patience, learnability. Only having them one could gain decent knitting and crocheting skills, I believe.
What obstacles stood in the way of learning more? – The obstacles are very much common for all the hobbies I believe: lack of time and lack of money on materials and tools. Collecting all the tools I needed took me several years (still collecting actually). It also took me awhile to get common with all the types of fibers. their characteristics. Every brand manufactures and dyes its yarn in different ways and as a result yarns differ from brand to brand, from series to series, and you need to experience all this by your own.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Anna, I am a Ukrainian girl who met an American guy on Facebook and last August reached America. Not that I craved to escape the war. I left my family in Ukraine and my heart aches every day. But immigration was planned before the war’s started and I could not delay it, the US government wouldn’t let me. So I am here, in the “New World”.
I am a self-taught crafter. I knit for 5 years and crochet for 2,5 years. As long as I moved from across the ocean I could not take all my yarn stashes and all my tools to America. My husband, Frost Newcastle, supports me a lot in my creative activity. He made a workshop room for me in our house. Now I have shelves for my yarns and all the supplies, desk for sewing machines, light I need, place for photoshoots and making videos and computer to edit it all. I dedicate my days to knitting and crocheting, looking for new techniques, reading and watching about new trends and things I don’t know yet, collaborating with other designers which provides the unique experience.
I don’t use natural fur, leather, suede in my crafting. I don’t use acrylic which became very popular in America. I use less and less of other synthetic fibers at all. There are two lifestyles I try to follow. The first one is “hygge”, here’s the definition from the Oxford vocabulary: “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)”. Living in hygge style you don’t seek for luxury, artificial goods. You try to spend your days in harmony with your inside and the surrounding including environment. The second one is “slow fashion”, that’s what Wikipedia says about it: “‘Slow fashion is an aspect of sustainable fashion and a concept describing the opposite to fast fashion, part of the “slow movement” advocating for clothing and apparel manufacturing in respect to people, environment and animals.” So, providing hygge in your every day you have to follow slow fashion. I find this philosophy pretty neat and worth attention and following, especially in the conditions of the global extra pollution.
I have started to create my own designs, which I did before, but I have never written them down. I believe that I can create qualitative and interesting designs which could attract other crafters and non threading public. I would like to create several lines for different public: eco activists; campers/hikers; alternative folk; people who just crave quality, original goods and who likes to make meaningful gifts. I am related to every group I’ve just listed and I know what people may need, want.
I make only what I could use by myself. That is how I know how garment fits the body structure, which fibers are better for frosts and which for washcloths, etc.
As a conclusion I would like to formulate my mission:
-everyone could become a creator of their own cozy and sustainable living, and I can show the ways how
-everyone could look origin and have durable and quality goods, and I can help with this.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I’ve listed some reasons why people become knitters/chrocheters in my opinion. Maybe someone will find theirselves in them and will revise their worldview. 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 1. An urge to express yourself. Most of us have this need. The expression could be achieved in different ways. Some find theirsevles in working with threads and tools for them.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 2. Desire for self-improvement. When you knit or crochet you have to learn new stuffs just all the time. It keeps your brain clear, improves your skills. One of the ways to reach it is to be in the community of crafters.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 3. Desire for being useful, to help others. Most of time I make things for my close people, not for myself. I love to gift them with warm sweaters or summer tops, or whatever. I like to show my love and affection in such way.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 4. Desire to have garments, accessories of the content and quality of which you are sure. You make things with all your conscience, doing your best because you don’t wanna fail, you wanna shine Exploring the market of yarns you are making your choices, having your preferences. I prefer to buy natural yarn of good quality.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 5. The wish of filling up your life with original, exclusive, beautiful things. The best part is that you can make things that will match your taste and your needs perfectly, because you know what you want.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 6. The wish to earn some money. Some have their craft businesses, some take the modest price for their job, but anyways it’s always pleasant to know that your creations worth some values.
The tendency of being close to the cradle of humanity. Needleworks is not just a hobby, it is up to survival skills which our ancestors developed. I love realizing this part, it makes me feel closer to my roots.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 8. When you don’t have extra money for new, especially pretty clothes. So, you are just making something for yourself . It’s also up to survival skills.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 9. Doing your little magic, feeling yourself smart, gifted and bright.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 10. Feeding from the “women’s” energy source. Yes, there’s a lot of biological men who can knit and crochet excellent. But still not so many as among biological women. So, that called “women’s” nature is to create, and those persons who choose such handcrafts are about creating, caring, soul warming.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 11. “I relax, find harmony and peace.” Some knit in silence, some listens to audiobooks, some have conversations, some watch movies. But for everyone needlework is a relaxing matter.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 12. “I am experimenting.” With new fibers, new trade marks, new patterns, new designs.. with everything 🤩That makes people feel alive.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 13. To satisfy their sense of aesthetics. It is really pretty what you create, and you do want to create pretty, neat, functional pieces.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 14. A desire to make beautiful, original and useful gifts. It’s always pleasant to give people a piece of your labor, of your feelings, of your caress. Most people appreciate handmade gifts, even if It’s just a small stuff to complete the bigger gift or just to show your affection.
𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 15.Desire to create really warm and hygienic things. For me, it’s very important because I easily get cold and I want my garment to be free of bacterias and other filth. It’s not easy to buy a natural and warm, and cheap garment, so I prefer to knit it by myself.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
People became very cynical about everything. Cynicism kills initiate, motivation, inspiration. Artists of all sorts suffer from prejudice, unfounded criticism. If people would care more about feelings of others, would try to understand first before judging, would think more about environmental pollution and consequences of their actions, the world would become better and definitely filled with more beauty created by cfrafters, artisans, artists. But for now, I urge everyone to believe in theirselves and don’t be shy to share your creations with the world – there’s definitely someone who might understand you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: anna_morwen_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AnnaMorwen
- Other: Ravelry nickname: AnnaMorwen